Marble City Cubing 2023

Forty-nine competitors gathered at Saint James Parochial School for a packed day of speed cubing action, moving through 12 complete rounds across six disciplines. Putting together an efficient schedule demands tireless dedication from the staff, judges, and runners on the floor. At Marble City Cubing 2023, the team kept every heat moving seamlessly across the competition venue in Gouverneur, New York, USA. Their diligent work on October 28, 2023 ensured that every entrant had a fair, regulated environment to chase fast times.

The traditional 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube highlighted the day as 46 competitors stepped up across three separate rounds. In the final, Charles Amarello from the United States took top honors with an impressive winning average of 8.54 seconds, alongside a best single of 7.76. Alex Felsenfeld secured second place with an average of 9.53, while Louis Truong completed the podium in third with a 9.89 mark. The final 3x3 results capped a fiercely contested event overseen smoothly by the volunteer crew.

Zach Ridall emerged as a double winner across two distinct events during the weekend. In Square-1, Ridall took first place with a 9.43 winning average and a lightning single of 6.00 seconds, leading Alex Felsenfeld in second at 13.09 and Alex Cohen in third at 13.23. Ridall returned to the top step in Skewb, logging a winning average of 5.72 and a 3.99 single. Vincent Saliceti finished second in Skewb with a 6.20 average, just ahead of Evan Waters in third at 6.30. Ridall also added a third-place finish in Clock with an 8.65 average.

The 2x2x2 Cube featured a massive field of 40 solvers battling through a single decisive round. Canada's Rémi Chrétien captured the victory with a 2.45 average and a tournament-best single of 1.67 seconds. Alex Felsenfeld placed second with a 3.23 average, while Edgar Miranda earned third with a 3.60 average. Both competitors posted sharp singles of 2.80 and 2.68 respectively. United States solvers captured 14 total podium spots on the day, while Canadian entrants secured four podium placements.

Beyond the podium battles, Marble City Cubing 2023 served as a platform for remarkable individual breakthroughs and technical leaps. Brandon Brazill tackled four separate events, lowering his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 11.01 seconds, which was 56.5 percent faster than his prior 25.33 mark, while also taking on his first Clock attempt with an 8.15. Emmett Sartarelli slashed his Skewb best down by 55.9 percent to 5.71 seconds. Owen Graaskamp cut his 2x2x2 Cube best by 53.8 percent to 5.24 seconds and completed his first Square-1 solve in 2:12.22. Brando Fusco trimmed 47.8 percent off his Square-1 best to reach 32.39 seconds.

Other competitors took on brand new challenges across the tournament schedule. Daniel Ghaby registered a 30.3 percent improvement in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 4.72 personal best and posted a 13.84 in his first official Skewb solve. Sebastian Saliceti dropped his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 24.7 percent to 29.07 seconds while attempting Megaminx and Skewb for the first time. First-time WCA competition participant Henry Murphy debuted across three events, posting a 6.50 on 2x2x2 Cube and a 9.01 on Skewb. Fellow newcomer Luke Bartholomew stepped up for his very first tournament attempts, clocking 58.39 in the 3x3x3 Cube and 13.87 in Skewb.

The specialized puzzles rounded out the roster with great tactical displays. In Megaminx, Canadian solver Breton MacDonald claimed the title with an average of 49.33 seconds and a sharp single of 42.85, narrowly holding off Luis Gracida from the USA who averaged 49.95. Gabrielle Morasse finished third in Megaminx with a time of 1:17.66. The Clock event saw Edward Habeck IV take the win with a 6.48 average and a best single of 5.42 seconds, followed by Gabrielle Morasse in second at 7.45.

The successful execution of Marble City Cubing 2023 highlighted how essential skilled organizers and delegates are to the speedcubing community. Managing 49 competitors across six different disciplines in a single venue requires precise timing and steady dedication at every station. With standard events alongside specialized puzzles, the Gouverneur meet concluded as an organized and memorable speedcubing competition for newcomers and seasoned competitors alike.