Marrickville Mini May Open 2023

The morning atmosphere inside Marrickville Town Hall was charged with quiet focus as 134 competitors prepared their gear on May 21, 2023. Stacking mats, calibrating timers, and warming up fingers across rows of tables, solvers gathered for a concentrated single-day program in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The busy room hummed with the steady clatter of turning plastic as the first official groups were called forward to the stations.

This edition of the Marrickville Mini May Open 2023 presented a compact schedule featuring three distinct events across four total rounds. Speedcubing enthusiasts from across the region arrived to test their skills in standard 3x3x3 Cube solving as well as side events Pyraminx and Skewb. For many in attendance, the cubing competition offered an ideal stage to establish baseline marks, chase personal benchmarks, and compete in a dynamic environment.

The day opened with the fast-paced action of Pyraminx, where 96 competitors took on a single decisive round. Sebastian Lee set the standard early with clean execution on the tetrahedral puzzle, securing first place for Australia with an impressive winning average of 2.47 seconds and a tournament-best single of 1.51 seconds. Aneesh Sawant of India claimed second place on the podium with an average of 4.07 seconds, while Jackson Abbott took third for Australia averaging 5.02 seconds.

Attention quickly shifted to the corner-turning challenge of Skewb, where a field of 74 entrants tackled the single-round format. Joshua Almanza delivered a commanding performance to capture the title, recording an average of 4.97 seconds alongside the event's top single of 3.68 seconds. Aaron Rattanachaipipat secured the silver position with an average of 5.76 seconds, edging out Oscar Liang who finished third with an average of 5.78 seconds to complete an all-Australian podium.

Away from the podium battles, the day produced remarkable breakthroughs for competitors making significant strides in their official journeys. Kenta Duong entered all three events and achieved an outstanding 53.2 percent improvement on the classic Rubik's Cube with a personal best single of 25.33 seconds, down from 54.09, while also posting a first ever attempt at Skewb of 12.73 and a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 20.40. Joel Green shaved 40.5 percent off his previous benchmark to record a 13.23 single in 3x3x3 Cube, alongside a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 9.57 and a first ever attempt at Skewb of 6.35, earning a best finish of ninth place. Brody Myers dropped his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 38.6 percent to 28.43 seconds, logging a first ever attempt at Skewb of 10.03 and a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 10.36 to place 18th in Skewb. Charlotte Groom lowered her 3x3x3 Cube best by 31 percent to 19.92 seconds, registering a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 18.32 and a first ever attempt at Skewb of 19.49.

The progression continued throughout the afternoon heats as more solvers capitalized on the competitive conditions. Aidan Lewis achieved a 30 percent reduction on his 3x3x3 Cube personal best down to 24.17 seconds, while logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 8.86 for a 21st place finish and a first ever attempt at Skewb of 21.13. Jacob Skowno cut 29.9 percent from his 3x3x3 Cube mark to reach 28.63 seconds, adding a first ever attempt at Skewb of 7.29 for 23rd place and a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 8.82. Andy Wang surged to 12th place in 3x3x3 Cube with a personal best single of 13.74 seconds, a 26.3 percent improvement, alongside a first ever attempt at Skewb of 5.09 and a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 8.93. Gautam Menon lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best by 25.5 percent to 21.62 seconds, also posting a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 10.70 for 22nd place and a first ever attempt at Skewb of 15.19.

As the afternoon progressed into the marquee event, 133 competitors launched into the opening round of the traditional 3x3x3 Cube. The competition advanced the top performers into a tense final round to decide the 3x3 results. Joshua Almanza returned to the center stage to deliver another masterclass, sealing his second title of the day with a winning average of 8.71 seconds and a rapid best single of 7.09 seconds. Sebastian Lee followed closely in second place with an average of 9.12 seconds, while Finn Burke earned the third spot on the podium with a 10.30 average.

The single-day meet wrapped up late on Sunday afternoon with Australia claiming eight podium spots and India securing one across the three events. For the speed cubing community gathered in Sydney, the Marrickville Mini May Open 2023 offered a packed program of quality solving, sharp turnarounds, and measurable progress across the board. Solvers packed up their cubes and timers at Marrickville Town Hall, already looking ahead to the challenges of the next WCA competition.