May MBLD Madness Singapore 2023

A total of 27 competitors gathered at The Common Good on May 20, 2023, turning a compact roster into a showcase of remarkable memory work and mechanical execution. Across 4 events and 5 rounds of high-level blindfolded solving, the single-day competition produced historic milestones alongside intense podium battles. The specialized schedule meant every entrant faced the daunting challenge of memorizing and solving puzzles without sight, creating a focused atmosphere where every second and every solved cube counted toward the final standings.

The standout milestone in the record books belonged to Malaysia's Hill Pong Yong Feng. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, Hill Pong Yong Feng delivered a stellar performance to establish a National record average of 28.68 seconds, complemented by a sharp single of 22.29 seconds. In an event where solving the classic Rubik's Cube while blindfolded leaves no margin for error, putting together three consistent successes in a single average round marked a massive achievement for Malaysian speedcubing.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded podium saw exceptional times across the board. Kaijun Lin took top honours in the event, logging a winning average of 18.40 seconds and a best single of 16.09 seconds. Yifan Wang claimed the runner-up position with a 17.54 single, while Singapore's own Theodore Chan secured third place with a 22.51 single. In a format where any recall error leads to a DNF, these top 3x3 results demonstrated world-class speed and precision.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event brought the most massive test of memory to Singapore, Singapore, requiring solvers to memorize and execute dozens of cubes in a single sitting. Yucheng Chen secured first place with an extraordinary haul of 51 out of 54 cubes solved in a time of 57:49. Firstian Fushada of Indonesia delivered a flawless run to take second place, solving all 24 of 24 cubes in 56:06. Sora Wenjie Xu captured third place, also finishing without a single error by solving 20 of 20 cubes in 54:28.

Big-cube blindfolded events demanded endurance and complex parity management. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Kaijun Lin earned another victory by registering the best single of 1:11.34, while Hill Pong Yong Feng placed second in 1:26.54 and Sora Wenjie Xu took third in 2:16.78. The 5x5x5 Blindfolded contest saw Hill Pong Yong Feng claim the title with a winning single of 2:19.07, ahead of Sora Wenjie Xu in 6:04.03 and Ng Jia Quan in 10:18.00.

Beyond the podium battles, the floor of May MBLD Madness Singapore 2023 was filled with major individual breakthroughs from competitors who made immense strides in their personal records. Jovan Susanto produced a monumental performance in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging a personal best of 2:16.60 to outpace a previous mark of 6:03.16 by 62.4 percent. Poh Jen Joon achieved a similar leap forward in the same event, recording a time of 2:38.13 that was 55.8 percent faster than their earlier best of 5:57.67. Isaac Lai Yin Chung also lowered their 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best to 2:02.92, improving by 25.2 percent, and earned an 11th-place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Meanwhile, Lee Jun Yee Allen cut 32 percent off their 3x3x3 Blindfolded best with a 2:02.20 and took 9th in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind during their first ever attempt at the event, solving 2 of 2 cubes in 11:24.

Other competitors took on brand new territory at this cubing competition with memorable debuts and multi-event campaigns. Daniel Ng took on their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind to finish 8th with a successful 2 of 2 in 11:15, while improving their 3x3x3 Blindfolded best by 8.3 percent down to 2:21.16. Timothy Ng tackled 4 events during the meet, capturing a best finish of 6th in 5x5x5 Blindfolded, recording a personal best of 6 of 6 in 35:24 in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, and completing a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 10:13.00. Sandra Devi entered 3x3x3 Multi-Blind for a first ever attempt at the discipline, placing 10th with 3 of 4 cubes in 26:56, while Jareth Soong Ying Rui contested 4 events, earning a 5th-place finish in 5x5x5 Blindfolded alongside a new 4x4x4 Blindfolded personal best of 4:23.09.

Across the entire day, the international contingent made an emphatic statement on the podiums, with competitors representing China earning 7 podium places, Malaysia taking 3, Indonesia capturing 1, and Singapore earning 1. Each round challenged competitors to push the limits of concentration and tactile control under strict tournament conditions. The high standard of execution across all four disciplines highlighted the depth of blindfolded talent active in the region.

The conclusion of May MBLD Madness Singapore 2023 left a lasting imprint on the 2023 speed cubing calendar. From national record averages to massive multi-blind conquests and dozens of personal milestones, the gathering at The Common Good proved that specialized blindfolded events continue to produce some of the most dramatic tests in any WCA competition.