Mentallinn 2023

Nineteen competitors gathered in Tallinn, Estonia on January 28, 2023, to launch their speedcubing calendar with an intensely focused day of specialty disciplines. Staged at the Draper Startup House Cafe, the early-season gathering gave puzzle specialists their first major testing ground of the year. Across six demanding events and seven rounds of play, the single-day WCA competition showcased everything from sightless mastery to methodical efficiency, setting a sharp competitive benchmark for the year ahead.

The winter schedule provided immediate drama across the blindfolded events, which made up the core of Mentallinn 2023. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Wojciech Rogoziński secured the top spot on the podium with a decisive single of 23.48 seconds. The contest tested precision under strict conditions, with second place going to Radomił Baran at 24.36 seconds and Radosław Opoka claiming third with a mark of 24.97 seconds. Tracking standard 3x3 results across sightless disciplines demands intense concentration, and the field produced a rapid standard for early 2023.

Big-cube blindfolded solving saw German competitor Jan Bentlage deliver a commanding double victory. Bentlage topped the 4x4x4 Blindfolded podium with a winning single of 4:25.88, leading fellow countrywoman Simone Ohler who took second place in 9:10.85, while Radomił Baran earned third in 11:42.00. Later in the program, Bentlage conquered the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event as the lone solver to post a successful time, winning with a single of 9:34.07 against an ambitious four-person field where the remaining three entrants recorded DNFs.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind discipline proved to be one of the most remarkable showcases of memory and speed cubing endurance of the weekend. Kamil Przybylski took the victory by successfully solving 40 out of 50 puzzles within an hour, posting a final mark of 40/50 in 1:00:02. Wojciech Rogoziński followed closely with an impressive 28 out of 30 cubes solved in 53:19, while Radomił Baran locked up another podium finish by recording 30 out of 34 cubes in 57:14.

Away from blindfolded solving, the technical disciplines tested pure analytical skill and dexterity. Radomił Baran took the title in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, recording a 24.00 mean along with a best single of 23 moves across the field of 16 participants. Wojciech Rogoziński and Jan Bentlage followed, both finishing with means of 26.00 moves. In Clock, local standout Oliver Pällo delivered an Estonian triumph by taking first place with an average of 5.76 seconds and a best single of 4.99, besting Poland's Przemysław Rogalski at 5.91 seconds and Bentlage at 7.01.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors produced significant personal milestones and took on brand new disciplines in the Estonian capital. Mike Vidrik Rätsep delivered a major breakthrough in Clock, dropping his personal best to 14.92 seconds to improve on his previous mark by 23.2 percent while also securing a 7th place finish in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Hedi Liis Timmusk recorded a sharp 11 percent improvement in the same event, logging a Clock personal best of 7.21 seconds on the way to a 5th place result. Rio Truija expanded their repertoire by tackling their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, scoring 2/3 in 28:48 alongside a 4th place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Meanwhile, Tormi Püvi took on their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, finding a solution in 41 moves.

Other dedicated solvers added valuable results across extensive individual schedules. Laur Jakob Jänt took on three separate events, highlighted by a 9th place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind. Sofia Veedler contested three categories and reached 4th place in Clock. Andrei Solntsev earned a 4th place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded from his two events entered. Maksim Zemtšihhin took on four events and earned a 6th place finish in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, while Remo Pihel matched the 4th place standard in 4x4x4 Blindfolded across a demanding four-event weekend.

International representation defined the leaderboard throughout the day, with Polish competitors securing 11 podium places, German solvers collecting 6, and Estonia and Lithuania rounding out the medal count. From complex Rubik's Cube variants to high-stakes memorisation, the gathering proved to be a vibrant test of resolve. As the season gets fully underway, Mentallinn 2023 established an exacting standard of focus and speed that sets up an exciting year of competition ahead.