Minnesota Quiet Championship 2024

A blistering single of 15.61 seconds in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded final by Andy Wong delivered the most electrifying moment of the weekend. The lightning-fast solve stood out as the pinnacle of pure speed across the entire schedule, setting the pace for an intense day of high-focus problem solving. Held on November 2, 2024, at the Maple Grove Community Center in Maple Grove, Minnesota, USA, the Minnesota Quiet Championship 2024 brought together 13 dedicated competitors for a demanding six-round lineup spanning five specialized events.

While the schedule focused entirely on quiet events, the speedcubing community in the region witnessed rapid execution on the standard Rubik's Cube. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Wong dominated the 10-person field across two rounds, taking the top step on the podium with his winning single of 15.61. Kaius Young secured second place with a time of 51.33 seconds, while Jason Hammerman rounded out the top three with a mark of 57.07 seconds.

The 3x3 results also extended into the precision discipline of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, where efficiency met the clock over a single round. Walker Welch took the title with a winning average of 28.00 moves, powered by a weekend-best single of 25 moves. Canada's Deven Huard-Bernuy finished in second place with a 31.00 average, followed by Wong, who claimed third place with a 35.00 average in the 10-competitor event.

The competition pushed cubers to test their limits in new ways, as seen through several remarkable individual efforts behind the main standings. Lucian Yantes took on four events and logged his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a time of 20:54.00, achieving a 5th-place finish, alongside his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, where he successfully solved 6 of 8 cubes in 55:26. Lisa Kucala brought her deep experience across 154 career competitions to bear in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, securing a 5th-place finish.

Sawyer Peterson, competing in his 3rd career WCA competition, entered 3x3x3 Fewest Moves and earned an 8th-place finish, sharing that rank with Bennett Rule, who also placed 8th in the event during his 41st career outing. Adel Mosallami took on two events and recorded a 6th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, while Shain Papalotl Longbehn focused on 3x3x3 Fewest Moves to capture 4th place in his 133rd career appearance. These individual milestones highlighted the broad dedication present throughout the field.

The big-cube blindfolded events demanded endurance and intense spatial concentration. Kaius Young claimed victory in 4x4x4 Blindfolded from a field of 8 competitors, recording a winning single of 5:56.62. Andrew Surine earned second place with a time of 10:08.00, while Walker Welch claimed third place with a single of 7:48.39, adding to an already strong day on the podium.

In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, Walker Welch took his second title of the weekend, solving the complex puzzle blindfolded in 19:05.00 against 5 competitors. Andrew Surine secured another podium spot by taking second place with a single of 19:30.00. The event proved to be a severe test of memory, with the remaining podium spots recording non-completions.

The test of memory reached its peak in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, where Jason Hammerman captured the victory by solving 16 out of 20 cubes in a time of 55:58. Walker Welch took second place with a flawless 11 out of 11 cubes in 54:15, and Kaius Young completed a perfect run of 8 out of 8 cubes in 43:56 for third place among 8 competitors.

Across the entire event, competitors representing the USA claimed 15 podium places, while Canadian solvers collected 2 podium places. The Minnesota Quiet Championship 2024 wrapped up a high-level showcase of memory, strategy, and rapid execution, closing out the 2024 speed cubing calendar for quiet events in Maple Grove and setting the benchmark for the next season of cubing competition.