Montevideo Winter Open 2023

Inside Grupo Altavista Lab & Trend on August 13, 2023, the tables buzzed with relentless clicking, inspection mats sliding across cloth, and timers resetting under focused hands. Speedcubers from across the region converged on Montevideo, Uruguay, carrying cases packed with assorted twisty puzzles. For many of the 36 competitors in attendance, the one-day gathering represented journeys across borders and long domestic transits to match skills in person. This vibrant atmosphere set the tone for Montevideo Winter Open 2023, where 12 rounds unfolded across 9 events in an intense exhibition of speedcubing.

The journey proved especially fruitful for international visitors who made the trek to test their skills alongside local standouts. Competitors representing Uruguay, Argentina, and Venezuela filled the registration rosters, each bringing distinct solving styles to the arena. In Clock, Venezuela's Xabier Monsalve secured third place with an 8.12 average behind winner Víctor Gálvez, who posted 6.96, and runner-up Santiago Cabral at 7.93. Argentina's Dante Nocera also stepped up to the podium with a 3.66 average in 2x2x2 Cube, trailing second-place Manuel Malvárez at 3.62 and champion Bruno Lezama at 3.29.

The classic Rubik's Cube brought the largest field of the weekend, as 33 competitors battled through two stages to determine the premier 3x3 results. The final round concluded with the narrowest of margins at the top. Agustín Diano secured the victory with a winning average of 9.29 and a round-best single of 8.18. Manuel Malvárez finished a mere hundredth of a second behind at 9.30 to take silver, while Octavio Arocena took third place with a 9.93 average. The contest showed the razor-thin margins that define a modern cubing competition at the highest level.

Bruno Lezama emerged as a dominant force across multiple disciplines throughout the event. In addition to his victory in 2x2x2 Cube, Lezama earned the top spot in Skewb with a 4.17 average over Víctor Gálvez and Manuel Malvárez. He followed that performance with a win in Square-1, recording a 13.41 average. Lezama also entered the 4x4x4 Blindfolded discipline, completing a successful attempt with an average of 5:51.82 and a single of 5:02.93, while also capturing second place in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division with a 2:01.65 average.

Behind the top of the podiums, the scorecards captured remarkable individual growth and first steps across the field. Andrew Rivero dropped his personal record in the 3x3x3 Cube to 30.49, marking an improvement 45.6 percent faster than his prior standard. Mateo Blois Escobar took on seven separate events, cutting his 4x4x4 Cube mark to 57.58, which was 47 percent faster than his previous best, while also notching an 11.8 percent cut in Pyraminx to 4.64. Isaac Morales dropped his Pyraminx personal best to 6.97, an improvement of 42.3 percent, and delivered his first career attempt in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:55.35. Cristian Marquicio shaved substantial time off his 3x3x3 Cube best, finishing in 19.49 to record an effort 32.5 percent faster than before.

New ventures into unfamiliar puzzles provided another compelling dimension to the WCA competition. Sofía Rojo, competing across six disciplines, registered her first official attempt in Square-1 with a time of 36.51 and achieved a fourth-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Jonathan Anadon stepped up for five events, logging his first official solves in Skewb at 23.25, Pyraminx at 10.80, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:34.67. Making a career debut, Mauricio Calvelo entered five events, recording his first 3x3x3 Cube solve in 12.37, alongside maiden attempts in Square-1 at 27.51 and 2x2x2 Cube at 7.14. Fellow newcomer Felipe Labat Burgueño tackled his initial speed cubing appearances, securing a 15th-place finish in Pyraminx with a 10.70 first solve and a 53.16 first attempt on the standard cube.

The larger puzzles and side disciplines provided plenty of excitement throughout the afternoon schedule. In 4x4x4 Cube, Octavio Arocena took the title with a commanding 30.43 average, finishing well ahead of Agustín Diano at 39.52 and Víctor Gálvez at 39.54. Pyraminx saw Sebastiano Benato secure the top spot on the podium with a 3.67 average, overcoming Brian Hambeck at 4.19 and Manuel Malvárez at 4.85. The blindfolded solving demanded extreme concentration from start to finish, with Christian Goñi taking first place in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event thanks to a winning average of 51.51 and a best single of 44.78.

By the time the final timers were packed away, Uruguay had claimed 23 podium places, complemented by individual podium finishes from Argentina and Venezuela. The single-day schedule at Montevideo Winter Open 2023 offered seasoned veterans and tournament newcomers alike a chance to compete side by side. As solvers packed their bags for their return trips home, the shared effort across all nine disciplines stood as a testament to the thriving regional community in South America.