Mum's the Word 2023

The competition floor inside the DoubleTree Bristol buzzed with activity on January 8, 2023, as timers rested on matte surfaces and score sheets waited for marks. Competitors warmed their fingers, inspected puzzle faces, and walked up to the judging stations under bright hall lighting. For dozens of solvers in attendance, the venue represented their very first step onto an official competition stage.

Across eleven rounds of intense action in Bristol, Connecticut, USA, Mum's the Word 2023 welcomed 110 competitors across six different disciplines. The one-day gathering united experienced veterans alongside newcomers experiencing their first official speedcubing event. Each participant navigated the pressure of the inspection countdown, solving against the clock in a shared environment of friendly rivalry.

Noah Kim took the spotlight in the classic 3x3x3 Cube event, securing the championship across two rounds with a sharp winning average of 7.00 seconds. Kim posted the single fastest turn of the event at 6.07 seconds in a packed field of 109 entrants. Chris Chi earned the second step on the podium with a 7.97 average, while Daniel Gutierrez took third place with an average of 8.04 seconds, locking in strong final 3x3 results.

The 2x2x2 Cube event gathered 98 participants and concluded with Chris Chi claiming the top position on a 2.22 average and a 1.75 best single. The race for second place resulted in a tie, as Elijah Rain Phelps and Alexei Sinyavin both registered identical averages of 2.61 seconds. Sinyavin found his own outright triumph later in the day, dominating Megaminx across two rounds with a 31.21 winning average, finishing ahead of Roy Lee and Daniel Gutierrez.

Beyond the podium battles, the spirit of the day belonged to competitors reaching personal milestones and stepping onto the official stage for the very first time. Matthew Quevedo produced an exceptional 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 14.99 seconds, shaving 67.6 percent off his previous benchmark. Peter Schuchardt dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 56.3 percent to 4.36 seconds and took on two events. Kyle Watters tackled two disciplines, cutting 46.8 percent from his 2x2x2 Cube time to hit 3.74 seconds. Kim Taewoong delivered a 42.5 percent reduction on 2x2x2 Cube to 3.20 seconds, lowered his 3x3x3 single to 16.15, and logged a first ever Megaminx result of 2:28.38.

That same momentum carried through several official debuts across the venue. Bart Giza lowered his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 36.1 percent to 16.27 seconds. Samuel Blair entered two events and registered an 8.70 in his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube alongside a 26.43 personal record on 3x3x3 Cube. Gabriel Wilson took part in his first WCA competition, recording initial marks of 29.61 in 3x3x3 Cube, 5.03 in 2x2x2 Cube, and 4:36.12 on Megaminx. Daniel Alexander Bayden also completed his first cubing competition across three events, posting debut solves of 20.66 on 3x3x3 Cube, 6.18 on 2x2x2 Cube, and 4:03.44 on Megaminx.

Blindfolded events tested memory and execution without sight across three distinct categories. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Parth Garg emerged victorious over three rounds, claiming first place with a single of 24.30 seconds. Rowe Hessler secured second place with a 30.56 single, while Will Russo locked in third place with a time of 51.91 seconds in a field of eighteen entrants.

Rowe Hessler captured two titles in the larger blindfolded categories, demonstrating exceptional precision. Hessler won 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 3:58.45 single, leading Evan Liu at 6:23.48 and Will Russo at 7:00.48. In the 5x5x5 Blindfolded division, Hessler sealed the double with an 8:34.68 solve, with Evan Liu following in second at 16:21.00 as other competitors absorbed disqualifications.

From debutants solving a classic Rubik's Cube on a stage for the first time to blindfolded masters navigating complex memory sequences, Mum's the Word 2023 celebrated every tier of speed cubing. The single-day program demonstrated how local gatherings foster development, as 110 participants closed out their rounds and looked forward to the next season of regional competition.