Nanaimo Swing into Spring 2023

One hundred competitors stepped up to the tables over two days of intense action, filling Beban Park with the familiar rhythm of turning puzzles. The Nanaimo Swing into Spring 2023 tournament brought a packed schedule of ten events across fifteen rounds to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada on March 25 and 26. For experienced hands and regular contenders, the 2023 season opener offered an immediate platform to re-establish high standards and test their sharpest routines in front of the local speedcubing community.

Veteran competitors quickly set the tone in the traditional Rubik's Cube main event. Across three rounds featuring ninety-six entrants, Canadian standout Ethan Rusnak delivered an exceptional performance to capture top honors on the 3x3 results sheet. Rusnak posted a tournament-winning average of 7.54 seconds alongside a swift single of 6.58. Kenny Zhong claimed second place on the podium with an 8.47 average, closely pursued by Karsen Oun, who secured third place with an 8.51 mark.

Rusnak added further hardware to his weekend tally in the Megaminx event, where his experience across twelve-sided puzzles was evident. He topped the twenty-three-competitor field with a winning average of 52.70 seconds and a best single of 44.74. Rahi Mirmonsef from Iran claimed second place on the Megaminx podium with a 59.25 average, while Vianne Chang finished third in 1:07.78. Rusnak also added a podium finish in Square-1, earning third place behind Eeshir Pannun and event winner Wesley Haas.

Kenny Zhong produced an equally commanding veteran showing at Nanaimo Swing into Spring 2023, taking top honors across multiple formats. Zhong secured victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 40.04 average, edging Rusnak who finished second with 41.58, while Lucas Libed of the United States took third in 42.05. Zhong then showcased precise dexterity to claim the 3x3x3 One-Handed crown with an average of 13.04 seconds, leading Jacob Kotai in second at 16.54 and Diego Moy in third at 17.64.

Short-format puzzles provided intense drama throughout the schedule of this premier cubing competition. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Lucas Libed captured the title with a 3.01 average, edging Rahi Mirmonsef who finished at 3.09 and Steven Meyer in third at 3.12. In Pyraminx, Diego Moy navigated two rounds of competition to take first place with a 4.21 average over Aedan Loughran and Mirmonsef. Meanwhile, Charles Zhu (朱彦臣) dominated the Skewb brackets, posting an event-best 3.29 winning average ahead of Daniel Ahokas and Kevin Lê.

Specialist solving categories rounded out the podium finishes during the WCA competition. Wesley Haas captured a double victory on the weekend, securing first place in Square-1 with a 10.40 average and adding the Clock title with an average of 10.18 seconds. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, Kevin Matthews demonstrated complete mastery of memorisation and execution under the blindfold, winning the event with an impressive single solve of 41.70 seconds across the ten-person field.

Beyond the championship battles, many solvers achieved major personal milestones throughout the rounds. Petar Cicmir delivered one of the weekend highlights by cutting his 2x2x2 personal best down to 2.62 seconds, a 51.6 percent improvement from his prior 5.41 mark, while also taking his first ever attempts at 4x4x4 and Pyraminx. Borna Dahesh slashed his Pyraminx personal best to 9.84 seconds, improving by 59.5 percent, and entered his first Skewb round. Coleson Chase tackled ten events, setting a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 23.14 seconds, which was 32.2 percent faster than before, while trying Megaminx and Clock for the first time. Jannik Pichler entered ten events, improving his 2x2x2 mark by 38.2 percent to 2.62 and his Pyraminx mark by 37.4 percent to 7.04.

New ventures and debuts added tremendous energy across the venue at Nanaimo Swing into Spring 2023. Matthew Ji stepped up for nine events, recording his first official attempts at Megaminx, 2x2x2, and Clock, where he finished eighth overall. Avery Post took on eight events, logging first-time attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed, Megaminx, and Pyraminx. Sam Weston completed a six-event lineup during their first speed cubing tournament appearance, logging initial marks in 4x4x4, Pyraminx, and Skewb. Josh Dhaliwal also marked a tournament debut by taking on six events, securing initial times in 2x2x2, Pyraminx, and Megaminx.

The weekend concluded with Canadian competitors taking twenty-three of the thirty podium places, alongside strong international representation from the United States, Iran, and China. From the seasoned veterans returning to the top steps to the newest competitors logging their first official times, Nanaimo Swing into Spring 2023 set an energetic benchmark as the new season gets underway on the Canadian west coast.