Naperville Summer 2023

Brian Johnson set the standard in an exceptionally fast 2x2x2 Cube final, averaging 1.33 seconds to edge out Luke Garrett and Carter Kucala in a podium sweep for the United States. Across all six disciplines contested at Northern Illinois University - Naperville, American solvers captured 17 of the 18 available podium spots. The single-day WCA competition took place on August 19, 2023, gathering 76 competitors for 13 rounds of intense speedcubing in Naperville, Illinois, USA.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest stood at the center of the schedule, drawing every one of the 76 competitors through three rounds of action. Luke Garrett captured top honors in the final with a winning average of 6.67 seconds after delivering a best single of 5.08 earlier in the event. Ben Zhao secured second place with an average of 6.79, while Zeke Mackay locked in third with a mark of 7.08, completing another all-American top three in the classic Rubik's Cube event.

Garrett doubled his gold-medal tally in 4x4x4 Cube, topping a field of 53 competitors with a winning average of 27.00 seconds and a best single of 25.06 across two rounds. Kate Grahame took second place with an average of 30.83 seconds, while Johnson added to his medal haul by claiming third place at 32.42 seconds. Garrett also secured third place in Square-1, finishing behind runner-up Carter Kucala and champion Brian Johnson.

Johnson earned his second title of Naperville Summer 2023 by navigating two rounds of Square-1 among 31 entrants, taking the victory with an average of 8.05 seconds and a single of 6.93. Carter Kucala followed in second place with an average of 8.78 seconds, narrowly ahead of Garrett's 8.86. The versatility demonstrated by these solvers highlighted the depth present throughout the tournament roster across varied mechanical formats.

Beyond the multi-puzzle podium contenders, single-event mastery came to the forefront in Clock and 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Reed W. Richardson clinched the Clock title across two rounds against 46 challengers, recording a winning average of 4.08 seconds and a single of 3.52 to best Carter Williams and Carter Thomas. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Carter Kucala solved without sight in 21.19 seconds to take gold, while Poland's Krystian Węgrzyn secured second place with a single of 26.96, preventing a clean sweep across the entire tournament, as Zeke Mackay finished third in 45.49.

Away from the championship rounds, several participants achieved personal milestones during the competition. Levi Hoffman delivered a personal best of 10.83 seconds in Clock, representing a 43.7 percent drop from his previous mark of 19.22, while also taking on his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 1:22.51. Andrew Norton lowered his 2x2x2 Cube best by 40.8 percent to 5.65 seconds and logged his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube at 2:13.87. Evan Piccony sliced 35.8 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 15.73 seconds, and Aisha Siddiqui completed her first official 2x2x2 Cube solve in 5.71 seconds alongside a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt.

Other solvers expanded their repertoires with ambitious multi-event schedules. Nick Rohla tackled six events, securing a 14th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while cutting his personal best by 23.7 percent to 2:43.52 and attempting 4x4x4 Cube for the first time. Mitchell Toth dropped his 3x3x3 Blindfolded mark by 47.4 percent down to 2:36.66. Richard Alexander Bolanos entered his first WCA competition, recording initial marks of 20.78 in 3x3x3 Cube, 17.09 in Clock, and 4.85 in 2x2x2 Cube. Max Zheng also made his tournament debut, logging a 14.67 in 3x3x3 Cube and a 1:11.39 in his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt.

The 2023 gathering proved the enduring appeal of competitive speed cubing in the Midwest. With multiple titles decided by mere tenths of a second, Naperville Summer 2023 delivered memorable 3x3 results, high-level execution, and a platform for emerging talent across 13 total rounds.