NCR Favourites 2023

The tables were set across the halls of Algonquin College on September 17, 2023, as timers flickered to life and scramblers queued up a relentless rotation of puzzles. The single-day Ottawa, Ontario, Canada event drew a buzzing crowd of 158 competitors ready to tackle 12 separate disciplines across 16 rounds of action. With a packed schedule running from the classic Rubik's Cube to intricate specialty puzzles, the atmosphere in the capital region was primed for high-stakes speedcubing.

When the heavier hardware came out, Diego Rodriguez-Ramirez took absolute command of the floor. The Canadian standout delivered a comprehensive sweep across every large cube on the schedule, asserting his dominance over the field. His four-event mastery began in the 4x4x4 Cube, where he captured first place with an average of 35.85 seconds and a best single of 32.80, finishing ahead of Louis Meunier of the United States at 36.60 and Andre Wang of China at 39.13.

Rodriguez-Ramirez did not let up as the puzzles grew larger. In the 5x5x5 Cube, he posted a winning mark of 1:00.88, backed by a quick 52.17 single to outpace Ben Davies and Andre Wang. He continued his run through the 6x6x6 Cube with a first-place average of 1:30.95, keeping Roan Paone at bay. Capping off his tour de force, Rodriguez-Ramirez claimed the 7x7x7 Cube title in 2:48.30, while Davies took second in 3:19.79 and Alexandre Ondet of France claimed third.

While the big cubes belonged to Rodriguez-Ramirez, Roan Paone put together his own brilliant showing at NCR Favourites 2023. Paone topped the marquee 3x3x3 Cube field of 136 competitors, taking the title with a composed 7.96 winning average and a best single of 7.13. Adam McCormick secured second place at 8.08, just four hundredths of a second ahead of Maxence Leboeuf at 8.12. The 3x3 results highlighted an exceptionally tight finish at the top of the standings.

Paone added a second victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed, recording an average of 13.40 seconds with a 12.57 single to lead Elliott Kobelansky and McCormick on the podium. Meanwhile, Maxence Leboeuf took top honours in the fast-paced 2x2x2 Cube, logging a blistering 1.71 winning average to edge out Rémi Chrétien at 2.00 and Ben Davies at 2.06. In other disciplines, Paarth Arora captured two titles by winning Skewb with a 3.31 average and Square-1 in 13.25, while Lucas Nieuwland locked up Clock in 6.21, Benjamin Kyle won Pyraminx in 2.88, and Breton MacDonald topped Megaminx in 51.32.

Away from the top steps of the podium, numerous competitors made significant strides throughout the cubing competition. Tristan Raycroft achieved massive personal improvements across three events, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 5.45 seconds to go 55.1 percent faster than his previous best of 12.15, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Cube time to 29.32 from 50.85 and posting an 8.53 in his first ever attempt at Pyraminx. Jessica Jin made a major splash in Skewb by dropping her personal best by 46.6 percent down to 5.60 seconds and taking on her first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 50.36.

The progress continued across all four corners of the venue as competitors unlocked new milestones at this WCA competition. Yehia Elgezary trimmed his Skewb best by 45.7 percent to 6.68 seconds and tackled his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:34.58. Yingzhuo Zhang took on four events, securing 6th place in Skewb while improving her Pyraminx mark by 43.8 percent to 6.48 and clocking a 22.00 in her first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt. Tyler Fry registered a 36.5 percent drop on 2x2x2 Cube to 10.04 and tried 4x4x4 Cube for the first time in 2:58.42. Sebastian Escalante Torres placed 12th in 2x2x2 Cube with a 33 percent improvement to 2.95, while Fergus Chow logged 5th in Pyraminx with a 4.81 personal best and a 6.71 in his first Skewb attempt. Andras Palfy completed first-ever attempts in Clock at 19.60, 3x3x3 Cube at 38.09, and Skewb at 17.35.

The sheer variety across 12 events provided a full showcase of modern speed cubing talent in Ontario. From the lightning turns of 2x2x2 to the marathon endurance required on 7x7x7, competitors pushed their limits from morning until the final round concluded. The dominant multi-event performances and widespread personal breakthroughs defined NCR Favourites 2023 as a standout tournament on the Canadian calendar.