New Taipei Big Cube Day 2024

Three distinct heavyweight disciplines challenged 65 competitors across nine rigorous rounds of speedcubing at Sankuang Elementary School. Held on August 18, 2024, New Taipei Big Cube Day 2024 brought together puzzle specialists dedicated entirely to large-format twisty puzzles. While standard Rubik's Cube setups dominate the traditional circuit, this single-day meeting elevated the 5x5x5 Cube, 6x6x6 Cube, and 7x7x7 Cube to exclusive spotlight status. The dedicated programme in New Taipei, Taiwan tested mental endurance and mechanical speed through extended elimination stages, leaving the typical 3x3 results behind in favor of high-order complexity.

The 5x5x5 Cube drew the largest lineup of the meet, with 64 competitors navigating three rounds of play. Ivan Li Ka Leong of Hong Kong secured the title by producing a consistent winning average of 45.58 seconds, alongside a best single of 42.76 seconds. The contest remained tight down to the final turn, as Kai-Wen Wang of Taiwan took second place with an average of 46.74 seconds, having earlier registered a blistering 38.28 single and a 39.23 average. Taiwan's Ping-Yueh Huang captured third place on the podium with a mark of 46.99 seconds.

Shifting up to the 6x6x6 Cube, the depth of puzzle complexity grew across another full three-round slate. A field of 60 competitors took on the even-layered challenge, where solving without fixed centre pieces requires absolute precision. Kai-Wen Wang took top honours for Taiwan, claiming victory with a winning average of 1:22.59 and delivering the weekend's best single of 1:14.09. Cian-Jyun Yang pressed hard throughout the final round to earn the runner-up position in 1:23.98, while Wei-Ming Zeng completed the podium with an average of 1:27.85.

The largest puzzle on the schedule, the 7x7x7 Cube, tested 51 entrants through three intense rounds of endurance. Chun-Pao Ni emerged triumphant for Taiwan, logging a winning average of 2:01.10 and the round's best single solve of 1:55.68. Kai-Wen Wang gathered another podium finish by securing second place in 2:05.28, just ahead of Wei-Ming Zeng, who claimed third place with a time of 2:09.63. Managing the sheer volume of pieces on the seven-layer puzzle served as a definitive test of speed cubing prowess.

Beyond the top podium spots, the weekend served as a launchpad for remarkable individual progression across multiple disciplines. Yu-Hung Jou delivered the most dramatic leap of the day in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a personal best time of 1:16.95, which improved upon his previous best of 2:34.58 by 50.2 percent. Jia-Wei Yu took on all three disciplines at the gathering, logging a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 4:52.52, slicing 20.6 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube personal best with a time of 2:51.46, and lowering his 5x5x5 Cube benchmark to 1:33.82. Yu-Chih Chuang also posted notable gains, setting a personal best of 1:04.57 in the 5x5x5 Cube to run 15.7 percent faster than before, while posting a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with a result of 2:45.58.

First-time event entries highlighted the broader growth throughout the ranks during New Taipei Big Cube Day 2024. En-Ruei Tien tackled three events on the day, marking a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 5:28.91 and a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 3:34.56, all while dropping his 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 15 percent to 1:11.05. Kai-Jie Wu expanded his competition repertoire by logging a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 7:47.72 alongside a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 5:19.40. Similarly, Jau-Shiun Huang made successful debuts in two events, logging a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:25.06 and a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 5:23.68.

Organised strictly around the extended formats, this cubing competition offered an uncommon platform where large puzzle strategy remained the sole objective. Taiwanese competitors captured eight of the nine available podium places, demonstrating remarkable command over the multi-layered cubes. Every round required solvers to adapt seamlessly between the distinct turning mechanics of five, six, and seven-layer hardware.

As the final solves concluded, New Taipei Big Cube Day 2024 proved how dynamic big-puzzle tournaments can be. The single-day WCA competition showcased both elite consistency at the top of the standings and massive individual breakthroughs throughout the pack. With new personal bests established and multiple competitors stepping up to larger hardware for the very first time, the gathering concluded an exceptional day of high-order solving in New Taipei.

在新北市三光國小的賽場內，各路選手整裝待發，計時器與厚重的高階魔術方塊在桌面上整齊排列。選手們專注地進行觀察與熱身，指尖迅速撥動層層方塊，現場充滿了規律的轉動聲響。這場專注於大階項目的WCA魔術方塊認證賽事，吸引了65名選手齊聚一堂，共同在9個輪次的激烈比拼中角逐榮譽。

許多參賽者為了參與2024年的這場盛會，不惜跨越長途旅程來到新北市。除了來自台灣各地的頂尖高手外，更有來自香港的Ivan Li Ka Leong (李嘉亮)以及馬來西亞的Ivan Lew Yi Wen (刘义文)等好手專程跨海抵達New Taipei, Taiwan。選手們克服長途跋涉的舟車勞頓，在2024-08-18當天全力投入高強度的競技對決。

在最受矚目的五階魔術方塊項目中，共有64名選手參與三個輪次的角逐。來自香港的Ivan Li Ka Leong (李嘉亮)表現極為搶眼，在決賽中繳出45.58秒的奪冠平均成績，並在賽程中創下42.76秒的最佳單次成績。Kai-Wen Wang (王楷文)則以46.74秒獲得亞軍，Ping-Yueh Huang (黃品越)以46.99秒名列第三。

六階魔術方塊決賽由Kai-Wen Wang (王楷文)主導戰局，他以1:22.59的優異平均成績與1:14.09的最佳單次拿下該項目冠軍。Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君)以1:23.98的些微差距緊隨其後奪得亞軍，Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘)則以1:27.85拿下季軍，為60名參賽選手組成的龐大陣容樹立了高階速解的精彩標竿。

七階魔術方塊項目匯集了51名選手，Chun-Pao Ni (倪君寶)展現出色的掌控力，在三輪激戰後以2:01.10的決賽平均成績與1:55.68的最快單次榮獲冠軍。Kai-Wen Wang (王楷文)以2:05.28收穫亞軍，Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘)則以2:09.63收下第三名，展現了高難度大階項目的極限解法。

在頒獎台之外的賽場深處，許多默默耕耘的選手同樣刷新了個人極限。Fang-Ru Yu (余芳儒)報名了全部3個項目，在七階魔術方塊繳出5:39.46的個人最佳，比過去大幅進步23.6%，六階也以3:44.30進步了16%。Wu Li (李悟)在六階項目創下6:04.33的個人新紀錄，進步幅度達19.8%，五階亦推進至2:09.43。

此外，初次挑戰新項目的選手同樣繳出亮眼成績單。Shi-Cian Chen (陳士謙)生涯首次挑戰六階魔術方塊便拿下3:56.47，五階更以1:24.90將個人最佳提升15.5%。Kuang-Yu Cheng (鄭光祐)迎來六階初體驗並完成2:42.07，五階成績1:18.70進步了12.7%。Teng-Yuan Chang (張騰元)於七階繳出4:10.66、進步13.1%，並完成2:38.52的六階成績。Chi-Chien Kao (高齊謙)則在七階創下3:34.15、進步11.6%，展現了堅持不懈的突破精神。

整場賽事台灣選手共斬獲8座頒獎台席位，香港選手奪得1席。本屆New Taipei Big Cube Day 2024在多元項目的激烈交鋒與選手們的持續突破中圓滿落幕，參賽者們帶著新紀錄與寶貴經驗踏上歸途，為未來的速解魔術方塊賽季奠定了堅實基礎。