New Year in Bishkek 2024

Inside the Oriflame venue in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, timers clicked relentlessly against the matting as 37 speedcubers gathered to close out the year on December 7, 2024. Puzzles were scrambled behind barriers, judges took their stations, and competitors prepared to tackle eight distinct disciplines across ten rounds of action. The gathering offered a full showcase of regional talent in a spirited atmosphere.

The 2x2x2 Cube event produced the most dramatic finish of New Year in Bishkek 2024, where a mere fraction of a second decided the entire podium. Aidin Smanov claimed the top spot with a winning average of 3.19 seconds, edging out Chyngyz Sultanbekov, who finished in second place with a 3.32 average. Arsenii Borovkov took third place at 3.47 seconds, leaving just twenty-eight hundredths of a second between first and third place in a remarkably tight contest.

Beyond the nail-biting short-puzzle scramble, Chyngyz Sultanbekov established himself as the standout performer of the cubing competition. In the traditional Rubik's Cube main event, Sultanbekov secured first place with an average of 7.06 seconds over three rounds of play. Arsenii Borovkov took the second step on the podium with an 8.82 average, while Sardar Bakiev followed in third place with a mark of 9.72 seconds, rounding out the official 3x3 results.

Sultanbekov was far from finished after his 3x3 victory, adding three more titles across larger cubes and specialty hardware. He claimed the 4x4x4 Cube victory with an average of 30.64 seconds, ahead of Sardar Bakiev at 33.79 and Aidin Smanov at 40.03. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Sultanbekov topped the field with a 58.75 average, defeating Diasbek Zhuraev, who posted 1:08.74. He capped his four-win performance in Megaminx, logging an average of 49.88 seconds to beat Smanov and Bakiev.

Away from the top steps of the podium, New Year in Bishkek 2024 provided a stage for remarkable personal breakthroughs across the roster. Timur Ibragimov delivered one of the weekend's largest jumps, shaving 55.5 percent off his previous benchmark with a 7.35 Pyraminx result while also improving to 16.21 in 3x3. Aydar Suyunaliev made huge strides by dropping his Pyraminx time by 51 percent down to 8.87 seconds, alongside a 4.43 in 2x2 and 2:03.21 in 4x4. Islam Myrzabekov cut 46.5 percent from his previous 3x3 best to reach 28.42 and made a first career Skewb attempt of 25.44. Ayubhan Topoev knocked 42.9 percent off his Pyraminx time to hit 6.30, while also posting personal bests in 4x4 and 2x2.

Other competitors took on brand new challenges at this WCA competition. Vladimir Shcheglov made his first appearance at an official meet, entering all eight events, logging a 4.24 first attempt in 2x2, a 1:11.18 in 4x4, a 10.67 in Skewb, and taking fourth place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Alim Almanbetov tackled five events, recording his first official attempts in Megaminx at 3:59.74, 4x4 at 1:28.35, and Pyraminx at 11.58. Seitek Sultanov took on the 5x5 for the first time with a 2:32.93, while lowering his Skewb mark by 23.1 percent to 6.00 to finish fourth. Aaron Kim also made his competitive debut, attempting five events including a 7.28 in 2x2 and a 24.54 in 3x3.

The remaining puzzle categories delivered sharp contests of their own. Sardar Bakiev earned a gold medal in Pyraminx with an average of 5.08 seconds, holding off Grigoriy Pachin at 5.93 and Smanov at 6.62. In Skewb, Stepan Matveev secured first place with an average of 4.91 seconds, besting Bakiev at 6.70 and Azamat Seitbekov at 6.95. The Russian and Kazakh competitors joined the Kyrgyz contingent in producing top-tier displays across every bracket.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event closed out the specialty disciplines, demanding intense memorisation from the eight entrants. Maxim Chechnev took the title with a winning average of 1:54.71, narrowly holding off Stepan Matveev, who posted a best single of 1:54.31. Arsenii Borovkov took third place with a 2:21.60 average, completing a podium sweep for the discipline.

By the conclusion of New Year in Bishkek 2024, host nation Kyrgyzstan led the medal table with 15 podium places, while Russia claimed 7 and Kazakhstan took 2. From razor-thin margins in the shorter events to Sultanbekov's commanding multi-event dominance, the speed cubing showcase in Bishkek closed out the calendar year on a high competitive note.