New York Championship 2024

Alexei Sinyavin delivered the defining performance of the weekend in Ithaca, New York, USA, capturing the premier 3x3x3 Cube crown with a decisive 7.33 winning average and a best single of 7.01. Running from September 14 to September 15, 2024, the New York Championship 2024 brought together 103 competitors to tackle 12 events across 25 rounds at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center. Sinyavin held off Daniel Rose-Levine, who posted an average of 7.61, and Ayden Dincher, who closed out the podium with a 7.62 average. The standard Rubik's Cube final capped two days of high-stakes speedcubing, but the tournament told just as compelling a story through its burgeoning field of newer solvers.

For dozens of participants stepping onto the stage at a major cubing competition, the atmosphere in Ithaca proved ideal for milestone attempts and steep learning curves. While the main stage featured rapid-fire turn speeds and high-pressure eliminations, the floor remained an open proving ground for developing entrants expanding their puzzle repertoires. Whether testing a new event for the first time or shaving seconds off standard benchmarks, the weekend captured the essential energy of a bustling WCA competition where first-time attempts and breakthroughs sat alongside championship-level battles across two full days of speed cubing action.

A massive share of the weekend action unfolded across the expanded roster of under-the-radar competitors taking on ambitious schedules. Justin Rose tackled 11 different events, taking 13th place in Skewb, logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx with 2:07.74, a first 6x6x6 Cube attempt at 5:15.38, and a massive Square-1 personal best of 16.33 that was 64.9 percent faster than previous marks. Rebecca Serfer took on six events, recording her first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with 8.34, a first Pyraminx attempt with 18.27, and a Skewb personal best of 8.86 that improved by 51.9 percent. Nicholas Negoita logged a 3:14.86 in his first Megaminx attempt alongside a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 2.38, which was 42.1 percent faster.

The wave of milestones continued as Ethan Qureshi delivered a 2.35 in his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube, an 8.60 3x3x3 Cube personal best that was 32.1 percent faster, and a 25.16 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Tobin Lee logged a first Pyraminx mark of 11.16, a first 2x2x2 Cube attempt of 5.46, and a 3x3x3 personal best of 18.85 that dropped 30.7 percent. Sebastian Tirré notched a Clock personal best of 15.96 to improve by 30.3 percent while trying 2x2x2 Cube and Pyraminx for the first time. Carter Courtney cut his Pyraminx mark by 27.1 percent down to 9.43, and Nial Yavuzturk took on 11 events at the New York Championship 2024, finishing 28th in 6x6x6 Cube while making debut attempts in 7x7x7 Cube, 6x6x6 Cube, and 2x2x2 Cube.

Beyond the main 3x3 results, Benjamin Wei put together a dominant showing across the large cube disciplines. Wei swept the three biggest puzzles on the schedule, capturing the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 48.11 average, the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:30.89 average, and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 1:57.74 average. In all three events, Evan Liu took second place and Sinyavin secured third, highlighting a consistent top tier throughout the multi-layered puzzles. Wei added single solves of 46.39 in 5x5x5, 1:24.60 in 6x6x6, and 1:51.70 in 7x7x7 to complete a remarkable big-cube performance in Ithaca.

Sprint events brought intense parity and razor-thin margins. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Ayden Dincher claimed victory with a 1.86 average, topping Eli Rogers at 2.05 and Noah Melita at 2.16 across three rounds involving 90 competitors. Dincher doubled his gold tally in Skewb, averaging 2.72 across three rounds to outpace a 60-person field. Evan Waters secured the Pyraminx title with a 2.80 average from 70 competitors, while Aaron Jake Wong navigated 50 entrants in Clock to take first with a 3.92 average, finishing ahead of Hridhaan Shetty and Rex Ozsvath.

The 4x4x4 Cube contest produced one of the closest podiums of the New York Championship 2024. Daniel Rose-Levine secured top honors with a 28.28 winning average, narrowly holding off Sinyavin at 28.38 and Nicolás Sánchez at 28.65 in a two-round, 62-person bracket. Rose-Levine also took second place in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 13.41 average, finishing just behind Anthony Jiang, who captured the event in 13.28. Sinyavin added another title to his collection in Megaminx, winning with a 28.03 average, while Zach Ridall took the Square-1 victory with an 8.68 average.

Across 12 events and 25 competitive rounds, United States competitors swept all 36 podium spots available during the weekend. The New York Championship 2024 highlighted both the elite standard of established champions and the rewarding progression of competitors diving into brand new puzzles. With strong turnouts across both small and large cubes, the competition in Ithaca concluded a memorable weekend of racing against the clock and set a strong foundation for every solver looking forward to the next season of regional competition.