New York New Year 2024

Eighteen out of eighteen podium positions went directly to competitors representing the United States as the calendar flipped in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. Staged at the Holiday Inn Poughkeepsie from December 31 to January 1, 2024, the event closed out 2023 with an absolute clean sweep of all top-three placements across six events and 11 rounds. With 74 competitors assembled in the Hudson Valley, the tournament delivered high-stakes finals alongside a full celebration of competitive speedcubing.

The 3x3x3 Cube field brought together 72 entrants across two fast-paced rounds of play. Jerry Yao captured the top spot in the classic Rubik's Cube with a winning average of 6.18 seconds and a best single of 5.80 seconds. Luigi Soriano claimed the runner-up position on the podium with an average of 7.63 seconds, while Curtis Chai secured third place averaging 7.95 seconds. These sharp 3x3 results capped a weekend of remarkable technical consistency under tournament conditions.

Curtis Chai did not stop at third place in the main event, taking the title in the 2x2x2 Cube. Chai won the two-round, 65-competitor bracket with an extraordinary 1.45-second winning average after logging a single solve of 1.10 seconds. Quinn Maloney placed second with an average of 1.66 seconds, followed closely by Krish Shah-Nathwani in third at 1.76 seconds. The rapid turnaround of the two-by-two produced intense action from start to finish at New York New Year 2024.

The larger puzzles featured a single high-intensity round in the 4x4x4 Cube that gathered 55 competitors. Brandon Nunez commanded the category, taking first place with a 27.30-second average and registering the fastest single solve of the event at 21.84 seconds. Jerry Yao added to his medal collection by securing second place with an average of 28.42 seconds, while Benjamin Wei claimed the bronze position with a time of 31.09 seconds.

Beyond the traditional cubes, Carter Williams led a 51-person field in Clock, winning with an average of 5.34 seconds and a single of 4.20 seconds. Rex Ozsvath took second at 6.36, and Evan Liu was third at 6.42. In Square-1, Samuel Fang led 39 competitors to win with an average of 7.32 seconds, besting Daniel Karnaukh at 7.71 and Chris Chi at 7.78. Blindfolded solving, requiring precise memorisation before donning a blindfold, saw Chris Choi win the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division with a best single solve of 46.35 seconds, leading Evan Liu at 1:02.23 and Will Russo at 1:38.37.

Away from the top of the standings, individual achievements marked significant milestones for competitors throughout the weekend. Benjamin Graber cut his 4x4x4 Cube mark down to 42.08 seconds, an improvement of 40.3 percent over his prior best of 1:10.54, while placing 28th. Asher Poulsen dropped his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 37.9 percent to 4.78 seconds and improved his 3x3x3 mark to 17.67 seconds. Andy Simpson improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 31.2 percent to 4.37 seconds and logged his first ever Clock attempt in 28.42 seconds. Kenta Fujii reduced his 3x3x3 best to 27.66 seconds, a 27.7 percent drop, and completed first attempts in 2x2x2 and Clock.

Other competitors took on brand-new puzzles and first-time challenges at New York New Year 2024. Siddharth Arunkumar improved his Clock best by 21.4 percent to 12.52 seconds and took on four events. Ethan Guantez posted a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 2:03.04, an improvement of 10.3 percent, alongside his first 2x2x2 attempt. Patrick Charrier entered four disciplines, recording his first attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 4.78 seconds, Clock at 40.33, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:55.95. Frankie Hargrave tackled five events, completing first attempts in Square-1 at 55.86, 4x4x4 at 1:04.22, and Clock at 14.31.

First-time competitors also made their official marks on the circuit. Jackson Katz entered three disciplines, recording a 34.32 in 3x3x3, an 8.89 in 2x2x2, and a 2:54.14 in 4x4x4. Nicholas Muckell logged initial competition times of 33.27 in 3x3x3 and 10.63 in 2x2x2. Boaz Schwartz completed his opening WCA competition marks with 4.23 in 2x2x2 and 15.63 in 3x3x3, while Kesav Kalathur registered 13.34 and 35.92 across the same two events.

From the first turn on New Year's Eve to the final podium presentations on New Year's Day, this speed cubing gathering offered a comprehensive test of dexterity and composure across multiple formats. The successful execution of 11 distinct rounds proved the vibrant health of the regional scene in Poughkeepsie. As the 2023 season closed out, New York New Year 2024 served as an energetic bridge into another year of competitive speedcubing.