North Wales Summer 2023

Luke Burns delivered a commanding masterclass across the classic twisty puzzles, topping the field with a 7.99 final average on the standard Rubik's Cube alongside a blistering 1.86 mark in the 2x2x2 Cube. His decisive performances set the tone across two intense days of speedcubing at the Abergele Leisure Centre. The showcase gathered 55 competitors across 11 different events and 25 rounds in Abergele, Clwyd, United Kingdom, where established speed cubing figures reasserted their control.

Held over the weekend of August 12 to August 13, North Wales Summer 2023 featured a tight battle in the 3x3 results. Burns paced the three-round event, securing victory with a winning single of 7.42 to anchor his sub-8 average. Aidan Grainger captured second place with an 8.90 average, while Oliver Castledine secured third on the podium with a 9.20. Burns was equally sharp in the smaller puzzle, securing the 2x2x2 title ahead of Billie Hammill at 2.63 and Jaye Sloan at 2.65.

The big-cube events proved to be the domain of Sean Moran, whose experienced hands controlled the pace throughout the weekend. Moran claimed top honours in the 4x4x4 Cube with a decisive 33.52 winning average and a best single of 31.27, fending off Katie Moughan who took second in 35.90 and Oliver Castledine in third at 36.72. Moran followed up with a clinical showing in the 5x5x5 Cube, winning with a 58.77 average and a 53.15 single, again besting Moughan at 1:03.92 and Castledine at 1:11.88.

Jaye Sloan orchestrated a memorable multi-discipline display, capturing titles across both visual manipulation and unseen memory. Sloan triumphed in Skewb with a 4.11 average, topping a podium rounded out by Moughan in 4.88 and Ruben McEwan in 5.31. Sloan then demonstrated exceptional spatial recall in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, completing solves with a 24.80 average and an event-best single of 19.95 to edge out Nevins Chan Pak Hoong at 1:49.73 and Castledine at 1:40.83.

Specialist categories brought further variety to this cubing competition. Aidan Grainger collected the Megaminx title with a 36.83 average, maintaining a slim margin ahead of Moran at 38.14 and Moughan at 42.49. Caleb Wolf Dunn seized the top spot in both Pyraminx with a 2.43 average and Clock with a 4.92 average, finishing just ahead of Castledine in the latter. Oliver Castledine also claimed gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 14.75 average, while Billie Hammill conquered Square-1 in 11.74.

Beyond the championship podiums, several competitors logged monumental breakthroughs across varied events. James Ireland delivered massive gains, improving his Skewb personal best to 8.97, which was 85.9 percent faster than his previous best, while also making his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 1:12.78 and dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best to 12.79. Rich Casey took on 9 events, setting a Clock personal best of 12.54 by going 64.4 percent faster while logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 2:58.87. Harry Helmer made a first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 6.77 and shaved 57.2 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark with a 3.26 personal best. Thomas Mosedale took on 9 events, earning a 9th-place finish in Pyraminx and trimming his Skewb best by 50.5 percent down to 4.79.

Fresh faces and active schedules continued to define the lower rounds across the hall. Saranveer Serou entered 3 events, recording a first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 5.89 and cutting 38.8 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 23.54 solve. Owain Hughes tackled 3 events, notching a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 1:10.71 and cutting his 3x3x3 Cube best by 36.4 percent down to 20.19. Taking on a huge programme, Olaf Niechciał competed in 11 events, securing 8th place in 2x2x2 Cube and recording a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 5:29.63. Deiniol Jenkins took on 11 events in their first WCA competition, logging a best finish of 16th in Square-1 and a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube with an 18.56 solve.

With 32 of the 33 total podium places secured by competitors from the United Kingdom alongside an international silver from Malaysia, North Wales Summer 2023 celebrated both technical mastery and personal milestone chasing. As the 2023 speedcubing calendar moves forward toward upcoming regional dates, the performances in Abergele proved that tested hands and emerging solvers alike continue to push times lower across every discipline.