NZ North Island Championship 2023

A total of 152 competitors gathered in Auckland, New Zealand from October 27 to October 29 for a packed schedule of speedcubing across 16 official events and 28 rounds. The action kicked off on Friday at Panmure Community Hall before shifting to Saint Kentigern College for a bustling Saturday and Sunday. For dozens of solvers taking their first strides on the official stage, the weekend delivered the unique rush of sitting at a competition table for the very first time, facing the official stackmat timer and testing their practice in front of judges.

Stepping into a major cubing competition means finding a rhythm among hundreds of shifting puzzles, ticking stopwatches, and the hum of focused concentration. Newcomers navigated the procedural details of puzzle submission, inspection time, and judge calls, transforming routine home solves into verified results. The regional 2023 gathering proved an ideal stage for those debuts, giving emerging talents the chance to log official marks alongside seasoned veterans while discovering the deep camaraderie running through the local speed cubing community.

The spotlight shone brightly on competitors expanding their horizons and breaking personal barriers throughout the schedule. Ahmed Khan entered 5 events, recording a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 32.53 single while slicing his Skewb mark by 79.7 percent down to 2.49 and cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 47.6 percent to 2.76. Aidan Chou took on Clock for the first time with a 19.60, alongside a 73.1 percent improvement on Skewb to hit 6.22 and a 59.4 percent drop on 2x2x2 Cube to 3.04. Ethan Suppiah logged a first official 3x3x3 One-Handed effort of 1:03.21 and improved his Pyraminx best by 70.1 percent to 4.84, while Hayley Jung made first attempts at 2x2x2 Cube with 7.22 and Pyraminx with 7.03, alongside a 54.6 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Cube to 12.76.

That same drive was evident across every tier of the field as solvers pushed into brand-new disciplines. Elias Yuanxi Gao tackled his first 4x4x4 Cube solve in 1:52.61 and first Pyraminx attempt in 10.96, while dropping his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 54.9 percent to 44.01. James Hawksworth registered his first Clock mark at 15.24 and chopped his Skewb standard by 51.1 percent to 4.34. Jonty De Pledge entered 7 events, earning a 16th place finish in 7x7x7 Cube with a debut single of 5:14.39 and making a first 6x6x6 Cube attempt in 3:21.00. Benjamin Gardner took on 9 events, logging first attempts in Square-1 at 32.37, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:34.38, and Clock at 25.88.

At the top of the classic Rubik's Cube bracket, the 3x3 results brought world-class speed to the forefront across four intense rounds of solving. Andrew Feng of the United States secured victory in the 3x3x3 Cube final, producing a winning average of 6.49 seconds and a standout best single of 5.93. Richard Yiheng Tao of New Zealand took second place on the podium with a 7.18 average, while Matteo Ortiz of the Philippines earned third place with an 8.31 average in a field that featured 149 participants in the main event.

Records fell in the fast-paced 2x2x2 Cube contest, where Carol Chai set a New Zealand national record average of 1.51 seconds alongside a 1.29 single on the way to third place. Alexander Vujcich captured the 2x2x2 Cube title with a winning average of 1.82 seconds and a 1.52 single, just ahead of runner-up Yuki Gao of China who recorded a 2.12 average. Vujcich enjoyed a prolific weekend at the tables, also securing tournament titles in 4x4x4 Cube with a 29.45 average and Megaminx with a 33.20 winning mark.

Big cube mastery was on full display courtesy of Angela Braganza, who clinched double victories across the largest puzzles. Braganza won the 5x5x5 Cube final with a 57.48 average, finishing ahead of Richard Yiheng Tao and Alexander Vujcich, and went on to claim the 7x7x7 Cube title with a 2:46.79 winning average. In the 6x6x6 Cube event, Henry Eyles emerged victorious with a 1:45.37 average, edging out Braganza in second at 1:46.09 and Tao in third at 1:54.72.

Side events delivered exceptional variety and sharp execution across all three days of the WCA competition. Andrew Feng added a second gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 14.27 average, while Elyas Eyou won Pyraminx in 2.15 seconds and Oscar McEvoy led Skewb with a 3.32 average. Richard Yiheng Tao claimed the Clock title with a 4.66 average, and Camerone Chin took top honours in Square-1 averaging 8.18. In blindfolded disciplines, James Macdiarmid solved 37 out of 41 puzzles in 57:43 to win 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Tom Nelson won 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 30.32 single, and Jim Zhu took 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 5:56.97.

With 43 podium spots going to host-nation competitors from New Zealand alongside international podium finishes from Korea, the USA, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines, the tournament demonstrated vibrant competitive depth. As the NZ North Island Championship 2023 drew to a close, the weekend was defined as much by first-time milestones and breakthrough personal bests as it was by championship hardware. The NZ North Island Championship 2023 established a high competitive benchmark as solvers take their newfound experience into the seasons ahead.