NZ South Island Championship 2023

Inside Cashmere High School across the three-day stretch of July 7 to July 9, the tables were set for a rigorous test of speed cubing efficiency. Solving large multi-layered puzzles demands extraordinary physical endurance, deep algorithmic mastery, and relentless focus across hundreds of individual turns. Sixty competitors converged in Christchurch, New Zealand, ready to put their concentration to the test across 16 official events and 34 rounds of intense action.

The big-cube disciplines highlighted that grueling test of stamina throughout the weekend. Dwyane Ramos delivered commanding performances in the largest puzzles, securing victory in the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:39.99 winning average and a best single of 1:36.50. Ramos followed that up with another marathon triumph in the 7x7x7 Cube, posting an average of 2:41.63 along with a single of 2:29.42, outlasting the 17-player field across two tough rounds.

The 5x5x5 Cube final served up a thrilling battle among the country's top solvers. Jasper Murray clinched first place with a blistering winning average of 54.57 and a single of 52.50. Ramos secured the second spot on the podium with a 57.84 average, while Richard Yiheng Tao earned third place with an average of 1:04.10, showcasing the exceptional depth present in the larger cube categories at this major cubing competition.

Beyond the heavy rotation of the big puzzles, the classic Rubik's Cube drew 58 entrants across three rounds. Tao captured the 3x3x3 Cube title, putting together a 7.24 winning average alongside a sharp 6.82 single in the final. Ramos took second on the 3x3 results podium at 7.70, edging out Murray who finished third with a 7.73 average. Tao also claimed victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 30.44 average, just ahead of Murray's 30.72 and Ramos's 31.32, as well as first place in Square-1 with a 12.77 mark.

Away from the top steps of the podium, personal milestones and breakthroughs defined the atmosphere of the NZ South Island Championship 2023. Lucca Taiulu secured substantial personal bests, cutting their Skewb single down to 7.57, which was 53.3 percent faster than before, while improving in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 49.67, 37.9 percent faster. Harjass Dhanoa lowered their Pyraminx mark to 11.26, a 48.2 percent improvement, and took on their first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with an 11.80 single. Canaan Wu improved their Skewb best to 9.98, 44.5 percent faster, and logged a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:35.19. Bryn Gordon took on a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 2:59.97 and chopped their 5x5x5 Cube best down to 2:18.26, 43.8 percent faster.

Other dedicated solvers embraced huge schedules and celebrated landmark debuts at this WCA competition. Benjamin Blaikie entered nine events, earning a best finish of fourth in Square-1 alongside a Megaminx personal best of 1:27.12, 35.1 percent faster. Joseph Jenkinson lowered their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 2.30, 38.3 percent faster, while taking on eight events. Bilal Ahmad tackled 12 events over the weekend, logging a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 7:46.73 and a first Clock try at 19.77. Nathan Ferguson logged a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 42.21 and a first Square-1 solve of 1:00.81.

Short-format puzzles provided lightning-fast drama between the longer solving sessions. Ram Thakkar won the 2x2x2 Cube with a rapid 1.76 average and 1.56 single, leading Yuki Gao at 1.86 and Connor Johnson at 2.01. Murray demonstrated versatile turning to win Pyraminx with an average of 1.55 and Megaminx in 44.99. Jules Graham earned the Clock title with a 4.23 average, while Ramos topped Skewb with 2.85 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 10.30.

Unseen memory work closed out the competition in the blindfolded events. Jack Maddigan demonstrated supreme spatial recall, winning 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 7:26.10 single and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in 22:22.00. Tom Nelson took the 3x3x3 Blindfolded win with a 30.99 single, while Ramos solved 7 out of 7 cubes in 31:24 for the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind win. Across 2023, the NZ South Island Championship 2023 proved that whether tackling short sprints or massive multi-minute big cubes, speedcubing excellence requires unwavering resolve.