OH-io State 2023

The Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, USA was alive with steady turning and rapid movements across two busy days on October 14 and October 15. A field of 46 competitors took their places at the tables to solve a demanding selection of eight events spanning 14 total rounds. Every cubing competition brings together specialized challenges, but this autumn gathering put intense focus on both sheer velocity and deep concentration as solvers took on traditional puzzles alongside multi-faceted blindfolded disciplines.

Speed events set the tone across the weekend, drawing high turnout and immediate drama in Columbus. The 3x3x3 One-Handed event proved to be one of the headline draws, bringing 39 competitors across three full rounds of play. Luke Garrett surged to first place with a 10.00 winning average, powered by an event-best single of 7.10. Jack Pfeifer claimed second place with a 13.15 average, while Luke Van Laningham rounded out the podium in third place at 14.05, establishing a blistering pace for single-handed solving.

Short-format agility stayed in the spotlight during the Pyraminx rounds, where another 39 competitors pushed their reflexes to the absolute limit across three stages of competition. Ezra Shere captured the top spot on the podium with a winning average of 1.65, backed by an electric 1.41 single solve. Luke Van Laningham secured second place with a 2.23 average, and Luke Garrett added another top-three finish to his haul by taking third place with a 2.56 mark.

Clock solving provided further rapid-fire results among the 35 participants who stepped up across two rounds of play. Luke Garrett captured his second title of the weekend by posting a winning average of 5.03, highlighted by a tournament-low 3.02 single solve. Evan Brown followed in second place with a 6.27 average, while Braden Richards placed third with an average of 7.13. Garrett continued his control of rotation-heavy puzzles in Megaminx, winning the 32-person field with a 38.60 average and a 36.34 single, ahead of Jack Pfeifer and Dylan Cossin, who both finished with matching marks of 52.26.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several solvers posted massive personal gains and took on new formats throughout the WCA competition schedule. Chris Nankervis made a major breakthrough in Megaminx, taking 35.7 percent off his previous best mark with a 2:45.26 finish, while also completing his first official attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with a 2/3 result in 21:30. Daniel Corson delivered a 31.8 percent improvement in 3x3x3 One-Handed to hit 55.24 and recorded first-ever official results of 4:10.05 in Megaminx and 20.30 in Clock. Elijah Gibbs knocked 35.9 percent off his Clock mark to log 13.96, while also taking his first Megaminx attempt at 4:08.07. Pierce Tickle entered seven events, notching a 30.3 percent personal best of 2:09.24 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while making first-time attempts in 4x4x4 Blindfolded at 21:14.00 and Multi-Blind with 3/4 in 20:11.

First appearances in diverse puzzle formats continued to fuel the undercard throughout the weekend. Luke Troxler secured 16th place in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a personal best of 17.41, a 29.3 percent drop from his previous standard. Alex Thernes took 25th in Megaminx with a debut 1:56.13, made his first Pyraminx attempt at 9.54, and improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 25.5 percent to 35.16. Everett Walker recorded first-time marks of 24.46 in 3x3x3 One-Handed and 5.76 in Pyraminx on his way to a 21st-place finish. Zachary Kauffman completed his first official attempts in both 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 43.00 single and Clock with a 24.20 mark.

The blindfolded categories demanded exceptional spatial recall across all eight disciplines, with Jack Pfeifer demonstrating remarkable consistency. Pfeifer won the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a 44.40 single solve, finishing ahead of Luke Garrett at 49.07 and Mason Langenderfer at 54.66. In the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, Pfeifer secured first place by successfully resolving 8 out of 9 cubes in a time of 52:39, besting Donna Krueger, who achieved a 7/8 result in 50:52, and Luke Garrett, who registered 6/7 in 39:44. Competitors looking for complete 3x3 results across the classic Rubik's Cube variations found no shortage of precision throughout these memory-focused heats.

Big cube blindfolded events belonged entirely to Mason Langenderfer, who swept both the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 formats without sight. Langenderfer conquered 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a winning single of 3:55.38, leading Jack Pfeifer at 7:02.09 and Justin Sui at 7:32.88. Langenderfer then claimed victory in 5x5x5 Blindfolded with an 8:21.49 single solve, outperforming Ivan Krueger, who took second place in 17:45.00. The double triumph cemented a dominant blindfolded weekend for Langenderfer across the longest solve times in the room.

By the time the final awards were distributed, speed cubing competitors from across the region had earned all 26 available podium positions for the home nation. From quick-turn Pyraminx and Clock sprints to grueling multi-cube memory challenges, OH-io State 2023 delivered a comprehensive showcase of modern speedcubing talent in 2023. Solvers and organizers closed out the Ohio Union schedule with memorable personal milestones and intense competition across every round.