Open de Gatineau A 2023

Forty-eight competitors assembled on March 25, 2023, stepping into the spring calendar with high energy and sharp focus. Held at the Légion royale Canadienne Filiale Norris in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, Open de Gatineau A 2023 gave speedcubers an early-season testing ground across 10 rounds of play. With five distinct disciplines on the schedule, the gathering provided a clear benchmark for where competitors stood after months of practice, setting a high standard for the months of Rubik's Cube action ahead.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew all 48 entrants across three rounds of intense solving. Kian Mansour set the pace for the entire tournament, capturing first place with a winning average of 7.29 seconds in the final and posting the best single of the day at 6.04 seconds. Léo Francoeur secured second place with an average of 10.02 seconds, while Ben Davies claimed the third step on the podium at 10.73 seconds. These decisive 3x3 results reaffirmed Mansour at the top of the regional standings.

Mansour continued his commanding form in 3x3x3 One-Handed, demonstrating absolute precision across two rounds of play. Facing a field of 20 competitors, he took victory with an 11.75 winning average and recorded the event best single solve of 10.11 seconds. Francoeur earned another silver placement with a 13.54 average, while Diego Rodriguez-Ramirez rounded out the podium in third place with an average of 23.09 seconds.

Big cubes and complex geometry were controlled entirely by Diego Rodriguez-Ramirez, who delivered double gold across the longer formats. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Rodriguez-Ramirez led a 17-person field through a single round, winning with a 54.98 average and a best single time of 47.84 seconds. Francoeur finished second with a 1:14.46 average, closely followed by Davies in third at 1:17.69. Rodriguez-Ramirez then secured the Megaminx title among eight entrants with a 1:15.06 average, ahead of Jimmy Ou Yang at 1:54.47 and Alexandre Ondet of France at 2:09.32.

The 2x2x2 Cube event saw Léo Francoeur climb to the top of the podium after three rapid rounds. Francoeur clinched the gold with an average of 3.20 seconds, edging out Benjamin Lê who took second with a 3.33 average. Davies picked up his third podium finish of the day by finishing third at 3.75 seconds. The fast-paced category highlighted how tight the margins can be at an official speed cubing meet.

Beyond the hardware, the competition offered a stage for massive personal breakthroughs and new milestone achievements. Jarrett Moreau-Urie cut his 3x3x3 Cube best by 45.8 percent down to 15.96 seconds and dropped his 2x2x2 mark by 41.4 percent to 3.59 seconds. Raphaël Bérubé shaved 40.3 percent off his 5x5x5 Cube personal best with a time of 2:55.00 while also making a tournament debut in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 27.06 seconds. Ellyot Palardy improved by 39.7 percent in the 3x3x3 Cube to 15.38 seconds, and Daniel Paulin advanced his 3x3x3 Cube record by 36 percent to 29.46 seconds.

The weekend also welcomed fresh talent making ambitious first appearances across diverse events. Joshua Ghislain entered his first WCA competition, taking on all five disciplines and securing a sixth-place finish in Megaminx. Marwan Nasr also debuted on the tournament circuit, finishing fifth in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an opening single of 17.67 seconds. Téo Guevin attended his first competition and reached eighth place in 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.81 single, while Philippe Tanguay completed his initial tournament across three puzzles, finishing 14th in 5x5x5 Cube.

Altogether, Canadian solvers secured 14 of the 15 podium spots on offer, alongside one podium finish earned for France. The single-day schedule proved that high-level speedcubing thrives in Gatineau, delivering quick turnarounds and competitive tension from the opening solves to the final presentations.

As competitors look forward to the remainder of the year, Open de Gatineau A 2023 established a rewarding framework for veteran contenders and emerging entrants alike. The successful run of rounds across multiple disciplines confirmed the ongoing vitality of the local cubing competition scene and set a clear bar for the upcoming seasonal tour.