Open de Montréal 2023

A total of 187 competitors gathered as the action got underway in Montréal, Quebec, Canada on June 10, 2023. Staged across two intense days at the École de Technologie Supérieure, Open de Montréal 2023 brought together talent across eight events and 17 rounds. The early Saturday slate pushed participants through challenging preliminary heats, setting the tone for a busy weekend of Rubik's Cube solving and competitive determination.

Saturday established the momentum across multiple disciplines, giving fans and competitors an early look at top contenders. Early rounds in events like the Pyraminx saw Harsha Paladugu of the United States assert control, eventually claiming the title with a winning average of 2.25 and a best single of 2.04. Fellow American Steven Wintringham took second place with a 2.54 average, while Canada's Benjamin Kyle rounded out the podium at 2.76 in a fast-paced battle.

The 2x2x2 Cube action delivered blistering speeds on the tournament floor. China's Rex Li captured first place with an impressive winning average of 1.93, backed by a best single of 1.44. Maxence Leboeuf of Canada took second place with an average of 2.32, while Chetan Roger Dhanjal of India earned third place averaging 2.86. The event featured a total of 155 competitors, making it one of the largest brackets of the entire WCA competition.

As Sunday arrived, the schedule shifted toward higher-order puzzles and specialised formats. The Skewb tournament wrapped up with Chetan Roger Dhanjal taking the victory on a 3.32 average, finishing just ahead of Canada's Leo Min-Bedford at 3.55 and Diego Rodriguez-Ramirez at 5.41. Meanwhile, 3x3x3 One-Handed proved to be a showcase for Rex Li, whose 14.04 winning average secured the gold over Burno Li Chak Kwan at 14.37 and Canada's Léo Francoeur at 14.99.

Behind the fight for the podium, numerous participants celebrated meaningful personal milestones and breakthrough individual marks throughout the weekend. Daniel Ghaby tackled six events, recording a first ever attempt in Pyraminx of 14.73 and 5x5x5 Cube of 3:27.03 alongside a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 38.74 that was 60.8 percent faster. Elias Mehablia competed across seven disciplines, logging his first attempts at Skewb in 6.82 and 5x5x5 Cube in 2:17.70 while slashing his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 55.2 percent to 1:03.71. Elliot Gorelov registered a 28.11 personal best in 3x3x3 One-Handed, an improvement of 54.9 percent, after first attempts in Skewb of 9.10 and Pyraminx of 8.81. Miran Aydin took on five events, posting first ever attempts in Skewb at 9.90, Pyraminx at 8.91, and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:09.00.

The spirit of achievement continued across the staging tables as competitors broadened their repertoires across new categories. YiFei Chen delivered a Pyraminx personal best of 5.89, cutting their prior mark by 50 percent, and logged first attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 53.58 and 5x5x5 Cube at 3:26.15. Samuel Lapointe took on seven events, recording first ever attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:00.83, 5x5x5 Cube at 2:11.19, and Skewb at 9.73. Simon Tremblay completed six events with inaugural marks in Pyraminx at 13.55, Skewb at 10.57, and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:09.39. Théodore Beaumont handled eight events, securing fourth in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, a 55.5 percent improvement in Skewb to 5.56, a 35.2 percent jump in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 28.45, and a 31 percent drop in 3x3x3 Blindfolded to 2:06.76.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline demanded immense concentration, requiring participants to study the scramble before donning a blindfold for execution. Elliott Kobelansky of Canada delivered a masterful showing, winning the event with an average of 16.10 and a top single of 14.17. Canadian solvers completed the sweep, with Ben Bergen placing second with a 44.64 average and Igor Pertoso Lazdan capturing third place on a 1:12.20 average.

Big cubes on Sunday afternoon belonged squarely to Hong Kong's Burno Li Chak Kwan. In the 4x4x4 Cube final, Li Chak Kwan posted a winning average of 27.16 and a 24.47 single, finishing ahead of Louis Meunier of the USA at 30.21 and Diego Rodriguez-Ramirez of Canada at 32.98. Li Chak Kwan then conquered the 5x5x5 Cube with a 50.89 average, defeating Rodriguez-Ramirez at 55.88 and Chetan Roger Dhanjal at 1:06.06 to capture another gold medal.

The weekend concluded with the flagship 3x3x3 Cube final, capping three rounds of elite speedcubing. Burno Li Chak Kwan claimed the crown with a 7.60 winning average and a single of 6.80. Canada's Benjamin Kyle earned second place with an 8.35 average, edging out Rex Li of China who finished third at 8.39. The closing 3x3 results brought a fitting end to Open de Montréal 2023, showcasing the remarkable depth of speed cubing talent in the heart of Quebec.