Oslo Open 2023

Inside Jordal Idrettshall, the steady click of plastic pieces echoed across the venue floor as competitors gathered for three days of intense solving. Tables filled with timers, mats, and puzzles of every shape and size set the stage for a busy weekend in the Norwegian capital. From June 23 to June 25, the arena hummed with focused energy as solvers prepared for their scheduled groups. For many stepping into the venue, the atmosphere of an official cubing competition provided an exciting introduction to the wider speedcubing scene, surrounded by seasoned peers and fellow enthusiasts alike.

A total of 110 competitors arrived in Oslo, Norway to take part in Oslo Open 2023, tackling a massive schedule that spanned 17 distinct events across 29 rounds. While the tournament featured world-class talent, a significant portion of the weekend belonged to newcomers and rising solvers discovering the rhythm of a major WCA competition. Stepping up to the solving station for the first time brings a distinct mix of anticipation and focus, from inspecting the scrambled puzzle under the timer to executing solutions in front of judges.

Across the schedule, several dedicated solvers embraced new challenges and recorded major milestones far beyond the top podium spots. Snorre Lund Skjørshammer delivered a remarkable breakthrough in Skewb, setting a personal best of 10.73 seconds that was 58.3 percent faster than their previous mark of 25.73, alongside an improved 3x3x3 Cube best of 15.58 seconds and a first career attempt at Clock of 19.17 seconds. David Gretland Ozer also logged significant drops, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.9 percent to 4.01 seconds, taking 36.4 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube time with a 12.05, and making a first ever 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 1:06.41. Christian Medin tackled nine events, earning a 28th-place finish in Megaminx, logging first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:21.72 and Clock at 23.73, and slicing 31.5 percent off their Pyraminx best down to 5.41 seconds.

The push into unfamiliar territory continued across multiple puzzle disciplines throughout the weekend. Dag Eirik Gunnleygson Røren took on an ambitious slate of 11 events, securing a 9th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while recording initial career attempts in Square-1 at 25.42 seconds, Clock at 23.48, and 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 4:43.04. Milan Ary Jalil entered five events, logging first-ever official attempts in Skewb with a 12.02, 2x2x2 Cube with a 4.62, and Pyraminx with a 5.97. Marco Bellis rounded out an impressive weekend across three events, posting initial attempts in Pyraminx at 15.95 and 2x2x2 Cube at 7.67, while carving 24.1 percent off their standard 3x3x3 Cube personal best with a single of 17.15 seconds.

At the top of the standings, Tymon Kolasiński put together an extraordinary run, claiming victory in seven individual events throughout 2023. Kolasiński led the flagship 3x3x3 Cube contest, delivering a winning average of 6.03 seconds and a best single of 5.01 across three rounds of competition featuring 107 competitors. The final 3x3 results saw Kim Roger Haraldsen secure second place with a 7.01 average, while Knut Skaug Haraldsen took third on the podium with an average of 7.61 seconds.

Kolasiński continued to dominate across the hardware categories, capturing titles in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.72 average and Pyraminx with a 2.12 average. In the bigger cubes, Kolasiński posted winning averages of 22.61 in 4x4x4 Cube, 42.46 in 5x5x5 Cube, 1:25.61 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 1:58.08 in 7x7x7 Cube. Kim Roger Haraldsen earned additional podium spots with silver finishes in 2x2x2 Cube and 4x4x4 Cube, alongside a bronze in 5x5x5 Cube, while Celine Tran claimed silver in 5x5x5 Cube and bronze in 4x4x4 Cube.

The specialty events highlighted the technical breadth of the field, from one-handed solving to complex memory challenges. Knut Skaug Haraldsen captured first place in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an 11.49 average, while Hennie Færden won Skewb in 3.57 seconds. Niklas Aasen Eliasson topped Clock with a 3.76 average, Håkon Fredriksen took Megaminx with a 47.24 average, and Anders Barhaugen claimed Square-1 in 13.04 seconds. In the strategic 3x3x3 Fewest Moves discipline, Jakob Jernsletten took the win with a 33.00 move average.

Blindfolded events tested the limits of concentration in Jordal Idrettshall, requiring competitors to memorise scrambled patterns before donning blindfolds. Kristian Holme earned two gold medals, winning 3x3x3 Blindfolded with an average of 39.96 seconds and 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a single of 4:35.96. Willem Klose delivered standout performances in the extended blindfolded categories, winning 5x5x5 Blindfolded with an average of 14:57.00 and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by successfully resolving 20 out of 24 cubes in 56 minutes and 57 seconds.

The awards ceremony reflected strong international and local participation, with host nation Norway taking 35 podium places, alongside seven podiums each for Poland and Germany, and two for the Netherlands. From the sheer precision of the classic Rubik's Cube to the tactical mastery of speed cubing variants, Oslo Open 2023 delivered a balanced showcase of elite mastery and rewarding personal breakthroughs that will propel these solvers into the next season.

Det var hoy aktivitet og intens konsentrasjon pa bordene da Jordal Idrettshall apnet dorene for speedcubing i helgen. Gjennom tre dager fra 23. til 25. juni 2023 samlet 110 deltakere seg i Oslo, Norway for a male krefter over 17 ulike ovelser fordelt pa 29 runder. Konkurransen bar preg av en merkbar rivalisering mellom de mange norske profilene pa hjemmebane og sterke tilreisende utovere fra det europeiske kontinentet.

Hovedovelsen klassisk 3x3x3 Rubiks kube samlet hele 107 deltakere til tre nervepirrende runder pa Oslo Open 2023. Den polske stjernen Tymon Kolasiński tok forsteplassen med et vinnende gjennomsnitt pa 6.03 sekunder og en bestetid pa 5.01. Bak ham kjempet de norske profilene en hard intern duell om pallplassene, der Kim Roger Haraldsen sikret andreplassen med et snitt pa 7.01 foran Knut Skaug Haraldsen som tok tredjeplassen med 7.61.

Rivaliseringen fortsatte pa tvers av de ovrige kubestorrelsene gjennom helgen. Kolasiński dominerte og vant 2x2x2 Cube med et snitt pa 1.72, foran Kim Roger Haraldsen pa 2.06 og Niklas Aasen Eliasson pa 2.21. Polakken sikret ogsa seieren i 4x4x4 Cube pa 22.61, der Kim Roger Haraldsen tok solv pa 29.38 og Celine Tran tok bronse pa 31.03. I 5x5x5 Cube vant Kolasiński med 42.46 foran Tran pa 54.18 og Haraldsen pa 59.92. I tillegg tok Kolasiński forsteplassen i bade 6x6x6 Cube pa 1:25.61, 7x7x7 Cube pa 1:58.08 og Pyraminx pa 2.12.

De norske deltakerne slo imidlertid kraftig tilbake i flere av de spesialiserte disiplinene. I 3x3x3 One-Handed gikk seieren til Knut Skaug Haraldsen med et vinnende gjennomsnitt pa 11.49 sekunder. Skewb ble vunnet av Hennie Færden med 3.57 i snitt, mens Niklas Aasen Eliasson toppet resultatlisten i Clock med 3.76. Håkon Fredriksen viste styrke i Megaminx med en seier pa 47.24, Anders Barhaugen vant Square-1 pa 13.04, og Jakob Jernsletten sikret forsteplassen i 3x3x3 Fewest Moves med et snitt pa 33.00 trekk.

Utenfor de mest synlige pallplassene leverte flere deltakere bemerkelsesverdige personlige prestasjoner under stevnet. Yaseen Hassan stilte opp i ni ovelser og senket sin personlige rekord i Square-1 med 67.5 prosent til 23.78, i tillegg til en forbedring pa 54.1 prosent i Clock til 20.07. Brage A. S. Neverlien deltok i fem ovelser og forbedret sin personlige rekord i Skewb med 61.4 prosent ned til 20.23, samtidig som han senket sin personlige bestetid i Pyraminx med 23.2 prosent til 5.60. Samuel Bennett Olsen noterte sitt aller forste offisielle forsok i 3x3x3 One-Handed med tiden 27.13, og forbedret persen i Skewb med 38.2 prosent til 3.63 der han tok en sterk 10. plass.

Flere utovere utfordret seg ogsa pa helt nye arenaer under helgens konkurranse. Amund Wæhre Wilhelmsen tok pa seg hele 13 ovelser, debuterte i Clock med 14.24, og forbedret bestetiden i Square-1 med 28.3 prosent til 38.61 samt 6x6x6 Cube med 21.9 prosent til 3:40.59. Odin Sandberg gjennomforte sitt forste forsok noensinne i 5x5x5 Cube med tiden 3:40.02 og forbedret sin personlige rekord i Pyraminx med 33.3 prosent til 5.20. Eivind Bäckmark Ytteborg stilte i atte ovelser, fullforte sitt forste forsok i Megaminx pa 5:51.82, og forbedret personlige rekorder i bade Clock til 12.77 og Pyraminx til 4.98.

De krevende blindøvelsene bød pa en intens duell mellom Norge og Tyskland. Kristian Holme leverte en fantastisk innsats for vertsnasjonen og vant 3x3x3 Blindfolded med et vinnende gjennomsnitt pa 39.96 foran tyske Willem Klose pa 35.78 enkeltlosning og Konstantin Jaehne pa 43.73. Holme sikret ogsa seieren i 4x4x4 Blindfolded med en vinnertid pa 4:35.96 foran Klose pa 5:51.90 og Levi André Tallaksen pa 6:26.38.

Tyske Willem Klose viste pa sin side enestaende utholdenhet og presisjon i de mest omfattende blindkonkurransene. Klose vant 3x3x3 Multi-Blind etter a ha lost 20 av 24 kuber pa 56:57, foran Erik Tjong Kim Sang fra Nederland med 9 av 9 pa 57:11 og norske Vidar Norstein Klungre med 10 av 15 pa 54:56. I 5x5x5 Blindfolded tok Klose nok en triumf med et gjennomsnitt pa 14:57.00 og en bestetid pa 13:20.00.

Totalt sikret norske deltakere hele 35 pallplasser gjennom helgen, mens Polen og Tyskland tok 7 hver, og Nederland endte med 2 pallplasser. Denne innholdsrike WCA competition i hovedstaden viste bredden i sporten bade nasjonalt og internasjonalt. Oslo Open 2023 ble en markant feiring av teknisk ferdighet og sunn rivalisering som setter standarden foran neste sesong pa terminlisten.