Ottawa Big Cubes 2024

Omar Ellabban set the standard in Ottawa with a commanding victory in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a winning average of 46.28 seconds alongside the round single of 42.91 seconds. His performance anchored a high-intensity slate of large-format events at Carleton University Teraanga Commons, establishing a fierce standard across the board. The single-day WCA competition on November 17, 2024, brought together 30 competitors in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for a dedicated showcase of extended puzzle categories.

While enthusiasts often focus on standard Rubik's Cube speedcubing, this specialized cubing competition bypassed traditional 3x3 results entirely in favor of stamina-demanding hardware. Across five rounds covering four major categories, the gathering highlighted the grueling mechanical demands of 5x5x5, 6x6x6, 7x7x7, and Megaminx. A substantial portion of the field took on these complex puzzles for the very first time in their competitive careers, transforming the single-day meet into an expansive test of endurance.

Ellabban extended his dominance into the largest puzzles on the schedule, sweeping the remaining multi-layered cube events. In the 6x6x6 Cube, he secured first place across two rounds of play, closing out the final with a 1:22.09 winning average and a best single of 1:20.25. Arhaan Sareen took second place with an average of 1:33.97, while Ben Davies captured third at 1:49.04. The 25 competitors in the event faced a heavy test of turning accuracy.

The 7x7x7 Cube followed an identical podium hierarchy as the field took on the largest puzzle of the day. Ellabban earned his third title with a winning mark of 2:07.60 on average, backed by a quick single of 2:05.16 across the 26-competitor field. Sareen again followed in the runner-up position with a 2:20.33 average, and Davies collected another third-place finish with a 3:01.36 result, completing a consistent sweep across the three massive cube disciplines.

The Megaminx event delivered a shift in the standings as Arhaan Sareen claimed the top spot on the podium. Sareen posted a winning average of 44.87 seconds, highlighted by the quickest single solve of the competition at 38.84 seconds. Breton MacDonald claimed the second-place spot with a 46.93 average, while India's Darshan Bhavanasi earned third place in 53.62 seconds. The twelve-sided puzzle rounded out an intense afternoon of speed cubing at the university venue.

Beyond the top podium steps, the tournament served as an important breakthrough stage for competitors tackling new disciplines. Kenneth Yeung delivered massive personal bests, finishing fifth in the 7x7x7 Cube with a time of 3:21.78, which improved on his previous mark by 34.1 percent, alongside a 5x5x5 Cube mark of 1:25.85 that was 50.5 percent faster than his prior record, in addition to making his first attempt at the 6x6x6 Cube in 2:46.00. YiFei Chen entered all four events, logging a Megaminx personal best of 2:00.36 to go 19.4 percent faster, while recording first-ever official attempts in the 6x6x6 Cube at 5:07.31 and the 7x7x7 Cube at 11:57.00. Benjamin Abbott lowered his 5x5x5 Cube mark by 27.2 percent to 1:40.71, took fifth in Megaminx, and posted first official marks in both the 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 events.

The spirit of expansion continued through several other four-event campaigns. Felix Zhang tackled three new categories, registering a first 6x6x6 Cube mark of 3:01.26, a first 7x7x7 Cube result of 4:53.50 for a tenth-place finish, and a first Megaminx solve of 2:22.33. John Du registered first attempts in the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:20.13, the 6x6x6 Cube at 4:36.58, and the 7x7x7 Cube at 7:26.75. Nathan Liang earned fifth place in the 6x6x6 Cube with a first mark of 2:23.90, set a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:18.83, and added a first 7x7x7 Cube solve of 4:36.17. Skye Mcfadzen produced first attempts in 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7, while Avery Babineau recorded first-time marks in both Megaminx and 5x5x5.

The 5x5x5 Cube tournament closed with an exceptionally dense leaderboard behind Ellabban, Sareen, and Davies. Darshan Bhavanasi placed fourth with an average of 1:14.75, followed closely by Bernabe Kondrak at 1:17.10 and Nathan Liang at 1:20.74. Luke Chestnutt posted a 1:26.70 average for the United States, while Canadian solvers Rémi Chrétien, Breton MacDonald, and Reid Robblee rounded out the top ten with marks of 1:28.41, 1:28.59, and 1:29.45 respectively.

With 11 podium finishes for Canadian competitors and one for India, Ottawa Big Cubes 2024 provided a clear measure of regional strength in large puzzle disciplines. The event proved how effectively local competitors can step up to major hardware categories, setting dozens of personal benchmarks and official category debuts as the community looks forward to the next season of tournament play.