PBQ NYC Spring 2023

A mere 14.45 seconds determined the gold medal in one of the most intense blindfolded battles of the season. At PBQ NYC Spring 2023, hosted at the Briq Offices in Brooklyn, New York, USA, 17 competitors gathered on May 7, 2023, for an intense day of specialist solving. The single-day WCA competition featured 5 events across 6 rounds, bringing together an elite field focused on memory, precision, and quick turns. While several categories ended in dominant fashion, the margin in 4x4x4 Blindfolded proved to be the day's tightest finish.

In that 4x4x4 Blindfolded final, Austin Reed secured the victory with a single solve of 7:15.57. Daniel Goodman applied relentless pressure throughout the round, stopping the timer at 7:30.02 to claim the silver medal just over fourteen seconds behind Reed. Brandon Lin (林博浩) rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 11:16.00. The discipline requires flawless execution and deep concentration, and the narrow gap between first and second place highlighted the sharp edge separating the contenders in Brooklyn.

Rowe Hessler emerged as the standout performer of the cubing competition, capturing top honors across three separate events. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Hessler claimed first place with a winning average of 25.37 and a best single solve of 20.98 across two rounds of competition. Vishwanath Jeyaraman representing India took the second spot with an impressive 22.89 single, while Evan Liu finished third with a time of 1:13.33. The classic Rubik's Cube blindfolded format remains a test of rapid recall, and Hessler showed remarkable consistency across every solve.

Hessler continued his winning ways in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, an event that pushes mental endurance to its limits as solvers inspect dozens of cubes before donning the blindfold. Hessler took victory by successfully solving 37 out of 56 cubes within a time of 59:56. Brandon Lin (林博浩) earned second place with 7 out of 8 solved in 48:18, and Daniel Goodman took third by registering 8 out of 10 in 49:32. Out of 12 competitors who attempted the multi-cube challenge, Hessler's massive volume of attempted puzzles stood in a league of its own.

The 5x5x5 Blindfolded event delivered another first-place finish for Hessler, who registered a winning single of 8:42.90 to sweep the blindfolded category. Austin Reed took second place with a time of 20:04.00, while the remaining field encountered difficulties that resulted in incomplete attempts. Despite the heavy cognitive demands of the five-layered puzzle, Hessler kept his composure to cap off an extraordinary triple-gold performance in front of the New York speedcubing community.

Beyond the top podium steps, the tournament served as an important milestone for several dedicated competitors tackling new formats. Andrew Tao took on his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging a time of 1:27.74, while also attempting 3x3x3 Multi-Blind for the first time and finishing fifth with a perfect 3 out of 3 in 21:16. Jenny Asuzano achieved her best finish of the day by placing eighth in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind during her first ever attempt at the event, recording 4 out of 5 in 43:13. Eli Rogers entered three events and made his first ever attempt at Clock with a time of 17.52, earning a best finish of ninth in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind.

Apollo Pothula attended his first WCA competition, making his debut attempt at Clock with a time of 37.18 to place eleventh. Ayden Dincher entered three disciplines, claiming a best finish of fifth place in Clock and setting a 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best of 3:57.64. Zuhair Raiyan Khan of Bangladesh competed in two events and secured a best finish of sixth place in Clock. Ian Dufallo took on one event and earned an eighth-place finish in Clock, while James Kershaw finished right behind in ninth place in the same event.

The Clock event rounded out the action, shifting the focus from blindfolded memorization to rapid gear manipulation and precise dial alignment. Benjamin Schmutter captured the title with a winning average of 6.24 and the best single of the round at 6.07. Evan Liu followed closely in second place with a 7.06 average, while Daniel Goodman secured third place with a mark of 9.56, earning his third podium result of the day.

The overall medal tally saw the United States claim 19 podium positions alongside 1 podium finish for India. From the rapid adjustments of the Clock event to the deep concentration required for 3x3 results and big-cube blindfolded solves, PBQ NYC Spring 2023 delivered intense speed cubing action in Brooklyn. As the 2023 calendar progresses toward future tournaments, the technical benchmarks established at Briq Offices set a high bar for memory solvers throughout the region.