Penang Cube Masters 2023

Lim Hung delivered a masterclass across the alternate puzzle lineup at Penang Cube Masters 2023, capturing five individual victories across a packed schedule at 1st Avenue Mall. The Malaysian multi-discipline expert dictated the pace in both mechanical precision and rapid calculation, sealing a standout weekend by claiming gold in Square-1 with a winning average of 9.09 seconds alongside a 8.34 single. His versatility anchored the program, turning the spotlight onto the specialized events that demanded intricate algorithmic knowledge beyond the standard formats.

The gathering in Penang, Malaysia across November 18 to November 19 brought together exactly 100 competitors for an action-packed 17 rounds of action across 12 distinct events. The venue buzzed with nonstop speedcubing across two full days of high-stakes solves. Singapore standout Tristan Chua Yong proved to be another dominant force across the less traditional formats, locking up victories in both Megaminx with a winning average of 27.49 seconds and Skewb with a 3.69 average. Tristan Chua Yong also took first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 28.92 mark, completing a remarkable triple crown of event wins.

The specialized challenges continued to deliver dramatic finishes throughout the cubing competition schedule. In the Clock event, Michael from Indonesia set the benchmark, claiming the title with a 5.70 winning average and a single of 4.89, outlasting Lim Hung who took second place with a 6.71 average, while Yap Di Sheng secured third on 7.11. Lim Hung also dominated the larger NxN cubes, topping the 5x5x5 Cube podium in 51.62 seconds, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:22.19, and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:03.34, fending off China competitor Anyu Zhang across all three long-format finals.

Beyond the niche mechanical puzzles, the standard Rubik's Cube classic events delivered sharp speed cubing across multiple rounds. The premier 3x3x3 Cube tournament saw India competitor Amey Gaba produce blazing consistency across three rounds, securing the title with a 6.84 winning average and an event-best single of 6.22 seconds. Kangze Wang from China finished in second place with a 7.55 average, while Tristan Chua Yong added a 3x3x3 podium to his tally by taking third in 8.36. The top-tier 3x3 results reflected an exceptionally quick field where sub-seven execution was required for the top prize.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Malaysia swept the entire podium during an intense two-round contest among 82 entrants. Hill Pong Yong Feng emerged victorious with a final average of 2.82 seconds and a 1.87 single, edging out Nur Faris Danial Bin Nur Azam who averaged 2.89, and Khoo Zi Yang who secured third with 3.01. Lim Hung added another trophy in 3x3x3 One-Handed, winning the final in 13.56 seconds ahead of Muhammad Hafizuddin Akhtar Bin Mohd Zainal Abidin on 15.42 and Tristan Chua Yong on 15.68. Pyraminx honors went to Ephraim Lim Shao Liang, who took gold with a 3.06 average.

Away from the top of the podiums, the WCA competition served as a launchpad for remarkable individual progression across multiple disciplines. Teh Qin Yang took on 11 separate events over the weekend, recording a huge 53.5 percent drop on his Pyraminx personal best down to 2.71 seconds, trimming his Skewb mark to 5.23, making his first official Clock attempt in 10.25 seconds, and reaching a weekend-best 6th place in 6x6x6 Cube. Jayden Ng Yit Khai also achieved massive improvements, cutting his Pyraminx mark by 35.3 percent to 4.40 seconds, while taking on his first official solves in Square-1 with 32.53 and Clock with 12.33 on his way to an 11th-place finish in Skewb.

Other competitors took on fresh territory across the schedule with notable breakthroughs. Ang An-Sel tackled seven events, logging his first official 3x3x3 One-Handed solve at 25.46 seconds, his first Clock result at 14.39, and improving his Skewb best by 30 percent to 7.58 seconds. Jayden Lim Zi Jie completed six events, logging his first ever Clock effort with a 13.57 to place 16th, alongside first tries in Pyraminx at 5.49 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:19.79. Eng Zhong Ci took on four events, making first attempts in Pyraminx at 4.06, One-Handed at 33.00, and 3x3x3 Cube at 19.34, while Guan Ying Xi completed five disciplines, logging first attempts in Pyraminx at 5.01, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:22.41, and Megaminx at 3:34.93.

The overall medal standings reflected strong regional dominance, as Malaysian competitors led the medal table with 20 podium places, followed by Singapore with 9, China with 4, India with 2, and Indonesia with 1. From rare non-standard cubes to the quickest short-format sprints, Penang Cube Masters 2023 highlighted the technical depth of Southeast Asian solving across every discipline on the 2023 calendar, setting a formidable standard for the upcoming season of regional championships.

Kawasan atrium 1st Avenue Mall di Pulau Pinang dipenuhi dengan dentingan putaran kiub dan tumpuan mendalam sepanjang hujung minggu 18 hingga 19 November. Kejohanan speedcubing yang meriah ini menghimpunkan seramai 100 peserta dari pelbagai negara untuk bersaing dalam 12 acara berbeza merentasi 17 pusingan sengit. Suasana pertandingan kiub Rubik berprestij ini memperlihatkan kehebatan peserta tempatan yang memanfaatkan kelebihan gelanggang sendiri di hadapan para penyokong tanah air.

Bintang tuan rumah, Lim Hung, mempamerkan penguasaan luar biasa dengan memenangi lima acara individu secara keseluruhan sepanjang kejohanan Penang Cube Masters 2023. Beliau mendominasi kategori kiub besar dengan mencatatkan purata kemenangan 51.62 saat dalam 5x5x5 Cube, 1:22.19 dalam 6x6x6 Cube, dan 2:03.34 dalam 7x7x7 Cube. Beliau turut mengungguli acara 3x3x3 One-Handed dengan purata 13.56 saat serta acara Square-1 dengan catatan purata 9.09 saat.

Selain kejayaan cemerlang Lim Hung, peserta Malaysia turut menguasai podium acara 2x2x2 Cube sepenuhnya. Hill Pong Yong Feng muncul sebagai juara selepas merekodkan purata kemenangan 2.82 saat dengan catatan terbaik 1.87 saat. Tempat kedua diraih oleh Nur Faris Danial Bin Nur Azam dengan purata 2.89 saat, manakala Khoo Zi Yang menduduki tempat ketiga dengan purata 3.01 saat di hadapan 82 orang peserta lain dalam acara tersebut.

Dalam acara utama 3x3x3 Cube yang disertai seramai 95 peserta menerusi tiga pusingan, Amey Gaba dari India merangkul gelaran juara dengan purata kemenangan 6.84 saat serta masa terpantas 6.22 saat. Kangze Wang dari China menduduki tempat kedua dengan purata 7.55 saat, manakala Tristan Chua Yong dari Singapura melengkapkan kedudukan podium di tempat ketiga dengan catatan purata 8.36 saat.

Tristan Chua Yong dari Singapura turut menyerlah dalam pelbagai kategori lain dengan membawa pulang beberapa gelaran juara. Beliau menjuarai acara 4x4x4 Cube dengan purata 28.92 saat, mengatasi Amey Gaba yang mencatat 29.19 saat dan Hill Pong Yong Feng dengan 32.04 saat. Tristan Chua Yong turut memenangi acara Skewb dengan purata 3.69 saat dan acara Megaminx dengan purata catatan 27.49 saat.

Di sebalik perebutan takhta utama, beberapa peserta mempamerkan lonjakan prestasi peribadi yang sangat membanggakan sepanjang hujung minggu ini. Tan Ee Qian menyertai sembilan acara dan mencatat peningkatan masa 74.7 peratus dalam Square-1 dengan rekod peribadi 35.33 saat berbanding 2:19.55 sebelum ini, selain memperbaiki catatan Pyraminx sebanyak 54 peratus kepada 2.83 saat serta catatan 3x3x3 Cube kepada 7.63 saat. Moy Jay Min yang menyertai sembilan acara berjaya membuat percubaan rasmi pertamanya dalam Megaminx dengan catatan 1:29.56 dan Square-1 dengan 1:02.60, di samping memotong catatan 2x2x2 Cube sebanyak 43.8 peratus kepada 1.54 saat.

Pencapaian manis turut dilakar oleh peserta lain yang mencuba acara baharu dalam pertandingan WCA ini. Amyr Danish Bin Ahmad Amirruddin membuat penampilan pertama dalam tiga acara berbeza dengan merekodkan 32.71 saat bagi 3x3x3 One-Handed, 3.80 saat bagi 2x2x2 Cube, dan 15.08 saat bagi Pyraminx. Muhammad Rais Irfan Bin Khairul Hakimin mencatatkan 5.64 saat dalam percubaan pertamanya bagi Pyraminx serta memperbaiki catatan 2x2x2 Cube sebanyak 59.2 peratus kepada 4.26 saat dan 3x3x3 Cube kepada 23.31 saat. Ng Yi Siang mencuba Skewb buat kali pertama dengan catatan 7.00 saat, Pyraminx dengan 6.34 saat, serta memotong masa 3x3x3 One-Handed sebanyak 25.7 peratus kepada 27.52 saat. Sementara itu, Zhen Zhi Lee mencatat 7.53 saat pada penampilan sulung Pyraminx dan membaiki rekod 2x2x2 Cube sebanyak 51.7 peratus kepada 3.38 saat.

Acara sampingan lain turut melahirkan juara baharu di pentas Penang, Malaysia. Ephraim Lim Shao Liang mengungguli saingan Pyraminx dengan purata catatan 3.06 saat selepas menewaskan 59 peserta lain. Dalam acara Clock, Michael dari Indonesia muncul juara dengan catatan purata 5.70 saat, mengatasi Lim Hung di tempat kedua dengan 6.71 saat dan Yap Di Sheng di tempat ketiga dengan 7.11 saat.

Secara keseluruhan, penganjuran Penang Cube Masters 2023 membuktikan dominasi padu wakil tuan rumah dengan mengumpulkan sebanyak 20 penamat podium, diikuti Singapura dengan 9 podium, China dengan 4, India dengan 2, dan Indonesia dengan 1 podium. Kejohanan tahun 2023 ini melabuhkan tirai dengan cemerlang, mempamerkan kualiti bakat tempatan yang semakin bersedia untuk menghadapi saingan pada musim-musim akan datang.