Perth Winter 2024

The competition tables at South Perth Community Hall were filled with clicking plastic and focused concentration as Perth Winter 2024 got underway. Competitors of all backgrounds gathered in Perth, Western Australia, Australia across July 27 and July 28, 2024. For newcomers stepping into the venue for the first time, the atmosphere offered an immediate introduction to official tournament speedcubing. Over two full days of action, 103 participants took to the stage across 10 distinct events and 21 separate rounds, transforming the community hall into a hub of competitive puzzle solving.

The flagship 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 100 competitors battling through four progressive stages of competition. Joshua Hounslow claimed victory at the end of the final round, recording a decisive winning average of 7.73 seconds alongside a best single of 7.21 seconds. Jonathan Charlesworth earned second place with an 8.15 average, while Chenglin Wang from China completed the podium in third with an 8.44 mark. The 3x3 results capped a weekend of high intensity on the main stage, showcasing elite execution under pressure.

Hounslow had a remarkably productive weekend beyond the standard Rubik's Cube, securing two additional championship titles. In Pyraminx, Hounslow captured the gold with an average of 2.34 seconds, finishing ahead of Chenglin Wang at 3.62 and Jonathan Charlesworth at 3.85. He then added the 4x4x4 Cube crown to his collection, posting a winning mark of 31.65 seconds to edge past Zak Kenny who logged a 32.07 average, while Charlesworth took third in 34.66. Across multiple formats, Hounslow remained a dominant presence at the South Perth venue.

Jonathan Charlesworth also pieced together a stellar multi-event campaign across the competition. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Charlesworth took top honours with an average of 15.93 seconds, closely followed by Tyler Williams at 16.02 and Lachlan Stephens at 16.91. Charlesworth picked up another win in Skewb, tying Williams with a 3.47 winning average and relying on a 2.35 single, while Regan Roberts placed third in 4.46. He completed a triple-victory weekend by winning the single-round 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:53.67 average, proving his versatile proficiency across varied twisty puzzles.

Beyond the top podium steps, the heart of this WCA competition belonged to the competitors expanding their horizons with major personal milestones. Yahya Gilani achieved huge drops across multiple events, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 69.9 percent to 2.68 seconds, improving his Pyraminx time by 57.2 percent to 6.21, and dropping his Skewb result by 40.5 percent to 9.88. Peicheng Nie chopped 63.8 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best down to 5.09, improved by 14.5 percent in 3x3x3 One-Handed to 1:16.39, and took on his first ever official attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:39.28. Micah Roscoe cut his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 53.4 percent to 47.53 seconds while also logging debut attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 4:28.07 and 7x7x7 Cube at 6:25.24.

New event debuts continued across the tournament boards. Marlon Spotkaeff improved his Skewb time by 39.8 percent to 4.53 seconds, while recording first-time attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 4:57.99 and 7x7x7 Cube at 6:27.80. Taylor Tu-Nie lowered his Skewb mark by 39.3 percent to 10.19 seconds and completed first-ever official runs in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:14.50 and 7x7x7 Cube at 5:04.75. Miller Ingram registered a 38.1 percent improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube down to 12.71 seconds, alongside new attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 34.12 and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:07.02. Jihoon Park dropped his 2x2x2 Cube time by 33.2 percent to 3.73 while making debuts in One-Handed at 34.68 and 5x5x5 Cube at 3:25.22, and Oscar Lee successfully completed debuts in 5x5x5 Cube at 2:20.61, Skewb at 7.98, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 49.63.

The shorter formats featured rapid times and close margins at Perth Winter 2024. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Aaron Espiritu emerged victorious over 87 competitors with a winning average of 2.30 seconds. Joshua Hounslow claimed silver at 2.42 seconds, and Marco Campitelli took bronze with a 2.50 average. The preliminary rounds in the event saw rapid individual efforts, including a 1.05 single and a 1.78 average from Campitelli, as well as a 1.17 single from Amy Smith, reflecting the high standard of fast speed cubing throughout the event.

The big cube contests delivered nail-biting finishes across both days. Jaxon Foster won the 5x5x5 Cube in 1:00.98, holding off Tyler Williams by a fraction of a second at 1:01.00, while Charlesworth took third at 1:01.46. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Alevio Efendi captured first place with an average of 2:52.51, barely edging Williams who finished in 2:52.53, with Hounslow third in 3:05.09. In the memory-intensive 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Amy Smith mastered the challenge without sight, winning with an average of 45.10 seconds. The successful gathering closed out a landmark weekend for the local cubing community.

The gathering reflected the health and depth of the Australian speedcubing circuit, with local competitors claiming 28 podium positions while international entrant China earned two. For every competitor who stepped up to the tables, whether chasing a championship final or completing an official solve for the first time, South Perth provided a memorable platform for personal achievement.

As the South Perth Community Hall cleared at the conclusion of the event, participants took home new official marks, memorable debuts, and fresh experience on the tournament floor. The community looks forward to building on these successes in upcoming seasons.