PIB Itaim Open 2024

A blistering 1.82 second average in the 2x2x2 Cube final by Frederico Canal Gomes set the tone for an explosive day of speedcubing at the PIB Itaim Open 2024. Held on July 13, 2024, at Primeira Igreja Batista in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, the single-day cubing competition gathered 62 competitors across six official disciplines. While Gomes claimed the top step in the shortest sprint of the weekend, Caio Hideaki Sato delivered an overwhelming display across the schedule, dominating multiple finals with world-class consistency and speed.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew 61 competitors across two intense rounds, serving as the central battleground of the tournament. Caio Hideaki Sato asserted total authority over the field in the final round, taking first place with an exceptional 6.28 winning average and recording the best single of the event at 5.10 seconds. Tiago Akihiro Fujita earned the silver medal with a solid 8.26 average, while 2x2 champion Frederico Canal Gomes completed the podium in third place with a 9.35 mark. The standard 3x3 results capped a remarkable series of sprints.

Before Sato captured the classic Rubik's Cube crown, Frederico Canal Gomes had already electrified the venue in the 2x2x2 Cube showdown. Across two rounds of play, 51 competitors tested their turning speed in the rapid puzzle. Gomes prevailed in the final with his 1.82 average, highlighted by a best single of 1.53. Sato followed closely in second place with a 2.37 average, and Fujita secured third place at 2.42, giving the Brazilian podium a trio of sub-2.50 averages in one of the tightest contests of the competition.

Sato's dominance extended well beyond standard twisty puzzles, as he accumulated four gold medals across the ten rounds staged during the day. In the Pyraminx final, which featured 31 entrants across two rounds, Sato topped the standings with a 4.11 average and a 3.28 single. Fujita took second place with a 4.97 average, edging Pedro Lima Fernandes, who finished third with a 5.23 mark. The precision and pace across all three steps showed the high technical level present throughout the tournament.

The Skewb and Clock events further highlighted Sato's versatility. In the single-round Skewb competition featuring 25 contenders, Sato captured victory with a 3.96 average and a 3.33 best single, holding off Eduardo Ribeiro Strauch in second at 4.80 and Fujita in third at 5.67. Over in the Clock division, Sato bested a field of 24 solvers with a winning average of 6.32 and a single of 5.94. Pedro Lima Fernandes finished runner-up with 6.63, while Fujita added another medal to his collection by placing third with a 7.08 average.

Beyond the championship races, individual milestones defined the experience for many entrants across the floor. Bruno Vivaldi Barrella took on 4 events and made dramatic progress, cutting his Pyraminx personal best to 8.37 from 18.10, which was 53.8 percent faster, alongside a 2x2x2 personal best of 3.79 that improved on his former 6.04 by 37.3 percent, while completing his first ever attempt at Skewb in 10.32 to place 20th. Alice Viestel Bulgarelli entered 5 events, earning 17th in Skewb with a debut attempt of 16.86, registering her first ever attempt at Pyraminx with 11.35, and slicing her 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 13.38 from 20.88, a 35.9 percent leap.

That drive was shared by several other athletes tackling expanded schedules at this WCA competition. Daniel Rici da Silva entered 3 events, logging his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 9.33, his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 in 3.80, and improving his 3x3x3 personal best to 11.83, which was 16.4 percent faster than his prior 14.15 mark. André Taberti Santos tackled 5 events, achieving 25th in Skewb with a debut 35.20 solve and lowering his Clock best to 12.74, a 17.9 percent drop from 15.52. Henrique Cardoso Perillo Costa took on 4 events, placing 18th in Skewb with a debut 17.98, while also making his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 11.20 and his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 in 5.27. Leonardo Oliveira Santos logged first ever attempts in Clock with 40.17, Pyraminx with 14.89, and 2x2x2 with 5.56 across 4 events. Benjamin Nascimento Brasílio dos Santos entered 2 events, clocking a first ever attempt of 9.83 in 2x2x2 and dropping his 3x3x3 mark 19.3 percent to 27.99 from 34.69. Felipe Torres Pereira handled 3 events, securing 22nd in Skewb on a debut 19.65 and logging a first ever attempt in 2x2x2 at 10.60.

Mental discipline took center stage in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded competition, where 10 solvers tackled the puzzle without visual feedback. Carlos Augusto Gianesi Seller took first place with a winning single solve of 1:08.75. Beatriz Hernandes Bernardes secured second place with a time of 1:15.33, while Guilherme Santana earned the third podium spot by stopping the timer at 1:42.32. Blindfolded solving requires competitors to memorize the cube state completely before donning a blindfold to execute the solution strictly from memory.

The day concluded with all 18 podium positions claimed by Brazilian competitors, showing the tremendous local depth in speed cubing across both classic and specialty formats. From the high-velocity sub-two-second averages in 2x2 to Sato's four-event championship run, the PIB Itaim Open 2024 offered a complete showcase of precision turning and competitive racing in São Paulo.

Dezoito posições de pódio estavam em disputa e todas as dezoito ficaram com competidores da casa. A realização do PIB Itaim Open 2024 reuniu 62 participantes em São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, no espaço da Primeira Igreja Batista, em 13 de julho de 2024. O evento proporcionou dez rodadas intensas distribuídas por seis modalidades oficiais, consolidando o domínio completo dos atletas brasileiros nas mesas de montagem rápida ao longo de um sábado repleto de desafios no cubo mágico.

O grande destaque do torneio foi Caio Hideaki Sato, que conquistou nada menos que quatro títulos individuais. Na disputa principal do cubo 3x3x3, que contou com 61 inscritos ao longo de duas rodadas, Sato venceu com média final de 6.28 segundos e a melhor marca individual em 5.10. A segunda posição ficou com Tiago Akihiro Fujita, que alcançou a média de 8.26, enquanto Frederico Canal Gomes completou o pódio 100% nacional com a média de 9.35.

No cubo 2x2x2, Frederico Canal Gomes garantiu o título após registrar a excelente média de 1.82 segundos na final, anotando também a melhor tentativa única do evento com 1.53. Caio Hideaki Sato assegurou o segundo lugar com 2.37 de média, seguido de perto por Tiago Akihiro Fujita, que garantiu o terceiro lugar com 2.42. O confronto entre 51 competidores nessa modalidade foi um dos pontos altos do dia pela velocidade das resoluções.

Caio Hideaki Sato manteve o ritmo vitorioso em outras frentes do speedcubing. No Pyraminx, superou 31 atletas ao vencer com média de 4.11 e melhor tempo de 3.28, tendo Tiago Akihiro Fujita em segundo com 4.97 e Pedro Lima Fernandes em terceiro com 5.23. No Skewb, disputado em rodada única por 25 participantes, Sato levou o ouro com média de 3.96 e single de 3.33, seguido por Eduardo Ribeiro Strauch com 4.80 e Tiago Akihiro Fujita com 5.67.

A versatilidade continuou no Clock, onde Caio Hideaki Sato alcançou sua quarta vitória com média de 6.32 e tempo de 5.94, superando Pedro Lima Fernandes, segundo com 6.63, e Tiago Akihiro Fujita, terceiro com 7.08. Já na complexa prova do 3x3x3 sem olhar, Carlos Augusto Gianesi Seller foi o campeão com o tempo vitorioso de 1:08.75. Beatriz Hernandes Bernardes conquistou a prata com 1:15.33 e Guilherme Santana levou o bronze com 1:42.32 entre os dez inscritos.

Além das disputas pelas primeiras colocações, a competição revelou grandes avanços individuais entre participantes que construíram marcas expressivas. Davi da Cunha Pizatto alcançou uma melhora notável de 33.2% no cubo 2x2x2 ao registrar seu novo recorde pessoal de 4.90 segundos. Lucas Fernando Andrade Rubio disputou o Skewb pela primeira vez obtendo 11.60 e 13º lugar, além de baixar seu tempo no cubo 3x3x3 em 15.4% com 9.94. O português António Albino participou em quatro eventos, registrou 10.47 em sua estreia no Skewb terminando em 12º e evoluiu 13.6% no 2x2x2 com a marca de 3.25. Já Bruno Murillo de Oliveira Carvalho estreou no Skewb com 6.53 terminando em oitavo e reduziu seu tempo no Clock em 13.3% para 8.97.

O PIB Itaim Open 2024 também marcou a chegada de estreantes aos torneios oficiais da entidade internacional. Hugo Santos Almeida participou de sua primeira competição na WCA em quatro eventos, marcando 13.50 no Pyraminx, 27.75 no cubo tradicional e 17.60 no Skewb com o 19º lugar. Erick dos Santos Rosa completou três modalidades com tempos de 22.30 no 3x3x3, 15.99 no Pyraminx e 8.83 no 2x2x2. João Pedro Diniz Prado de Oliveira estreou obtendo o nono lugar no 3x3x3 sem olhar, além de 17.97 no 3x3x3 e 8.94 no Pyraminx, enquanto Guilherme Dequech Barbosa fez suas primeiras tentativas oficiais marcando 11.94 no 2x2x2 e 40.49 no cubo 3x3x3.

Com 18 pódios conquistados por competidores brasileiros, a competição em São Paulo encerrou suas dez rodadas evidenciando o alto nível técnico e o contínuo crescimento da comunidade local. Cada modalidade disputada demonstrou regularidade, velocidade e grande dedicação dos competidores nas mesas de montagem.