Pingtung Summer Open 2023

76 competitors gathered at the Chaujou Farmers Association as the Pingtung Summer Open 2023 brought high-stakes speedcubing action to southern Taiwan. Across two days from August 26 to August 27, the venue served as an energetic battleground featuring 22 rounds spanning nine distinct events. The bustling tournament floor offered a focused, lively setting where solvers from across the region tested their dexterity and composure against the clock.

The 3x3x3 Cube event drew 73 competitors through three intense stages of competition before concluding with top-tier 3x3 results in the final round. He-Ping Zheng claimed the premier title by posting a 7.62 winning average alongside a tournament-best single solve of 5.61 seconds. Yen-An Chen followed closely in second place with an average of 7.94 seconds, while Wei-Ming Zeng completed the podium in third at 8.11 seconds, concluding a thrilling showcase of classic Rubik's Cube mastery.

He-Ping Zheng added a second championship to his weekend tally in the 3x3x3 One-Handed division. Navigating a field of 37 participants over two rounds, Zheng locked in the title with a winning average of 12.16 seconds and a best single mark of 11.62. Ping-Yueh Huang secured the runner-up position averaging 12.76 seconds, edging past Yi-Fan Wu who landed third with an average of 13.17 seconds.

Yi-Fan Wu delivered commanding displays across the larger puzzles at the Pingtung Summer Open 2023, taking home double gold in both big cube events. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Wu defeated 55 rivals across two rounds with an exceptional 27.98 average and a best single of 24.39. Cian-Jyun Yang earned second place averaging 28.66 seconds, while Wei-Ming Zeng took third at 29.01. Wu replicated this dominance in the 5x5x5 Cube, finishing first among 46 competitors with a 47.44 average ahead of Cian-Jyun Yang at 49.18 and Wei-Ming Zeng at 51.21.

Away from the main stage, the weekend was defined by major individual leaps and ambitious multi-event schedules. Chao-Chi Teng produced a massive improvement in Megaminx, recording a personal best of 1:31.31 to cut 61.3 percent off their previous mark of 3:55.82 while tackling seven different events. Wei-Chun Hung completed an extensive nine-event campaign, registering a first ever attempt in 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 4:15.92 alongside huge personal bests in Square-1 at 25.79 seconds, 48.1 percent faster, and Megaminx at 3:06.86, 43 percent faster. Shih-Wen Su took fourth place in Skewb, notched first-time results in Megaminx at 1:23.98 and One-Handed at 20.27, and dropped their Square-1 best by 25.5 percent down to 13.86 seconds.

The progress continued with Yen-Lei Jen taking on seven disciplines, successfully completing first ever attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed with 16.77 seconds, Megaminx with 2:24.78, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:54.07. Ching-Hsiang Li competed in eight events, placing eighth in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a first attempt of 3:20.99, while setting personal bests of 20.89 in One-Handed, 27.6 percent faster, and 10.90 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Li-Wei Chu logged debut marks in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:25.15 and Skewb at 9.94 alongside a 9.13 Pyraminx personal best, while Sheng-Jun Wang debuted in Pyraminx at 11.61 and Skewb at 12.19 while cutting their 3x3x3 Cube best by 17.7 percent to 17.90 seconds.

The side events provided thrilling variety throughout the cubing competition schedule. In Square-1, Yen-An Chen secured first place with an average of 7.34 seconds, besting Yi-Ho Hsueh at 7.87 and Cian-Jyun Yang at 10.25. Yang rebounded to capture the Skewb crown with a swift 2.98 average over Chao-Che Chung at 4.55 and Wei-Ming Zeng at 4.58. In the 49-competitor Pyraminx bracket, Bo-Yan Wu earned victory averaging 3.16 seconds. Ping-Yueh Huang sealed the Megaminx title averaging 43.46 seconds, finishing ahead of Bo-Yan Wu at 46.70 and Yi-Ho Hsueh at 46.80.

Mental discipline took center stage in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded contest, where competitors rely solely on memory and spatial awareness. Chih-Chuan Yang prevailed with a gold-medal single of 20.73 seconds, outpacing Shun-Hsin Chang who finished second in 1:21.04 and Yen-An Chen who collected bronze in 1:49.38. The technical difficulty of blindfolded speed cubing capped off a remarkable variety of events hosted under one roof.

Across all nine events, Taiwanese athletes locked down every one of the 27 available podium places in front of an enthusiastic gathering in Pingtung, Taiwan. The Chaujou Farmers Association provided a superb setting for top-level speedcubing, balancing high-speed chases with significant individual milestones across 22 full rounds. As the Pingtung Summer Open 2023 drew to a close, the weekend reinforced the strength and depth of talent across the local scene in 2023, leaving competitors ready for whatever challenges the circuit presents next.

在三階單手項目的決賽賽場上，選手需要僅憑單手掌控魔術方塊的旋轉與指法，對觀察力和手法流暢度提出極高要求。He-Ping Zheng (鄭和平) 展現出頂尖的操控實力，以12.16秒的平均成績勇奪三階單手冠軍，最快單次成績達到11.62秒。Ping-Yueh Huang (黃品越) 以12.76秒獲得亞軍，Yi-Fan Wu (吳亦凡) 則以13.17秒拿下季軍。

這場名為 Pingtung Summer Open 2023 的魔術方塊賽事於2023年8月26日至27日在 Pingtung, Taiwan 潮州鎮農會熱烈展開。這場 WCA competition 共吸引了76位選手參賽，在22輪激烈的比賽中展開9個項目的角逐。單手項目的精彩表現為整個週末奠定了高水準的競技基調，吸引了眾多方塊愛好者的目光。

常規的三階魔術方塊項目中，He-Ping Zheng (鄭和平) 同樣表現優異，在總計73名選手參加的三輪爭奪中脫穎而出。他以7.62秒的決賽平均成績奪冠，並留下5.61秒的優異單次成績。Yen-An Chen (陳彥安) 以7.94秒拿下亞軍，Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘) 則以8.11秒收穫季軍。

大方塊項目由 Yi-Fan Wu (吳亦凡) 統治，他在四階與五階項目中雙雙奪冠。在四階魔術方塊決賽中，Yi-Fan Wu (吳亦凡) 繳出27.98秒的平均成績封王，Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君) 以28.66秒居次，Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘) 以29.01秒獲得第三名。五階項目中，Yi-Fan Wu (吳亦凡) 再次以47.44秒奪冠，Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君) 與 Wei-Ming Zeng (曾唯銘) 分別以49.18秒和51.21秒位列二、三名。

賽事名冊之外，許多選手默默達成了個人突破。Tian-Sin Yang (楊天心) 本次出戰6個項目，五階魔術方塊刷出1:18.60的個人新紀錄，較原紀錄進步27.3%，四階項目也以41.53秒刷新個人最佳成績13%，並完成個人首次五魔方挑戰拿到2:04.30。Guan-Xun Huang (黃冠勳) 報名8個項目，三階單手以14.26秒大幅進步23%，Square-1 也以14.70秒提升15.5%，同時首次完成五魔方拿到2:48.64。Bennett Nozomi Chiou (邱宇辰) 在三階項目繳出10.50秒的個人最佳成績，進步幅度達25.4%，並以5.40秒完成個人首次金字塔項目挑戰。

其他賽場上的突破同樣令人振奮。Bo-Yao Qiu (邱柏堯) 參加8個項目，在三階盲封項目首次參賽便繳出3:09.97獲得第7名，Square-1 和五階成績分別進步9.5%與5.6%。Yi-Syuan Kao (高宜萱) 出戰6項，金字塔項目收穫第10名，並完成四階和三階單手的個人首秀，五魔方也創下2:14.30的最佳成績。初次踏上WCA賽場的選手亦收穫滿滿，Zih-Sian Huang (黃子憲) 首次參賽便挑戰5項，在斜銷、四階及五階皆留下官方初次成績；Zhi-Jie Xu (許智傑) 同為初次出賽，在三階、金字塔及斜銷項目分別留下17.06秒、7.18秒與9.64秒的首秀成績。

異形與極限項目方面，競爭同樣激烈。Square-1 決賽由 Yen-An Chen (陳彥安) 以7.34秒奪金，Yi-Ho Hsueh (薛以和) 以7.87秒緊追在後，Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君) 則以10.25秒站上頒獎台。五魔方項目由 Ping-Yueh Huang (黃品越) 以43.46秒奪魁，Bo-Yan Wu (吳柏彥) 和 Yi-Ho Hsueh (薛以和) 分獲二、三名。金字塔冠軍由 Bo-Yan Wu (吳柏彥) 以3.16秒拿下；斜銷方塊冠軍則由 Cian-Jyun Yang (楊謙君) 以2.98秒斬獲。

盲解項目考驗選手在完全遮蔽視線情況下的記憶與執行能力。三階盲解決賽中，Chih-Chuan Yang (楊智全) 憑藉第一輪創造的20.73秒最快單次成績奪得冠軍，Shun-Hsin Chang (張舜欣) 以1:21.04獲得亞軍，Yen-An Chen (陳彥安) 則以1:49.38拿下第三名。

整場 Pingtung Summer Open 2023 的27個頒獎台席位均由台灣在地好手包辦。從精準俐落的單手旋轉到各類異形方塊的精彩比拼，這場極速競速盛會為選手們留下了難忘的競技回憶，也為即將到來的賽季寫下充滿活力的篇章。