Pinjarra Pride and Puzzles 2024

Inside the Pinjarra Civic Centre, timers rested on competition mats under bright hall lights as solving stations filled for a packed single-day schedule. Twenty-one solvers gathered in Pinjarra, Western Australia, Australia on June 16, 2024, to take on twelve scheduled rounds across five events. The format of the day required steady composure through multi-stage cuts, testing endurance and precision across both classic puzzles and side events at this regional WCA competition.

The tournament progression demanded peak consistency from the outset, especially across the three-round brackets for the classic puzzles. In the signature 3x3x3 Cube event, twenty competitors lined up in the opening round before the field narrowed into an intense battle for the podium. The structure rewarded competitors who could replicate sub-ten-second averages under the pressure of advancing through preliminary rounds all the way into the final.

Jay Calter emerged at the top of the 3x3 results, capturing victory in the 3x3x3 Cube with a winning average of 7.99 and a best single time of 7.37. Calter was closely pursued on the podium by Lachlan Stephens, who took second place with an average of 8.11, while Joshua Hounslow rounded out the top three with an average of 8.81. The high standard of solving across the final round highlighted the depth of Rubik's Cube talent present in the region.

Calter repeated his success in the 2x2x2 Cube, securing a weekend double across another three-round ladder. Facing seventeen competitors, Calter claimed the top spot with a decisive 2.75 winning average and a best single solve of 2.54. Stephens once again mounted a fierce challenge to claim second place on a 2.92 average, while Lucius Leong earned third place with a 3.27 mark. Both preliminary and final rounds produced tight margins across the short-format event.

The two-round bracket of the 4x4x4 Cube saw sixteen entrants take to the tables, where managing parity and complex hardware determined who survived the cut. Joshua Hounslow controlled the final with authority, posting a winning average of 32.87 alongside the event's best single solve of 28.10. Zak Kenny claimed the runner-up position with a 34.86 average, narrowly edging Tyler Williams, who finished third with a 35.48 average.

Beyond the podium finishes, the competition offered a stage for significant personal milestones across the community. Greg Smith entered three events and delivered a massive leap forward, cutting his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 40.4 percent to 46.47 while also recording a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 3:03.51. Hope Boxell tackled three events, logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 10.54 and trimming 4.3 percent off her 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 37.60. Barath Thandapani took on a full slate of five events, earning a 6th place finish in 2x2x2 Cube alongside a personal best of 2.53, which improved his previous mark by 16.5 percent, and a 4.6 percent improvement in Pyraminx to 5.75. Jenna Bennison also took on five events and logged a first ever attempt at Clock with a mark of 15.96.

The progress continued across various disciplines as competitors seized the chance to test new setups and practice routines. Declan Sander competed in five events and lowered his Clock personal best by 20.3 percent down to 6.40 for a 6th place finish, while dropping his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 10.2 percent to 1:07.11. Ameen Nethaka Abhayasinghe took on five events, improving his Clock best by 11.4 percent to 7.96 and earning 8th place in Pyraminx. Flynn Creelman contested five events and reached 6th place in the 3x3x3 Cube, while Vanessa Smith recorded a 7.7 percent improvement in Pyraminx with a personal best of 16.13 across her two events.

The Clock event delivered high-speed dial turns across two rounds for fifteen competitors, with Lucius Leong taking top honours with a winning average of 5.39 and a single of 4.12. Tyler Williams secured second place with a 5.85 average, followed by Jaxon Foster in third on 6.41. In the Pyraminx, Joshua Hounslow claimed his second title of the competition, winning the seventeen-solver event with an average of 3.43 and a best single of 2.77, while Amy Smith took second on 4.04 and Williams earned third on 4.80.

With fifteen podium places earned across the five disciplines by Australian competitors, Pinjarra Pride and Puzzles 2024 showcased the sharpness and dedication within the local speedcubing scene. The seamless execution of twelve rounds in a single day demonstrated the strength of the community, setting a strong benchmark for speed cubing as competitors turn their attention toward the rest of the 2024 season.