Pittsburgh Spring 2023

Liam Chen delivered the defining performance of the weekend with a blistering 16.83 single in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, claiming victory in a contest that demands flawless memorisation and execution. That electric sprint set the tone for an action-packed gathering at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Competitors journeyed across regions to arrive in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on April 1, 2023, making the trip into the city center to battle through a dense lineup of alternate disciplines and showcase their preparation on the official stage.

The one-day cubing competition brought together 29 competitors tackling 7 events across 14 rounds. With an itinerary focused on specialty puzzles rather than standard 3x3 results, traveling solvers had to adapt quickly between distinct turning styles and mechanical challenges. The tournament hall hosted everything from the rapid turns of Clock and Skewb to the endurance tests of the massive 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 cubes. Every entrant shared the floor in a compact schedule that tested range and consistency.

Roxy Behrle took command of the big cube category, turning long journeys into golden hardware. In the 6x6x6 Cube final featuring 15 competitors, Behrle captured first place with a winning average of 1:38.23 and a best single of 1:33.59, leading Evan Liu at 1:50.67 and Sean Cutshaw at 2:07.67. Behrle repeated the feat in the 7x7x7 Cube, posting a winning average of 2:20.26 and a best single of 2:14.07 across a field of 16 competitors, ahead of Liu with 2:37.81 and Chris Chi with 3:26.16.

The 12-sided Megaminx drew a strong lineup of 22 competitors over 3 full rounds, where Nicolas Naing secured the top spot with a winning average of 30.35 and an event-best single of 27.83. AJ Kamal secured second place with 40.52, while Roxy Behrle rounded out the podium with 1:00.24. Meanwhile, Dominic Cater conquered the shifting geometries of Square-1, prevailing across 2 rounds of 18 competitors with a winning average of 7.84 and a 6.72 single to edge out Chris Chi at 8.29 and AJ Kamal at 12.92.

Away from the top steps of the podium, Pittsburgh Spring 2023 was defined by massive breakthroughs and debuts across the roster. Andrew Cosari registered an extraordinary Skewb personal best of 7.04, improving by 60.4 percent over an earlier 17.80 mark, while tackling four events and recording first official attempts in Megaminx at 2:24.65 and Clock at 29.26. Ethan Todd lowered personal bests across three puzzles, trimming 20.9 percent off Square-1 to finish in 19.51, taking Skewb down to 8.05 with a 19.5 percent drop, and recording a 13.5 percent improvement in Megaminx at 1:37.88. Marcus Sterling achieved a 7.76 personal best in Skewb, cutting 18.6 percent from his previous best. Hayden C. Fredrick logged a Skewb personal best of 4.76, an improvement of 22 percent that earned an 11th-place finish.

First-time event appearances highlighted the depth of commitment at this WCA competition. Kenneth Miller took on three events, posting debut attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 5:16.41, 7x7x7 Cube at 5:56.76, and Megaminx at 1:28.79. Dev Choksi stepped up for six events, booking a Clock personal best of 15.08 with a 33.2 percent improvement alongside first attempts in Square-1 at 49.60 and 6x6x6 Cube at 6:10.66. Stanley Ou tackled six events, logging a Skewb debut of 4.79 and a 7x7x7 Cube personal best of 4:16.68. Arjun Srinath took on six events, generating personal bests in Skewb at 9.27 and Clock at 20.56, alongside a first Megaminx attempt of 2:51.44.

The rapid-fire events provided thrilling conclusions at Pittsburgh Spring 2023. In Clock, Evan Liu clinched first place in a razor-thin final, producing a winning average of 5.41 and a best single of 5.11 across 3 rounds of 16 competitors, just ahead of Caleb Kearney at 5.45 and Sean Cutshaw at 7.60. Chris Chi took top honors in Skewb across 2 rounds of 23 competitors, recording a winning average of 3.44 and a best single of 3.05, outlasting Cutshaw at 4.13 and AJ Kamal at 4.63.

In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, competitors grappled with extreme precision across 2 rounds. While Liam Chen took the overall title behind his 16.83 single, Evan Liu followed in second place with 1:02.00 and AJ Kamal secured third with 1:19.46. The blindfolded field saw official single times posted by Stephen Griggs at 2:41.60 and Sean Cutshaw at 2:52.75. Across all 7 disciplines, the speedcubing community demonstrated the focus required to master diverse variants of the Rubik's Cube mechanism.

The single-day meet highlighted how much dedication speed cubing enthusiasts invest when traveling to test their abilities against the clock. United States competitors swept all 21 podium places across the board, reflecting formidable regional strength. As the final puzzles were packed away and travelers began their journeys home from Pittsburgh Spring 2023, the event stood as an energetic showcase of individual progress and sharp technical execution.