Playford Cubing 2023

Seth Ferry delivered an exceptional showing in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, clinching four separate titles at Playford Cubing 2023. Over the weekend of November 4 to November 5, 2023, the Playford Civic Centre welcomed 89 speedcubing contenders across 9 events and 16 rounds of intense head-to-head racing. Whether journeying across interstate highways or international borders, cubers assembled to test their skills in one of the premier gatherings of the season.

The journey proved worthwhile for competitors travelling from near and far, including international entries representing Vietnam, India, and China. In a high-stakes cubing competition drawing talent across multiple regions, Ferry set the benchmark early. His winning average of 8.34 seconds in the flagship 3x3x3 Cube topped a stacked field of 80 entrants across three stages, highlighted by a tournament-best single solve of 6.91 seconds.

Ferry’s dominance stretched across multiple puzzle disciplines throughout the two-day meet. In the rapid-fire 2x2x2 Cube, he locked in first place with a 2.58 average and a sharp 1.26 single. He carried that momentum into the 4x4x4 Cube, taking the top podium spot with a winning average of 34.29 seconds and a 28.61 single, before claiming the 3x3x3 One-Handed crown with a mark of 13.46 seconds across two rounds.

The main classic 3x3 results saw Adrian Oon secure second place with a 9.80 average, followed by Tess Karon taking third in 10.52 seconds. Oon also claimed the runner-up spot behind Ferry in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 14.18 seconds, while Leo Hock-Morris finished third at 19.04 seconds. In 4x4x4 Cube, Vietnam’s Trung Tran made his travel count by earning second place with a 38.66 average, ahead of Hock-Morris in 39.64 seconds.

Beyond the headline races, the tournament revealed major individual breakthroughs from contenders who made the trip to compete. Ethan Todosiu chopped his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down by 64.6 percent to 3.96 seconds and made his first ever attempt at Skewb in 17.39 seconds. Jonathan Williams dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 63 percent to 4.03 seconds, while Yike Feng sliced 59.8 percent off his Skewb best to reach 15.44 seconds. Aaron Mi brought his Skewb record down to 2.77 seconds, a 49.8 percent improvement, alongside his first ever attempt at Clock in 19.98 seconds.

First-time event entries and massive personal milestones continued to emerge throughout the order of play. Christopher Yuanzhe Du cut his Pyraminx best by 48.1 percent to 6.57 seconds while tackling his first ever attempts at 2x2x2 Cube and 3x3x3 One-Handed. Quin Szilassy improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 39.5 percent to 3.42 seconds and logged his first ever Pyraminx solve at 5.97 seconds. Henry Hodges took on Clock for the first time with a 26.46 mark and slashed his 2x2x2 Cube best by 35.1 percent to 2.90 seconds, while Riley Brooks entered Clock for the first time at 22.17 seconds and improved his 4x4x4 Cube personal record by 31.8 percent to 1:19.50.

Specialist categories brought additional intrigue across the venue tables. Cody Driver secured the Pyraminx title with a 3.75 winning average and a 2.55 best single across 69 competitors, holding off Oliver Hutchinson at 4.14 seconds and Alex Butera at 5.94 seconds. In Skewb, Jonah Blakeley topped a 48-person field with a 3.26 average, finishing ahead of Butera’s 4.47 and Hutchinson’s 5.04, while Butera took gold in Clock with a 5.81 average and a 5.12 single solve.

Blindfolded solving demanded immense concentration, requiring full memorisation before turning the faces of the puzzle without visual feedback. Felix Williams mastered the complex disciplines, capturing both the 4x4x4 Blindfolded title with a single of 3:39.27 and the 5x5x5 Blindfolded victory with a mark of 11:12.00. Blakeley took second in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded division with a solve of 7:34.81, while Carlo Malagar followed in 16:18.00.

The official WCA competition concluded with Australia claiming 26 podium places alongside 1 for Vietnam. As competitors packed their bags and departed the venue after two days of intense speed cubing, Playford Cubing 2023 stood as a vibrant celebration of Rubik's Cube mastery and cross-regional travel, setting an impressive benchmark for the upcoming season.