Please Be Solved Vancouver 2023

Inside the Life Building at UBC, the typical chatter of a weekend gathering gave way to intense, focused quiet across the tables. Blindfolds lay beside timers, memory sheets were set aside, and solvers sat motionless as they committed complex cube permutations to memory before slipping fabric over their eyes. This dedicated environment defined Please Be Solved Vancouver 2023, a gathering held on June 17, 2023, where ten competitors assembled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to test their mastery of sightless problem-solving across five distinct rounds.

Unlike a traditional Rubik's Cube meeting dominated by standard two-handed speed, this WCA competition put niche memory events squarely in the spotlight. Solvers tackled four distinct disciplines: 3x3x3 Blindfolded, 4x4x4 Blindfolded, 5x5x5 Blindfolded, and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind. Each discipline demands vast mental endurance, as competitors must track piece orientations and execution sequences without visual feedback. Across the single-day schedule, the ten entrants pushed the boundaries of blind solving, demonstrating that speedcubing reaches far beyond quick-turning sight disciplines into true feats of spatial recall.

The 5x5x5 Blindfolded contest presented one of the day's steepest challenges, where the vast array of center and wing pieces leaves minimal margin for execution error. Kevin Matthews of Canada claimed top honors, securing the victory with a single solve of 9:34.70. Jens Grieme of Germany finished in second place with a time of 15:21.00. The remaining three finalists, Jimbo Cai, Ethan Rusnak, and Timothy Castle, recorded DNFs in the round, underscoring the extreme technical difficulty of navigating five layers entirely from memory.

Kevin Matthews also captured first place in the demanding 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, completing 27 out of 34 cubes within a time of 57:51. The event requires athletes to memorize dozens of scrambled puzzles consecutively before donning a blindfold to execute solutions consecutively against a strict one-hour time limit. Jens Grieme earned second place by solving 16 of 21 puzzles in 58:08, while Timothy Castle rounded out the podium with 11 solved out of 15 attempts in 50:56.

In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Jens Grieme delivered a standout performance, capturing first place with a winning average of 5:57.98 and a best single time of 4:49.98. Timothy Castle followed closely in second position with a mark of 6:01.61, while Jimbo Cai earned third place on the podium with a single time of 13:04.00. The larger four-layer cube introduces parity issues and extensive inner-slice moves, making these successful sightless completions a major highlight of the day.

Beyond the podium battles, Please Be Solved Vancouver 2023 featured meaningful milestones across the roster of participants. Nathan Durand-Brousseau tackled two events on the day and made his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, converting a clean 3 out of 3 puzzles in 23:42 to secure a 6th-place finish. Jayce Li took on the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event and secured a personal best single time of 45.34 seconds, improving upon his previous best mark of 57.20 seconds by 20.7 percent on his way to 5th place.

The sightless disciplines also provided valuable competitive experience for other dedicated cubers who entered multiple rounds. Anderson Gao took on two separate events during the competition, earning an 8th-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind as his top result. Vianne Chang competed across three events at the venue, earning a 4th-place result in 4x4x4 Blindfolded to cap a busy schedule. These steady efforts across the roster added depth to a demanding program that challenged every entrant.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event delivered the fastest single times of the day, with ten competitors taking part across two rounds of play. Timothy Castle from the USA captured the title with a winning single time of 27.66 seconds, edging Kevin Matthews, who took second place on the podium with a 48.47 mark. Jimbo Cai earned third place with a solve of 1:19.54. Matthews also posted a quick single solve of 25.90 seconds during the event, showcasing elite single-solve speed.

In total, Canadian competitors secured seven podium positions across the tournament, with American competitors earning four and German entrants claiming three. The single-day program served as an exceptional showcase for blindfolded disciplines, setting aside standard 3x3 results to elevate memory-intensive formats. As the year 2023 progresses, the performances from this cubing competition stand as a testament to the discipline and mental rigor that modern speed cubing demands from its blindfolded specialists.