Please Don't DNF Kuwait 2024

Four competitors took their places at Prime Students Services in Kuwait City, Kuwait on January 27, 2024, prepared for an intense showcase of memory, precision, and endurance. Blindfolded speedcubing requires an extraordinary degree of concentration, demanding that solvers commit intricate piece locations to memory before donning a blindfold to execute complex move sequences purely by touch and spatial awareness. The specialised cubing competition brought together solvers eager to test their limits across some of the most mentally taxing disciplines in the sport.

Across three distinct rounds spanning three events, Please Don't DNF Kuwait 2024 focused entirely on high-stakes blindfolded solving. The single-day WCA competition put competitors through large-cube blindfolded disciplines and the marathon effort of multi-blind solving. Without standard speed events to provide a warm-up, participants faced unforgiving cutoffs and the ever-present threat of a did-not-finish result on every single solve, making focus essential from the opening attempt.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event served as the ultimate test of cognitive mapping and endurance at the competition. Jordanian competitor Zakarya Otair produced the day's standout performance by successfully registering 32 points out of 40 attempted cubes in an exact time of 1:00:00. Navigating 40 individual Rubik's Cube puzzles under a strict one-hour time limit demanded near-flawless memorisation and calm execution under time pressure.

Otair's 32/40 mark secured first place in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by a wide margin, placing him at the top of the standings. Mohammad Almoumen of Kuwait earned second place on the podium by solving 3 out of 6 cubes in a time of 50:20. Kuwaiti competitors Hussain Merza and Saoud Abdulaziz Almutawa also took on the multi-cube challenge, though both finished their attempts with a DNF in the final rankings, showing how volatile multi-cube solving can be.

The big cube blindfolded events proved equally demanding, beginning with 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Adding outer and inner slice layers expands the piece count significantly compared to standard Rubik's Cube variants, requiring solvers to memorise centers, wings, and corners while tracking commutators without visual feedback. Zakarya Otair mastered the additional complexity, recording the sole successful single of the round with a winning time of 5:41.60.

Otair's effort in 4x4x4 Blindfolded secured him his second gold at Please Don't DNF Kuwait 2024, finishing ahead of fellow podium finishers Mohammad Almoumen and Hussain Merza, who both recorded DNFs in the round. The unforgiving nature of the discipline meant that even minor execution missteps resulted in incomplete solves, underscoring the precision required to bring home a valid result in big cube blind solving.

The test of memory reached its maximum complexity in 5x5x5 Blindfolded, where thousands of possible piece interactions must be planned and executed in complete darkness. Zakarya Otair completed his sweep of the meet by logging a successful single of 13:05.00. That time stood as the only successful completion of the round, earning Otair his third victory of the day at the Kuwait City tournament.

Hussain Merza and Mohammad Almoumen joined Otair on the 5x5x5 Blindfolded podium with DNF results, closing out the round. Across the entire competition, podium finishes were distributed between two nations, with Kuwait collecting seven podium spots and Jordan claiming three via Otair's three victories. The high concentration of blindfolded events made for an intense day of pure speed cubing mastery.

With all three rounds concluded, Please Don't DNF Kuwait 2024 delivered an exceptional exhibition of blindfolded solving in the region. Fans analyzing the 3x3 results from the multi-blind tables and reviewing the big cube tallies saw Zakarya Otair establish total dominance across all three scheduled events. The small field demonstrated the patience and mental discipline required at the highest levels of blindfolded solving in modern 2024 speedcubing.