Please Don't DNF Singapore 2024

The 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest came down to the absolute wire at the Cecil Building as Dylan Seah Tze Siang secured victory through a single-move edge. Matching Wong Chong Wen on an identical 21.67 average, Seah Tze Siang took the title on the strength of a tournament-best 19 single compared to Wong Chong Wen's 20. Chang Hong Liang rounded out the podium with a 24.67 average, marking a razor-thin conclusion that set the standard for high-stakes problem-solving over the weekend.

Held on December 8, Please Don't DNF Singapore 2024 brought 28 competitors together in Singapore, Singapore for an intensive slate of five events across six rounds. As a focused WCA competition centered on discipline and precision, the single-day gathering tested participants across complex blindfolded disciplines, clock manipulation, and optimization challenges. The setting inside the Cecil Building provided a quiet, demanding arena where every move and turn carried immense weight toward the final standings.

The broader 3x3 results within Fewest Moves saw an extraordinary run of national benchmarks, with competitors systematically rewriting the record books. Ng Jia Quan took fourth place with a 25.33 average and a 24 single, while Lim Chun Yik posted a 26.00 average alongside a 25 single. Isaac Lai Yin Chung recorded a 33.00 average, Nigel Phang registered 35.67, Gabriel Neo Jun Yi delivered 37.00, Edward Lim logged 38.33, and Ge Shi finished with a 40.00 average, demonstrating remarkable collective execution across the field.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors produced standout personal milestones that underscored the depth of effort across the roster. Kyler Kam Li Wei achieved a Clock personal best of 5.32 seconds, cutting 15.2 percent off his previous mark. Ramanujan Srinivasan took on two events and set personal bests in both, improving his Fewest Moves single by 13.3 percent to 39 and his Clock single by 12.4 percent to 10.27 seconds, while placing 15th in Fewest Moves. Edward Lim improved his Fewest Moves personal best by 9.8 percent to 37 on the way to a 9th-place finish, and Keagen Khew shaved 12.2 percent off his Fewest Moves mark down to 36 while taking 6th in Clock.

First-time event appearances also highlighted the day, as competitors stepped up to unfamiliar disciplines with notable success. Alvis Ng attended his first cubing competition and took on two events, registering his first ever attempt at Clock with a 5.38 single alongside an 11th-place finish in Fewest Moves with a 39. Chanakya Srinivasan logged his first Clock attempt at 4:12.39, Gabriel Neo Jun Yi tackled Fewest Moves for the first time with a 36 to finish 8th, and Aidan Loh Kai Ye posted his first 3x3x3 Multi-Blind score of 2/3 in 15:51 while earning 4th place and trimming his Clock best by 6 percent to 3.45 seconds.

The blindfolded disciplines delivered demanding tests across larger cubes, where Theodore Chan achieved a remarkable sweep. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Chan secured first place with a single of 2:52.02, leading Ng Jia Quan in second at 3:29.89 and Jareth Soong Ying Rui in third at 5:18.78. Chan then doubled his gold tally in 5x5x5 Blindfolded, recording a winning single of 6:11.00 as the only competitor in the seven-person field to register a successful solve, with all other entrants recording a DNF.

Chu Yiu On produced a masterclass in spatial retention to claim victory in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, successfully solving 28 out of 33 cubes within the one-hour time limit. Andrew Tan Jing Bang followed on the podium with 17 out of 25 cubes in 1:00:00, while Ng Jia Quan collected his second blindfolded podium of the day by completing 15 out of 24 cubes in the same duration. The classic Rubik's Cube variant demonstrated the intense mental stamina required across elite speedcubing programs.

Nigel Phang topped the Clock division with a consistent 4.09 average across two rounds, having previously laid down a blistering 2.83 best single. Jervis Yeo took second on the podium with an average of 4.65 seconds, while Andrew Tan Jing Bang collected third with 5.23 seconds to cap a strong multi-discipline performance. The fast-paced turns of Clock served as a sharp kinetic counterpoint to the calculated, deliberate pacing found across the blindfolded and move-count events.

When the final tallies were finalized, Singapore led the medal distribution with 14 podium places, while Malaysia claimed 3 and Hong Kong secured 2. The single-day speed cubing showcase highlighted technical precision and mental endurance, bringing 2024 competition schedules closer to their annual conclusion. For every competitor who stepped up to the tables at Please Don't DNF Singapore 2024, the concentrated format offered a clear, definitive measure of skill and composure under pressure.