Pride in Long Beach 2023

One hundred and two competitors gathered on June 11, 2023, turning Stanford Middle School into a high-octane arena of fast fingers and sharp minds. Pride in Long Beach 2023 brought top-tier speedcubing action to Long Beach, California, USA, spanning five official disciplines across ten intensive rounds. For American standout Max Park, the single-day gathering provided an ideal stage to dominate in front of a passionate home crowd, capturing two major victories and demonstrating why he remains at the absolute summit of the sport.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew 99 entrants through three competitive stages. Park set the benchmark during the final with a blistering 6.24 winning average, anchored by a best single solve of 4.88 seconds. The 3x3 results confirmed Park at the top of the podium, followed by Derek Hsieh representing Taiwan in second place with an average of 7.86. Korea’s Kyeongmin Choi completed the trio on the podium, locking down third place with a 7.98 average.

Park continued his commanding run in the 4x4x4 Cube, which drew 66 entrants in a single direct final. The American superstar secured victory with a remarkable 21.49 average and a best single of 20.99. Benjamin Wei took second place for the USA with an average of 30.19, while Kyeongmin Choi claimed his second podium finish of the day by securing third place with a time of 32.27 seconds.

While Park commanded the big cubes, Kyeongmin Choi proved unstoppable across the short and specialty formats at Pride in Long Beach 2023. In the 2x2x2 Cube, which featured 87 contenders across two rounds, Choi took the gold with an average of 2.07 and a best single solve of 1.75 seconds. Derek Hsieh earned another runner-up finish with an average of 2.23, while Yuyang Zhen of China took third place with an average of 2.25.

Choi expanded his gold medal haul in the 12-sided Megaminx, navigating two rounds against 44 rivals to win with an average of 33.99 and a top single of 31.39. Novaleigh Bui of Vietnam finished in second place with an average of 43.81, while Ruby Lu of the USA placed third with a 56.20 average. Choi then added a third victory in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded, an event requiring memorisation and spatial mastery, clocking a winning single time of 35.57 seconds to top Nate Minkevich and Gavin Torreflores.

Beyond the championship battles, the tournament floor highlighted immense breakthroughs from dedicated participants. Jack McGinty tackled four separate events and delivered massive progress, shaving 53.4 percent off his Megaminx personal best with a time of 1:55.27, alongside a 51.86 in 4x4x4 Cube that was 52.5 percent faster than his prior mark and a 25th-place finish. Lorenzo Borgia cut 51.1 percent from his previous best in the 4x4x4 Cube to finish in 1:26.76. Adam Nieto logged a 20.34 in the 2x2x2 Cube, improving his prior benchmark by 50.2 percent, while Karl Prodigalidad improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.9 percent to 3.94 and tackled first ever attempts in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:38.42 and Megaminx at 2:58.21.

Stepping into new territory defined the experience for many contenders at this WCA competition. Dylan Garcia took ninth in the 3x3x3 Cube with a personal best of 8.66, chopped 20.8 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 2.51, and posted his first ever attempt in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:02.48. Arvid Kudale improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 45.4 percent to 3.44 and logged a first ever attempt in the 4x4x4 Cube at 3:02.92. Making their tournament debuts, Kenrick Khai Bui logged four events including a 41st-place finish and 2:10.32 in Megaminx, while Jude Rasmussen completed four events with a 3:06.30 Megaminx debut.

The overall medal count reflected an impressive international presence in Southern California, with the USA earning six podium spots, Korea claiming five, Taiwan taking two, and Vietnam and China earning one each. Every round from the classic Rubik's Cube to the complex Megaminx highlighted the precision required in modern speed cubing.

As the final timers stopped, Pride in Long Beach 2023 concluded as a memorable showcase of elite talent and personal milestones. The single-day cubing competition brought together seasoned international champions and rising local participants in an extraordinary celebration of dedication and speed.