Quiet Seattle Summer 2024

Madrona Hall at the University of Washington was arranged for intense concentration on September 8, 2024. Table layouts were spaced generously across the room, with blindfolds and stopwatches ready beside silent judges. The quiet atmosphere was suited specifically to mental endurance, setting the stage for Quiet Seattle Summer 2024 as 15 competitors gathered in Seattle, Washington, USA. The focus was not on pure turning pace, but on the careful memorization and deliberate planning required for the most specialized disciplines in speedcubing.

Veteran competitors brought seasoned expertise to the tables, demonstrating the composure that comes from years on the circuit. With five events spanning six rounds on the schedule, the cubing competition rewarded patience and precision above all else. Jayce Li of Canada delivered the standout showing in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, taking first place across two rounds. Li secured the victory with a best single of 21.74 seconds in the final round, following an earlier 17.23 single, while Ethan Davis took second with 22.91 and Alvin Liu rounded out the top three in 38.81.

Ethan Davis assembled an extraordinary campaign throughout Quiet Seattle Summer 2024, claiming podium finishes across four separate categories. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, which tasks solvers with memorizing dozens of scrambled puzzles before donning a blindfold, Davis won with a massive tally of 25 solved out of 41 attempted within the 1:00:00 time limit. Ayden Kainalu A. Bueno finished runner-up by successfully solving all 5 of 5 cubes in 13:59, while Alvin Liu placed third with a flawless 5 of 5 in 19:26.

Davis carried that momentum into the big blindfolded events, sweeping the long-form categories. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Davis topped the field of three competitors with a winning single of 2:36.29, leaving fellow podium finishers Alvin Liu and AJ Blair with DNFs on their attempts. In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, Davis produced the sole completed solve of the event, recording a time of 9:26.57 to capture gold ahead of AJ Blair and Alvin Liu in second place.

Away from the blindfolds, 3x3x3 Fewest Moves provided a purely analytical test of the classic Rubik's Cube. Ten solvers spent an hour optimizing sequences to solve the cube in as few turns as possible. Jackson Warley claimed the title with a stellar 25.33 mean across the attempts, highlighted by an efficient 21-move single. Davis added a silver medal with a 29.67 average, and Adam Walker secured third place with a 35.00 average, giving the discipline a sharp set of 3x3 results in the Pacific Northwest.

Beyond the podium positions, several competitors delivered massive improvements across their personal records during the weekend. Dylan O'Meara took on three events and slashed his 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best down to 1:16.48, an improvement of 47.4 percent compared to his prior mark of 2:25.30, while also trimming his 3x3x3 Fewest Moves best by 22.4 percent to 45 turns and placing fifth in Multi-Blind. Blaine Ryan-Smith entered Fewest Moves and cut his personal best by 16.4 percent to 46 moves, securing sixth place. Spencer Fraser tackled three events and logged his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a mark of 74, alongside a seventh-place finish in Multi-Blind.

The progress continued through the rest of the roster at this WCA competition. Ash Black entered two events, finishing fourth in Multi-Blind with a new personal best of 7 out of 9 cubes in 56:34. Vaughn Parker entered two disciplines and finished seventh in Multi-Blind. Irene Qin took fifth place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, while Sonja Black entered two events and earned a sixth-place finish in Multi-Blind. Cailyn Hoover completed the group of dedicated solvers by taking eighth place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves during a productive single-event entry.

The single-day meet demonstrated the depth of the Pacific Northwest speed cubing community, which continues to foster both elite specialized talent and steady personal progression. Between the endurance required for multi-blindfold attempts and the cerebral demands of move efficiency, Quiet Seattle Summer 2024 highlighted the versatility of competitive puzzle solving. With the 2024 season moving forward, competitors left Madrona Hall with substantial milestones, refined strategies, and fresh motivation for upcoming events.