Reno Spring 2023

A dominant 12.97 winning average on Square-1 by Michael Larsen delivered one of the standout performances of the weekend at Earl Wooster High School. The specialist discipline requires distinct mechanical fluency, and Larsen demonstrated total command over two rounds of competition to claim the top spot. The one-day WCA competition on March 25, 2023, gathered 37 competitors in Reno, Nevada, USA, for an intense schedule packed with technical events alongside traditional speedcubing categories. With 13 rounds spread over seven distinct disciplines, the meeting offered niche solvers a dedicated stage to display their craft.

Mitchell Lane put together an extraordinary campaign across the longer formats, claiming victories in three separate events. Lane secured the 5x5x5 Cube title with an average of 1:04.81 and a best single of 56.86, outlasting Larsen in second place at 1:10.29. Lane repeated that winning form in the 6x6x6 Cube, recording a first-place average of 1:52.14, well ahead of runner-up Jeremy Benik at 2:16.33. Lane also took the top step in Skewb with a 4.92 average, finishing ahead of Larsen and Hong Kong competitor Anto Kam.

The non-standard puzzles continued to produce intense battles throughout the afternoon. In the Clock event, Jaidon Poraminthara Lin took victory with a fast 5.93 average and a 4.43 single, outpacing Lane who took second with 8.16 and Chris Martin in third with 8.58. Larsen remained formidable across the rotation, capturing the Square-1 gold while Brandon Harnish claimed second with a 20.77 average and Lane took third at 21.23. The variety of mechanical challenges highlighted the depth required across diverse disciplines during Reno Spring 2023.

Short-format speed cubing brought fierce contention to the main floor as Jason Ostdiek claimed the 2x2x2 Cube crown. Ostdiek posted a winning average of 3.93 with a single of 2.82, edging past Lane who took silver at 4.07 and Poraminthara Lin who claimed bronze at 4.19. Gregory Randall Stez narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish, recording a 3.89 single and a 4.57 average during the rounds. The quick-fire format kept turnaround times tight as competitors navigated the two-round bracket.

The classic Rubik's Cube brought 37 competitors together for the primary three-round tournament. Michael Larsen took the overall 3x3x3 Cube title by logging a winning average of 8.53 alongside a single of 7.17. Lane secured another podium finish by taking second place with an average of 9.59, while Jacob Vincent Vicente Mangosing earned third place on a 10.38 mark. The official 3x3 results rounded out a balanced program that tested both standard puzzle specialists and multi-layered cube operators in Northern Nevada.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several solvers achieved massive leaps and expanded their repertoire at Reno Spring 2023. Rushil Mahadevu delivered the biggest single improvement of the meeting, cutting their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 44.4 percent from 35.05 down to 19.48 while also recording a first ever attempt at Skewb in 8.54. Jack Lessard took fourth place in 2x2x2 Cube while trimming their mark in that event by 38.7 percent to 3.44 and improving their Clock personal best by 13.5 percent to 12.86. Yaswanth Raju dropped their 3x3x3 Cube time by 30 percent to 20.63 while registering a first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 5.27. Hawke Schwartz shaved 12.1 percent off their standard cube personal best down to 28.96 and took first official attempts at both 2x2x2 Cube in 8.96 and Skewb in 12.62.

The expansive schedule also encouraged competitors to tackle complex disciplines for the first time. Samuel Martin took on all seven events, registering a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 4:16.93, a 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 2:13.80, and a Clock attempt in 16.70 while finishing sixth in Square-1. Orion Green entered all seven categories as well, posting inaugural marks in Square-1 at 1:57.21, 5x5x5 Cube at 3:17.78, and Clock at 36.49. Brayden Scott made an ambitious debut in their first WCA competition by entering seven events, highlighted by a tenth-place finish in 6x6x6 Cube and a first 3x3x3 Cube result of 25.08. John Warren likewise took on their first WCA competition, tackling three events and logging inaugural times including a 5.24 in 2x2x2 Cube.

The collective effort produced a robust total of 20 podium finishes for United States competitors alongside an international podium earned by Anto Kam for Hong Kong. Across 13 rounds of play, the cubing competition celebrated technical mastery in less common side puzzles while welcoming developing solvers to new disciplines. As the 2023 season moves forward across the region, the balanced schedule demonstrated the enduring vitality of multi-event speedcubing.