Ridgefield Spring 2024

Inside the halls of Ridgefield Academy, the focused rhythm of turning plastic and ticking timers set the stage for an intense weekend of puzzle solving. Competitors gathered in Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA on April 6 and 7, arranging gear across solving stations and settling into an extensive multi-event program. With 124 competitors arriving to take on 11 official events across 24 rounds, the cubing competition delivered non-stop action across every category on the schedule.

While standard cubes often take the spotlight, Ridgefield Spring 2024 offered a major platform for niche and specialty disciplines that test entirely different skill sets. In Square-1, Elijah Rain Phelps navigated the changing shape of the puzzle to secure victory with an impressive winning average of 9.11 seconds, anchored by a best single of 8.19. The 12-sided Megaminx saw Carter Williams claim the top step with an average of 44.79 seconds, finishing well clear of Curtis Chai in second at 53.36 and Saisabari Ramesh in third at 56.19.

The two-handed mechanical challenges continued in the Clock event, where Ayden Dincher produced a dominant display to take first place with a 5.63 average, besting Ethan Zhuang at 6.45 and Ryan Hughes at 6.68. Dincher was equally sharp in Skewb, taking another tournament victory with a mark of 3.04 on average ahead of Hughes with 3.93 and Phelps with 4.11. Dylan Chan added to the specialty showcase by topping the Pyraminx final with a 2.46 winning average and winning 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 15.19.

Blindfolded solving brought pure concentration to the floor as Kevin Liu captured first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a winning single time of 35.33 seconds. Solving without sight demands intricate memorisation, and Liu executed cleanly in a field of 22 contenders. Evan Liu followed in second place with a single of 58.91 seconds, while Brandon Villadolid placed third with a mark of 1:11.58.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the busy schedule. Adam Dietzel took on four events, logging a first career Pyraminx attempt of 7.64 seconds while cutting 62.2 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 4.18 seconds and lowering his 3x3x3 One-Handed best to 1:07.17. Joshua Fermo entered six events, posting his first attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 34.24 seconds, slashing his Clock time by 57.1 percent to 14.82 seconds, and improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 44.1 percent down to 3.65 seconds. Hank Lewis entered five events, recording his first attempt in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:42.71, his first Skewb attempt at 23.13, and a 52.1 percent personal best improvement in 2x2x2 Cube with 5.59 seconds. Benjamin Martin competed in seven disciplines, making a first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt of 39.06 seconds and trimming his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.2 percent to 3.86 seconds.

The depth of progress at this WCA competition was evident across broad multi-event campaigns. Winston Cheng took on 10 events, earning 15th place in 3x3x3 One-Handed while logging first-ever official attempts in Megaminx at 2:06.92, 6x6x6 Cube at 4:00.11, and Square-1 at 46.40 seconds. Jack Berman also tackled 10 events, finishing 25th in 6x6x6 Cube alongside debut marks in Megaminx at 2:20.90, 6x6x6 Cube at 4:42.99, and Square-1 at 40.87 seconds. David Yoon handled 10 events as well, posting a first Square-1 result of 1:03.57 alongside large personal best cuts of 45.6 percent in 2x2x2 Cube to 2.80 seconds and 33.9 percent in Pyraminx to 4.15 seconds. Patrick Charrier entered seven events, logging first attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 38.92, Skewb at 9.92, and Pyraminx at 10.11 seconds.

Big cubes also saw intense competition throughout the weekend. Evan Liu demonstrated commanding control across the larger hardware, capturing first place in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:00.16 average to edge Carter Williams at 1:00.18 and Ayden Dincher at 1:02.23. Evan Liu followed up by taking top honours in the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning average of 1:47.66, again holding off Williams in second at 1:52.67 and Dincher in third at 1:57.45.

In the short-format puzzles, the 2x2x2 Cube contest drew 117 entrants across four rounds. Ayden Dincher earned another gold medal with an average of 1.51 seconds, narrowly beating Quinn Maloney at 1.55 and Ethan Zhuang at 1.63. The speedcubing action in this event featured 20 national record marks across the bracket, with solvers pushing rapid turns in fractions of a second.

The classic Rubik's Cube brought Ridgefield Spring 2024 to an exciting conclusion as 122 entrants competed over three rounds. The 3x3 results saw Curtis Chai deliver a brilliant performance in the final, securing the victory with a 7.60 winning average. Elijah Rain Phelps claimed second place with an average of 7.78 seconds, and Jacob Schwartz completed the podium in third with 8.21 seconds, wrapping up a memorable gathering of speed cubing excellence in Connecticut.