River Hill Fall 2023

A total of 107 competitors gathered in Clarksville, Maryland, USA on October 21, 2023, for a fast-paced day of solving at River Hill High School. While the quiet discipline of Fewest Moves often demands an hour of silent calculation with pencil and paper, River Hill Fall 2023 favored raw velocity across eight rounds and six diverse disciplines. The intense atmosphere offered a sharp contrast to the slow, deliberate pace of pen-and-paper challenges, delivering rapid-fire solves from the standard 3x3x3 Cube to towering big cubes.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest drew all 107 entrants through three hard-fought rounds of speedcubing. Zavian Valedon secured the championship with a winning average of 7.32 seconds, highlighted by a sharp 6.70 single in the finals. Valedon also posted a 6.61 single and a 7.35 average during the weekend. Dana Yi took the second step on the podium with a 7.62 final average, having logged a swift 6.40 single earlier in the rounds. Alex Niedland finished third with an average of 8.09 seconds, following an earlier 6.79 single and 7.82 average.

Livia Kleiner delivered a dominant showing across the large puzzle categories, sweeping three consecutive titles at the cubing competition. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Kleiner outpaced 60 other solvers with an average of 59.19 seconds and a standout 51.34 single. Evan Liu claimed second place with a time of 1:02.43, while Dana Yi rounded out the top three with 1:03.63. Kleiner also made her mark on the 3x3 results earlier in the day, turning in a single of 7.65 seconds.

Kleiner carried that winning momentum directly into the 6x6x6 Cube, besting a field of 43 entrants to take top honors in 1:38.54 with a best single of 1:31.00. Evan Liu once again secured the runner-up spot with an average of 1:44.66, and Dana Yi earned third place in 1:48.50. The exact same podium order repeated in the 7x7x7 Cube, where Kleiner triumphed over 35 competitors with a 2:16.57 average. Liu recorded a 2:42.47 for second place, and Yi took third at 3:03.01.

Beyond the traditional Rubik's Cube layers, Declan Wilhelm captured the Megaminx event against 54 rivals. Wilhelm delivered a 47.64 winning average and an impressive 40.32 single. Zayn Khanani locked in second place at 49.42 seconds, and Kleiner added another podium finish to her tally with a 50.28 third-place average. Meanwhile, Liam Chen took first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, clocking a lightning-fast single of 16.78 seconds. Kevin Liu took second in 40.53, while Evan Liu grabbed third in 57.54.

Away from the championship hardware, several competitors posted enormous personal improvements across the board. Aarav Guglani took on six separate events and slashed his Megaminx personal best down to 1:06.02, which was 58.5 percent faster than his prior mark of 2:39.26, while also lopping 26.2 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube time with a 2:18.72. Joseph Kilpack dropped 40.6 percent from his standard cube mark to log a 15.55 personal best and made his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:32.82. Gannon Smith cut his Megaminx mark by 36.4 percent down to 1:41.34 and made his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Cube in 37.35.

First-time event attempts highlighted the depth of the field throughout the schedule. Liam Combs entered five events, recording his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 3:47.71 to finish 12th, while cutting 31.7 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube mark with a 2:36.09. Matthias Johnson took on five events and posted his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:14.58 alongside a 30 percent improvement on the 3x3x3 Cube at 15.14. Noah Cudilla made his first 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 2:34.26 and trimmed his Megaminx time by 25.9 percent to 2:13.61. Eric Lewis achieved his first 7x7x7 Cube result in 5:48.64, and Umit Omural completed his first 7x7x7 Cube solve in 7:05.23.

The 3x3x3 Cube rounds also witnessed a series of swift times throughout the bracket, as Raihan Sadr posted a 6.17 single and 7.85 average, Hassan Khanani notched a 7.56 single and 8.03 average, and Liam Manwaring logged an 8.33 average. Daniel Goodman and Tanzer Balimtas produced matching consistency with averages of 8.61 and 8.66 respectively. United States competitors secured all eighteen podium positions across the six disciplines.

With all eight rounds completed across six puzzle categories, River Hill Fall 2023 demonstrated the depth of the local speed cubing community in Clarksville. The single-day WCA competition showcased both veteran precision and ambitious leaps across the full spectrum of twisty puzzles, leaving competitors ready for the challenges of the next season.