Sambil Valencia 2023

A blistering 7.11 single in the 3x3x3 Cube set the tone for an intense duel at Sambil Valencia 2023 as Bernardo Torres secured the headline championship with an 8.48 winning average across three demanding rounds. The single-day WCA competition took place on October 29, 2023, drawing 37 competitors to the Sambil Valencia venue in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela. The gathering showcased intense rivalries across 4 events and 8 rounds, delivering elite speedcubing battles on the regional stage.

The fight for the Rubik's Cube crown developed into a direct contest between Torres and Rafael Antonio Sanchez. Torres held firm in the final round with his 8.48 mark, pushing Sanchez into the runner-up position with an average of 9.82. Ricardo Alexander Bustamante Mercado took third place on the podium with a 10.47 average, completing a hard-fought top tier in the classic discipline. These official 3x3 results underlined the high technical standard present throughout the Venezuelan speed cubing circuit.

Sanchez quickly answered back in the 2x2x2 Cube, turning the tables on Torres in a high-speed showdown featuring 34 competitors over two rounds. Sanchez captured the event victory with a remarkable 2.25 winning average and logged the best single of the category at 1.59. Torres claimed second place with an average of 3.32, while Bustamante Mercado once again secured third with a 3.62 average, mirroring the tight competitive dynamic from the main event.

The 2x2x2 Cube event also saw a flurry of fast times across the roster, with multiple competitors logging notable marks throughout the preliminary phase. Sanchez posted an earlier average of 3.57 alongside a 1.81 single, while Bustamante Mercado turned in an average of 3.96 with a 3.12 single. Torres contributed an average of 4.81 with a 2.88 single, Jesus Gabriel Ramirez Maita notched a 4.95 average, and Leonardo Neptalí Alicastro Palma produced a swift 1.94 single.

Sanchez continued his multi-discipline push in the Skewb event, capturing his second title of the tournament against 13 competitors. Posting a winning average of 5.94 and a best single of 4.65 in the single-round format, Sanchez held off Bustamante Mercado, who finished second with a 7.21 average. Torres rounded out the podium positions in third place with an average of 7.94, cementing a consistent three-way rivalry across diverse puzzle formats.

In the Pyraminx division, Miguel Vidal emerged on top of a 29-competitor field spanning two rounds. Vidal claimed victory with an average of 3.85 and the round best single of 3.19. Jesus Gabriel Ramirez Maita followed in second place with an average of 4.94, while Sanchez added yet another podium finish to his day by taking third place with a 5.06 average, keeping the pressure on the top spots until the final solves.

Away from the championship podiums, several solvers delivered major breakthroughs that defined the depth of the field. Matías Jesús Pérez Salcedo registered a 47.2 percent improvement on his 2x2x2 Cube personal best with an 8.21 average, also setting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 41.75 and taking on his first ever attempt at Skewb with a 21.22 mark to place ninth. David Alessandro Affaqui Damico trimmed 42.6 percent from his previous 2x2x2 Cube best to record 6.20, lowered his Pyraminx personal best by 24.9 percent to 14.58, and logged his first Skewb attempt with 48.25. Juan Fernando Araujo Valladares cut 30.3 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 21.81 result while completing first-time attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 8.89 and the Pyraminx at 23.30. Andres Emilio Pinto Higuera made his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt at 7.75 and achieved a 23.77 in the 3x3x3 Cube, improving by 30 percent.

The roster of fresh achievements continued as Eduardo Alfonso Gutiérrez Golindano improved his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 34.2 percent to 4.54 on his way to tenth in Pyraminx. Manuel Jesus Correa Torrealba dropped 21.5 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube mark to reach 27.31 while posting an 8.61 on his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt. Diego Alexander Montilla Hernandez contested four events at his first WCA competition, recording his first attempts of 8.13 in 2x2x2 Cube, 37.91 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 10.91 in Pyraminx, reaching eighth in Skewb. Isaac Gabriel Hernández Diaz likewise tackled four events in his tournament debut, notching his first attempts of 11.92 in 2x2x2 Cube, 17.50 in Pyraminx, and 46.22 in Skewb to place eleventh.

All twelve podium places at Sambil Valencia 2023 were earned by Venezuelan competitors, highlighting the strength of the community in Carabobo and surrounding areas. Across eight rounds of play, the cubing competition delivered sharp contrasts between seasoned tournament contenders and determined newer solvers. With trophies distributed and personal records rewritten across multiple events, the gathering marked an energetic chapter for the national circuit as the community looks ahead to the next season.