San Marcos Open 2023

A total of 124 competitors gathered in Lima, Peru on August 12 and 13 to contest 13 official disciplines across 26 scheduled rounds. For dozens of solvers taking their seats inside Universidad San Marcos, the weekend marked a major step into the world of organized speedcubing. Stepping up to the timers in front of judges and alongside seasoned veterans, entrants faced the challenge of translating countless hours of private practice into registered results. The bustling cubing competition offered a full slate of classic twists and modern specialties, welcoming both debutants and experienced title chasers to test their agility across two full days of play.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 111 entrants, requiring four progressive stages of elimination to decide the champion. Robert Yomi Cadenas Nuñez delivered a commanding performance at the top of the standings, taking first place with an exceptional winning average of 6.80 seconds. He secured the title by pairing his steady sub-seven consistency with the fastest single solve of the event at 6.54 seconds. Behind him in the 3x3 results, Jose Antonio Cuipal Maguiña secured second place with a 7.84 average, while Benjamín Ochoa claimed third on the podium averaging 7.98.

Across the broader schedule, Pedro Alejandro Condo Tellez produced a remarkable run across the large cubes, sweeping all four heavyweight categories. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Condo Tellez posted a 27.11 average with a best single of 25.01 to outpace 43 other competitors across two rounds. Moving up to the 5x5x5 Cube, he logged a 49.43 average alongside a 47.97 single, finishing ahead of silver medalist Marcelo Nuñez at 56.99 and third-place Ronald Fernando Remuzgo Salazar at 59.53. His efficiency across higher order puzzles continued with a decisive 1:36.65 winning average in the 6x6x6 Cube, besting Ricardo Sanchez Laurencio and Marcelo Nuñez, who took second and third with averages of 1:42.40 and 1:42.45 respectively.

Condo Tellez completed his sweep of the biggest hardware by conquering the 7x7x7 Cube with an unmatched 2:27.74 winning average and a single of 2:19.81. Marcelo Nuñez collected another silver with a 2:34.84 average, while Ricardo Sanchez Laurencio took third at 2:35.95. Meanwhile, multievent specialist Mateo Aguirre showed immense pace in the shorter formats, claiming two gold trophies over the weekend. Aguirre won the 78-competitor 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.87 average, edging out Ronald Fernando Remuzgo Salazar at 1.97 and Leon Achata at 2.34. Aguirre also captured the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, putting up a winning average of 12.08 and a 11.50 single across two rounds.

Away from the top steps of the podium, the quiet breakthroughs achieved across the lower seeds captured the true spirit of this WCA competition. Christian Sánchez Castañeda took on two events and generated substantial drops on the stopwatch, logging a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 2.51 seconds to shave 52.3 percent off his prior 5.26 mark, alongside a 3x3x3 personal best of 16.11 seconds that beat his previous 17.66 standard by 8.8 percent. Kevin Fabricio Maldonado Ruiz concentrated on a single event, producing a dramatic breakthrough on the traditional Rubik's Cube with a personal best of 20.19 seconds, cutting 50.4 percent off his older 40.71 mark. Brian Fernández Orejón embraced a heavy six-event slate, earning a career-high 12th place finish in Skewb, notching a 56.91 4x4x4 personal best, and recording a 2.33 2x2x2 personal best that was 51.9 percent faster than his previous 4.84 best.

The drive for progress was equally evident among solvers expanding their competitive range into brand new puzzle disciplines. Samuel Valentin Mezarino Cuya contested four events, executing his first ever attempts in official competition with an 11.69 in Skewb, a 49.61 in the 4x4x4 Cube, and a 1.96 in the 2x2x2 Cube. Alan Santiago Calderón Dávila entered three events, logging his first ever attempt in the 3x3x3 Cube at 32.42 seconds while securing big personal bests of 3.43 in 2x2x2, an improvement of 42.4 percent from 5.95, and 6.85 in Pyraminx, cutting 25.9 percent from 9.25. Pedro Arevalo Moya also tackled three events, registering his first ever attempt in Pyraminx with a 9.08 solve, while establishing a 2x2x2 personal best of 5.70, which was 32.4 percent faster than his prior 8.43, and a 3x3x3 personal best of 28.41, besting his old 33.21 by 14.5 percent.

Specialist categories brought additional depth to the tournament schedule. Jeyson Paul Espinoza Diaz took the top spot in the 36-competitor Pyraminx contest, winning with a 2.13 average and a 1.72 single. Carlos Ramirez Sotelo navigated two rounds of Skewb to claim victory with a 3.71 average, holding off Walter Felix at 3.90 and Pedro Giuseppe Garcia Milla at 4.18. Garcia Milla had earlier earned gold in the Megaminx division, producing a winning average of 44.92 and a best single of 42.78. In the mechanical Clock event, Adrian Lizarbe Estrada secured first place with a 5.69 average and a 4.52 single, finishing ahead of Andrés Hisashi Suzuki Cabrera at 6.92 and Ronald Fernando Remuzgo Salazar at 7.89.

Andrés Hisashi Suzuki Cabrera proved his exceptional versatility by taking two distinct titles of his own during the competition. In Square-1, Suzuki Cabrera topped the field of 15 competitors with a 9.52 winning average and a single of 7.23. He then demonstrated outstanding mental discipline in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, where memorization and tactile execution carried him to victory with a winning single solve of 1:04.33, clear of Leon Achata at 1:24.59 and Elias Alonso Usaqui Cabezas at 1:32.15.

Every single one of the 39 podium spots across the 13 events went to solvers representing Peru, capping a dominant showing on home soil. As the San Marcos Open 2023 concluded its busy two-day run at Universidad San Marcos, the energy throughout the venue confirmed the healthy expansion of speed cubing in the region. Whether setting personal bests in early rounds or standing atop the podium with championship hardware, the 124 athletes demonstrated the remarkable dedication required to excel in modern speedcubing, laying a strong foundation for the next competitive season.

Las mesas de competencia en la Universidad San Marcos se llenaron de cronómetros, tapetes y jueces atentos durante las intensas jornadas del 12 y 13 de agosto en Lima, Peru. Los 124 participantes inscritos llegaron con la mirada fija en los bloques de resolución, listos para medirse en una agenda repleta de retos técnicos. En cada rincón del recinto universitario se respiraba la concentración propia de un torneo oficial, donde cada segundo de inspección inicial resultaba decisivo antes del primer giro sobre la mesa.

El cronograma del San Marcos Open 2023 estuvo estructurado alrededor de 13 eventos oficiales y 26 rondas completas, un formato exigente diseñado para poner a prueba el fondo físico y mental de los competidores. Las categorías de velocidad pura requirieron múltiples filtros eliminatorios para definir a los finalistas, mientras que las pruebas de cubos grandes y especialidades técnicas se resolvieron en fases directas donde no había margen de error para clasificar a los podios.

En la categoría reina del cubo de Rubik clásico, el 3x3x3, se disputaron cuatro rondas eliminatorias entre 111 competidores. Robert Yomi Cadenas Nuñez mantuvo una regularidad sobresaliente a lo largo de cada fase y se consagró campeón con un promedio ganador de 6.80 segundos y una mejor resolución individual de 6.54 segundos. El podio lo completaron Jose Antonio Cuipal Maguiña en la segunda posición con 7.84 y Benjamín Ochoa en el tercer lugar con 7.98.

La competencia de 2x2x2 Cube se convirtió en otro punto álgido gracias a tres rondas de altísimo ritmo entre 78 participantes. Mateo Aguirre se llevó el título con un promedio de 1.87 segundos y una marca individual de 1.42, superando por estrecho margen a Ronald Fernando Remuzgo Salazar, quien registró 1.97, y a Leon Achata, tercero con 2.34. Mateo Aguirre sumó además una segunda victoria durante el fin de semana al dominar la final de 3x3x3 One-Handed con una media de 12.08 segundos frente a 46 competidores.

El dominio en los cubos grandes perteneció de forma indiscutible a Pedro Alejandro Condo Tellez, quien firmó cuatro victorias individuales a lo largo del certamen. Se impuso en el 4x4x4 Cube con 27.11 segundos de promedio tras dos rondas, en el 5x5x5 Cube con una marca de 49.43, en el 6x6x6 Cube con 1:36.65 y en el gigantesco 7x7x7 Cube con un registro ganador de 2:27.74. En estas dos últimas pruebas de formato único, Ricardo Sanchez Laurencio y Marcelo Nuñez se alternaron los escalones secundarios del podio.

Más allá de las medallas y los tiempos de podio, el torneo dejó avances notables para varios participantes que recortaron de manera drástica sus registros personales. Dhiago Sanchez Arica protagonizó una mejora excepcional al rebajar su marca en 2x2x2 Cube hasta 1.80 segundos, un avance del 66.7 por ciento respecto a su registro previo de 5.40, además de registrar 12.77 en 3x3x3. Por su parte, Leonardo Adrian Nuñez Huanuiri detuvo el cronómetro en 2.99 segundos en 2x2x2, superando su anterior marca de 5.38 en un 44.4 por ciento tras disputar tres eventos en el fin de semana.

En las rondas del cubo tradicional, Jose Benjamin Menor Montero mejoró su marca en 3x3x3 en un 41.3 por ciento al conseguir un tiempo de 14.64 frente a su registro anterior de 24.93. Joseph Manases Wilmar Julca Huayhua avanzó un 39 por ciento en 3x3x3 al cronometrar 14.04 y un 27.1 por ciento en 2x2x2 con 6.70. Imanol Tello Delgado redujo su mejor tiempo en 3x3x3 en un 38.9 por ciento para dejarlo en 26.43, mientras que Jose Antonio Quispe Cespedes mejoró un 36.9 por ciento en 2x2x2 con 2.98 y un 28.9 por ciento en 3x3x3 con 11.68.

Las categorías no tradicionales añadieron gran diversidad técnica al evento. Andrés Hisashi Suzuki Cabrera conquistó el primer lugar en Square-1 con un promedio de 9.52 segundos y también lideró el 3x3x3 Blindfolded con una marca de 1:04.33, superando a Leon Achata y Elias Alonso Usaqui Cabezas en una disciplina donde la memorización previa es fundamental. En Clock, Adrian Lizarbe Estrada venció con 5.69 segundos de promedio, mientras que Carlos Ramirez Sotelo ganó Skewb con 3.71, Jeyson Paul Espinoza Diaz triunfó en Pyraminx con 2.13 y Pedro Giuseppe Garcia Milla se llevó Megaminx con 44.92.

Con 39 lugares de podio ocupados íntegramente por competidores peruanos, esta competencia de speedcubing en la capital cerró sus actividades reflejando la solidez organizativa y el crecimiento de la comunidad local. La combinación de rondas múltiples para pruebas veloces y formatos directos para categorías de fondo brindó el escenario adecuado para que tanto figuras consolidadas como nuevos talentos demostraran su destreza en una auténtica fiesta del rubik en 2023.