Sandnes Summer Fun 2023

Inside the private address venue in Sandnes, Norway, the concentrated silence of focused solvers was regularly punctuated by the rhythmic clatter of plastic layers snapping into place. Tables were arranged to host a tight-knit lineup of competitors who gathered on July 19, 2023, for a single day of high-stakes puzzle solving. Across twelve rounds of play, every competitor faced tight cutoffs and high standards in an atmosphere that blended friendly community energy with sharp competitive focus.

The fiercest contest of Sandnes Summer Fun 2023 emerged in the 2x2x2 Cube final, where the gap separating the top two finishers was microscopic. Kim Roger Haraldsen captured victory with a 2.11-second average, holding off Herman Westerlund Kalland, who completed the round just behind at 2.31 seconds. Stian Nystad Østli secured third place with a 2.83 average. The razor-thin margin of two tenths of a second highlighted the relentless precision demanded by the smallest twisty puzzle on the schedule.

Tight podium battles defined several other events throughout the cubing competition. In the Skewb final, Ulrik Bredland took the title with a 4.72 average and a best single of 4.04 seconds, edging Kim Roger Haraldsen, who finished second with a 5.09 average, while Stian Nystad Østli took third at 5.26 seconds. The 4x4x4 Cube contest saw another intense duel at the top, as Haraldsen averaged 29.80 seconds to beat Kalland, who placed second in 30.95 seconds, just ahead of Bredland in third at 31.84 seconds.

Haraldsen expanded his dominant run at Sandnes Summer Fun 2023 by taking top honours in the classic Rubik's Cube. In the two rounds of 3x3x3 Cube competition featuring 24 competitors, Haraldsen recorded the premier 3x3 results of the day, clinching first place with a 6.17 average and a tournament-best single of 4.54 seconds. Kalland took second place with a 7.86 average, and Bredland locked down third place with an 8.61 average.

Beyond the core puzzles, Sandnes Summer Fun 2023 featured an impressive variety of challenges. Haraldsen added a fourth victory in the 6x6x6 Cube, recording a winning average of 1:52.58 ahead of Kalland and Østli. Meanwhile, Kalland earned the title in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 13.50 seconds, overcoming Bredland at 14.31 and Østli at 16.14. In Pyraminx, Østli took the top podium spot with a 3.16 average, finishing ahead of Kalland at 3.52 and Magne Njå at 5.00 seconds.

While the frontrunners collected podium finishes, the heart of the speed cubing weekend was defined by remarkable individual milestones across the field. Bjørn Ravnås achieved a dramatic leap forward on the 2x2x2 Cube, recording a personal best of 9.46 seconds, which was 64 percent faster than his previous mark of 26.26, while also posting his first ever official attempts in Pyraminx with 22.38 and Skewb with 15.54. Frøya Braanaas Bredland cut significant time across three disciplines, improving her Skewb personal best to 24.09 by going 44.4 percent faster, her Pyraminx mark to 11.11 by 38.6 percent, and her 2x2x2 Cube result to 5.86 seconds, which was 38.2 percent faster than her previous best.

Other competitors took on fresh events and posted personal bests across the board. Isaiah Snow Beckingham tackled all seven events on the roster, recording a best finish of 9th in Pyraminx alongside first ever attempts in Skewb at 10.19, 6x6x6 Cube at 6:08.09, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 35.21. Simon Øgreid Ravnås logged first official attempts in Skewb with 9.37 and Pyraminx with 5.20, while dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best by 17.3 percent to 19.01 seconds. Shane Matthew Beckingham completed his first official Pyraminx solve with 19.52, while improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 26 percent to 17.65 and his 3x3x3 Cube time by 11.8 percent to 52.33. Alexander Marselius Rangen logged a first attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with 3:03.30, while improving his 2x2x2 Cube by 17.3 percent to 7.29 and his 3x3x3 Cube by 14 percent to 29.24. Sarah Øgreid Ravnås dropped her 3x3x3 Cube best by 15.4 percent down to 38.94 seconds.

Across seven events and twelve rounds of action, this WCA competition celebrated the depth of speedcubing talent in the region. All 21 podium positions went to Norwegian solvers in a memorable showcase of skill and consistency. As Sandnes Summer Fun 2023 came to a close, competitors walked away with hard-earned personal bests, tight finishes, and an inspiring set of performances to build upon for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Med et vinnende snitt pa 6.17 sekunder i 3x3x3 Cube leverte Kim Roger Haraldsen stevnets mest markante prestasjon da feltet motte et krevende turneringsformat. Konkurransen Sandnes Summer Fun 2023 ble arrangert 19. juli 2023 i Sandnes, Norway, der 24 deltakere stilte til start over sju ulike ovelser. Det kompakte oppsettet med 12 runder stilte hoye krav til stabilitet fra forste vridning pa kuben, der bare de skarpeste profilene tok seg videre gjennom det innledende cut-systemet.

Turneringsformatet skilte klintene fra hveten gjennom to runder i de fleste disipliner, mens ovelser som Skewb og 6x6x6 Cube ble avgjort pa et enkelt forsok. I hovedovelsen for klassisk Rubiks kube sikret Kim Roger Haraldsen seieren foran Herman Westerlund Kalland som noterte 7.86, mens Ulrik Bredland tok tredjeplassen med et snitt pa 8.61 sekunder. Haraldsen stod ogsa for stevnets raskeste enkeltlosning pa 4.54 sekunder, et resultat som viste et skyhoyt toppniva i den avgjorende finalerunden.

I den store 4x4x4 Cube-kategorien ble det nok en triumf for Kim Roger Haraldsen, som vant med et solid snitt pa 29.80 og stevnets beste enkeltlosning pa 27.60 sekunder. Herman Westerlund Kalland fulgte like bak pa andreplass med 30.95, mens Ulrik Bredland tok bronseplassen med 31.84. Det krevende finalefeltet med 16 startende viste hvor lite som skilte utoverne i toppen nar marginene ble presset helt ned mot sekundstriden.

Utoverne i 2x2x2 Cube leverte ogsa tette oppgjor gjennom to runder med 20 deltakere. Kim Roger Haraldsen klatret helt til topps pa seierspallen med et vinnende gjennomsnitt pa 2.11 og beste enkelttid pa 1.01. Herman Westerlund Kalland sikret solvplassen med 2.31, tett fulgt av Stian Nystad Ostli pa 2.83. Konkurranseformatet ga utoverne lite rom for nolelosninger, og tempoet holdt seg bemerkelsesverdig hoyt gjennom samtlige fem forsok i finalen.

Flere deltakere leverte sterke forbedringer lenger ned pa resultatlistene under dette stevnet. Sakeus Lovas imponerte stort ved a forbedre sin personlige rekord i 3x3x3 Cube til 10.32, en forbedring pa 22.8 prosent fra 13.37, i tillegg til a senke persen i 4x4x4 Cube med 16.9 prosent til 49.91 og fullfore sitt aller forste Pyraminx-forsok pa 6.69 sekunder med en sjetteplass i 2x2x2 Cube som topplassering. Morten Raknes Johansen deltok i alle sju ovelser, fikk 11. plass i 6x6x6 Cube og senket personlige rekorder i Pyraminx til 10.42 med 10.4 prosent forbedring, i 3x3x3 Cube til 19.83 med 6.4 prosent og i 2x2x2 Cube til 6.04 med 5.9 prosent. Einride Brodahl Osland forbedret sin bestenotering i 3x3x3 Cube med 8.2 prosent til 14.48 sekunder og ble nummer 13, mens Michael Jay Richards senket Skewb-persen med 7.7 prosent til 8.10 og ble nummer atte i Pyraminx.

Blant de ovrige deltakerne markerte Elmer Alexander Johnsen seg med en sterk sjetteplass i Pyraminx etter a ha stilt opp i samtlige sju ovelser pa programmet. Sondre Vassbo debuterte i denne typen cubing competition med fire ovelser, sikret 13. plass i Pyraminx og gjennomforte sine aller forste offisielle forsok i 2x2x2 Cube pa 10.85, 3x3x3 Cube pa 20.44 og Skewb pa 17.62. Vincent Nathaniel Austria Talens gjennomforte ogsa sin aller forste WCA competition i Sandnes med en 18. plass i 3x3x3 Cube som best, etter sine forste forsok pa 14.43 i 2x2x2 Cube, 26.43 i 3x3x3 Cube og 2:42.39 i 4x4x4 Cube.

Spesialovelsene bodde pa varierte vinnere og intense oppgjor pa tvers av formatene. Herman Westerlund Kalland dominerte 3x3x3 One-Handed og tok seieren med et snitt pa 13.50 sekunder foran Ulrik Bredland pa 14.31 og Stian Nystad Ostli pa 16.14. I Pyraminx var det Stian Nystad Ostli som trakk det lengste straet med et vinnende snitt pa 3.16 over to runder, foran Herman Westerlund Kalland med 3.52 og Magne Nja med 5.00 sekunder.

I den fartsfylte Skewb-klassen, som ble avgjort over en enkelt runde med 18 deltakere, seiret Ulrik Bredland med et snitt pa 4.72 foran Kim Roger Haraldsen pa 5.09 og Stian Nystad Ostli pa 5.26. Haraldsen avsluttet sin solide dag i 6x6x6 Cube, der han vant med gjennomsnittstiden 1:52.58 foran Herman Westerlund Kalland pa 2:10.63 og Stian Nystad Ostli pa 2:21.14. Norsk speedcubing viste solid bredde og teknisk styrke gjennom samtlige ovelser under Sandnes Summer Fun 2023.