Shhicago II 2024

Graham Siggins delivered an extraordinary display of memory and spatial awareness by solving 61 of 64 cubes in 1:00:04 during the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event at Shhicago II 2024. Held at the Technological Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA across August 17 and 18, the competition gathered 22 competitors dedicated to the most demanding specialist disciplines in speedcubing. Across 7 distinct events and 10 rounds, the gathering pushed technical precision and endurance to the forefront of competitive cubing throughout the 2024 weekend.

The blindfolded events proved to be the centerpiece of the meet, requiring total memorisation and execution without sight. Siggins swept every memory category on the schedule, capturing the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a winning single of 18.59 seconds in the final, ahead of Jacob Turrubiartes at 35.36 and Lucas Lippman-Bruno at 1:22.44. Siggins also demonstrated mastery on the larger puzzles, securing victory in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with an average of 2:21.59 and taking top honours in 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a winning single of 3:34.19.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event showcased the absolute pinnacle of blindfolded resolve over a gruelling hour of competition. Thomas Reinke secured second place with a remarkable result of 27 of 30 cubes in 57:52, while Jacob Turrubiartes earned third place on the podium by completing 17 of 20 cubes in 48:17. In the big cube blind disciplines, Turrubiartes added a second-place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a time of 2:30.40, while Aaron Soley secured third at 8:27.97. In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, Reinke placed second with 9:24.42 and Draco Tong claimed third in 22:08.00.

Alongside the sightless puzzles, Brian Johnson dictated the pace across the technical alternate categories. Johnson earned a triple crown of his own, winning the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves discipline with an average of 25.00 turns, while Nathaniel Gee took second with 30.00 and Ethan Cho placed third with 33.33. Johnson carried that momentum into 3x3x3 One-Handed, winning the event with an average of 11.57 seconds, and secured the Megaminx title with an average of 46.10 seconds.

The single-handed and dodecahedral events featured sharp competition across the board. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Gee placed second with an average of 13.22 seconds, closely followed by Cho at 14.59. The Megaminx event saw Lucas Lippman-Bruno achieve second place with an average of 57.77 seconds, followed by Gee in third with 1:00.25. While classical speed cubing often emphasizes standard 3x3 results, these niche formats demanded deep ergonomic mastery and move efficiency on every solve.

Away from the podium battles, several solvers reached major personal milestones across the weekend. Conor Alanis made a massive leap in Megaminx, recording a personal best of 1:24.49, which was 53.8 percent faster than their previous mark, while finishing 10th. Daniel Perez took on 7 events, completing their first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 21:12.00, tackling their first 3x3x3 Multi-Blind attempt with 4 of 5 in 41:18, and lowering their 3x3x3 Fewest Moves personal best to 37. Alex Chen achieved a personal best of 2:54.73 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, cutting 43.8 percent from their previous best, and finished 7th in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Logan Maciejewski recorded a 3x3x3 Fewest Moves personal best of 27 turns, an improvement of 27 percent, and registered a 3x3x3 Multi-Blind best of 6 of 7 in 58:09.

The depth of progress continued with Julian Glasser taking on their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves to finish with 48 turns, alongside a 12th-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed. James Phipps-Denti dropped their Megaminx personal best to 2:46.91, which was 11.9 percent faster than their prior record. Audrey Cheng improved their 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best by 15.8 percent, bringing their time down to 2:06.89. Malcolm Brown made their debut in a WCA competition, competing in their first tournament and logging their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 44.35 seconds.

With all 21 podium positions secured by competitors representing the United States, Shhicago II 2024 served as a pure celebration of high-level puzzle complexity. From solving the Rubik's Cube with a single hand to calculating rotations under blindfolds across dozens of puzzles, the cubing competition in Evanston highlighted the technical range that defines modern cubing. The weekend concluded with intense final rounds, establishing a high benchmark of analytical discipline as competitors prepare for the next season of tournament play.