Shhicago III 2024

The winter chill off Lake Michigan met an atmosphere of intense focus inside the Technological Institute at Northwestern University on December 7, 2024. Table after table stood ready with timing mats and display monitors as 19 dedicated puzzle solvers gathered for a specialized day of competition. While standard tournaments buzz with constant clatter, this meeting demanded long stretches of absolute quiet where memory, spatial awareness, and precision mechanics took center stage across ten rounds of action.

For local United States solver Rowe Hessler, competing on familiar territory in Evanston, Illinois, USA provided the perfect backdrop for a dominant showing in the blindfolded events. The speedcubing veteran delivered an exceptional performance in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, securing first place on the podium with a winning single time of 23.51 seconds. Hessler proved his mastery extended to higher-order challenges as well, taking the victory in 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a top single mark of 7:24.85 to complete a memorable double on home soil.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded podium saw strong competition right down to the final solves. Brandon Lin took second place with a swift 26.17-second single, while Thomas Reinke rounded out the podium in third with a mark of 31.65 seconds. Fans following the 3x3 results watched 17 competitors test their limits across three rounds of blindfolded solving, where athletes must fully memorize the scrambled Rubik's Cube before slipping on a blindfold and executing complex move sequences entirely from memory.

Jacob Turrubiartes assembled a remarkable campaign of his own, collecting multiple victories throughout the tournament. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Turrubiartes solved 24 out of 26 cubes in a time of 59:07 to capture first place, finishing ahead of Brandon Lin who successfully completed 25 of 33 cubes in 1:00:00, and Thomas Reinke who registered 23 of 33 in 1:00:00. Turrubiartes added a second title in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, claiming victory with a time of 3:17.08, while Reinke placed second in 4:18.39 and Hessler placed third in 4:41.02.

The action shifted to sighted puzzles with the 6x6x6 Cube, where Carter Thomas paced a field of 13 competitors to claim the title with a winning average of 1:47.11 and a best single of 1:45.85. Turrubiartes took second with a 2:01.31 average, followed by Sebastian Carrillo in third at 2:15.85. In Clock, Daniel Perez dominated across three rounds to take first place with a 4.34-second average, holding off Carrillo who finished second in 5.88 seconds and Turrubiartes in third at 7.35 seconds.

Away from the top steps of the podium, Shhicago III 2024 featured remarkable personal breakthroughs from solvers tackling difficult events. Landon Nguyen authored the steepest improvement of the weekend in Clock, lowering their personal best by 46.1 percent to 12.10 seconds. Toby Cuna logged an impressive 29.5 percent drop in Clock with an 8.97-second single, alongside an 11.8 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded to 3:50.09 and a first career attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 3:15.08. Simon Poldi took a major leap forward on the 6x6x6 Cube, dropping their personal best by 23.6 percent down to 5:11.64.

First-time ventures into demanding disciplines also defined the weekend. Sofia Kang made their debut at a WCA competition, recording their first attempts at Clock in 16.08 seconds and 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 8:25.39. Amanda Sugiharto took on 3x3x3 Multi-Blind for the first time, achieving a flawless 3/3 in 22:28 while also cutting 6.1 percent off their Clock personal best with a 10.30 single. Alejandro Cano Vidal entered the 6x6x6 Cube for the first time with a 4:01.46, tried 3x3x3 Blindfolded for the first time in 5:26.08, and improved their Clock best by 15.6 percent down to 5.35 seconds. Eric Che advanced their 3x3x3 Blindfolded standard by 15.6 percent to 42.37 seconds, while Maggie Jordan dropped their 6x6x6 Cube best by 16.8 percent to 2:18.89.

The gathering in Evanston brought together speed cubing specialists across six distinct events, providing a focused platform for both veteran champions and developing talents. Every podium spot across the competition went to competitors representing the United States, capping a unified showcase of blindfolded and mechanical dexterity. As the tables packed down at Northwestern University, Shhicago III 2024 closed the book on an intense day of problem solving, setting up another competitive chapter for the regional circuit in the coming season.