Side Events in Nyack 2024

Parker Trager stole the show on the tournament floor by securing two commanding event victories across a busy weekend of speedcubing action. The standout performance came in Pyraminx, where Trager recorded a blistering winning average of 2.13 seconds alongside an event-best single of 1.09 seconds. The display set the benchmark for the entire weekend, demonstrating world-class precision on the triangular puzzle across three full rounds of fierce elimination.

Held at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York, USA, Side Events in Nyack 2024 ran from September 28 to September 29, 2024. A total of 74 competitors gathered to tackle 7 distinct events spread over 13 rounds of competition. The gathering celebrated specialty formats beyond standard Rubik's Cube categories, giving enthusiasts of non-traditional disciplines a premier stage to test their speed cubing skills and benchmark their progression under official tournament conditions.

Trager also delivered the defining performance in 3x3x3 One-Handed, claiming first place with a winning average of 11.81 seconds and a best single of 10.21. Minghao Zhang from China took the runner-up spot on the podium with a 12.47 average, while Anthony Jiang of the United States earned third place averaging 13.27. The 3x3 results in the single-hand format highlighted the technical agility required to control the puzzle with solitary manual precision.

In the Clock discipline, Carter Williams captured the title with a tournament-winning average of 4.10 seconds and an impressive single of 3.17 across three rounds of play. Williams led a diverse international podium, finishing ahead of Germany's Daniel Rimner, who took second with an average of 4.28, and Aaron Jake Wong, who locked down third at 4.53. The event drew 60 competitors, making it one of the largest brackets of the weekend.

Beyond the top podium steps, Side Events in Nyack 2024 showcased remarkable personal milestones across the roster. Ali Gebai entered five disciplines and slashed their Square-1 personal best by 64.9 percent down to 35.97 seconds, while also posting a first official 3x3x3 One-Handed time of 45.59 and a first Skewb single of 10.36. Mohamad Gebai improved their Square-1 best mark by 48.5 percent to 33.32 seconds, in addition to making first-time attempts in Skewb at 6.10 and One-Handed at 33.89. Miles Schwarz posted major personal bests across three disciplines, improving by 52.2 percent in Clock to 9.68, by 46.8 percent in Skewb to 4.71, and by 38.2 percent in Pyraminx to 4.54. Tamar Bober-Tsafrir logged a 45.6 percent personal best in Skewb with a 4.23 single, dropped their Megaminx mark by 26.9 percent to 1:34.16, and registered a first Square-1 attempt of 47.47.

The depth of progression continued through several other multi-event campaigners at this WCA competition. Oskar Pfitsch Kawinski tackled six events, achieving a 58.7 percent Clock improvement down to 12.66 seconds, a 9.5 percent drop in One-Handed to 30.93, and a debut 3x3x3 Fewest Moves solve of 73. Nicholas Trofimov entered six events, lowering their Clock best by 30 percent to 10.90, their Skewb best by 34.9 percent to 4.46, and logging a first Square-1 result of 31.94. Joseph Zaiden took on all seven events, producing first career attempts in Skewb at 12.10, Square-1 at 1:04.33, and Megaminx at 1:54.35, on the way to a 26th place finish in Fewest Moves. Meanwhile, David Wang contested their first ever cubing competition, making immediate debuts with a 9.72 single in Pyraminx and a 1:22.14 effort in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

The remaining puzzle brackets produced several top-tier performances on the finals tables. Quinn Maloney secured first place in Skewb with a 3.38 winning average, holding off Ayden Dincher at 3.60 and Saisabari Ramesh at 3.68. Samuel Fang demonstrated exceptional prowess in Square-1, winning the single-round contest with an average of 7.29 seconds and a best single of 5.43, ahead of Maloney and Dincher. In Megaminx, Matthew Liong of Indonesia captured first place with an average of 41.41 seconds, followed by Williams at 44.79 and Ramesh at 48.16.

The intellectual challenge of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves rounded out the schedule at Side Events in Nyack 2024, where Levi Gibson captured victory with a stellar average of 22.00 moves and a single of 20. Krish Shah-Nathwani followed in second place with an average of 22.67 moves and a single of 22, while Erik Johnson took third with an average of 26.67. The varied lineup of disciplines across the two days concluded a memorable weekend of competition in West Nyack.