Simpson Scramble 2023

Dominic Redisi delivered the benchmark performance of the weekend with a commanding 6.82 final average on the classic Rubik's Cube, securing top honors in the headline contest. The single-day battle unfolded on April 22, 2023, drawing a field of 72 competitors to Simpson Middle School in Marietta, Georgia, USA. Across 11 total rounds and five diverse disciplines, entrants faced the pressure of tournament eliminations where every fraction of a second dictated advancement. The high-stakes environment produced elite turnarounds, dramatic finals, and standout individual milestones from start to finish.

The main event tested the bracket across three rounds of intense solving, narrowing the initial 72 solvers down to the definitive podium contenders. Redisi captured the title behind an immaculate display, logging the day's best single solve of 6.34 on his way to the 6.82 winning mark. Nicolás Sánchez maintained heavy pressure with a runner-up average of 7.52, while Caleb Chen secured third place with a 7.74 average. These elite 3x3 results capped a demanding afternoon where consistency across five solves decided the titleholder.

Sánchez bounced back to claim his own victory in the 2x2x2 Cube, blazing through three rounds of action to post a 1.85 winning average and a 1.45 best single. The race behind him remained exceptionally close as Sean Skinner locked in the second position with a 2.74 average, followed closely by Justin Barker in third at 2.94. The event drew 67 competitors, establishing the short-form discipline as one of the most populated and unforgiving contests of the entire weekend schedule.

The versatile skill set of Calix Tang defined the specialty formats, as he completed a dual-event sweep across two drastically different disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded category, which demands absolute memorisation and flawless execution under a blindfold, Tang secured victory with a single time of 20.73 seconds, outpacing Raymond Goslow who logged a 59.30 and Jacob Ambrose at 1:03.30. Tang then transitioned to 3x3x3 One-Handed, taking gold with a 13.51 average, ahead of Vishwa Sankar at 14.25 and Sánchez at 14.71.

Redisi matched Tang's multi-gold tally by asserting total dominance in Skewb, where 57 competitors tackled two rounds of competition. Posting a blistering 2.28 average and a best single of 2.13, Redisi stood comfortably atop the podium. Nathan Smith earned silver with an average of 4.54, while Rowan Stough claimed bronze with a 4.94 mark. The result cemented Redisi's status as a double champion at Simpson Scramble 2023, showcasing top-tier mechanics and versatility across standard and rotational puzzles alike.

Beyond the podium battles, the broader leaderboard revealed massive technical growth and personal milestones throughout the day. Christian Shane Moore produced one of the sharpest individual leaps of the tournament, taking his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 1.51 seconds, an improvement of 72.8 percent over his prior mark, while also cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed best down to 36.72. Connor Shea enjoyed a similarly prolific outing across four events, logging his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 54.99 while slashing his Skewb best by 62.8 percent to 6.16 and his 3x3x3 Cube personal mark by 54.7 percent to 14.89.

Other competitors embraced the challenge of brand-new events and major performance cuts in this high-intensity cubing competition. Pranav Arelli logged an 11th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while dropping his 2x2x2 Cube record by 59 percent to 1.57 and his one-handed mark by 51.8 percent to 17.69. Santiago Shea reached 14th in Skewb while improving his Skewb single by 37.5 percent to 5.05 and posting a 37.54 in his first one-handed attempt. Ethan Seifried Jr. took on four events, establishing a 38.69 one-handed debut and trimming his Skewb single by 46 percent to 5.59.

The roster of newcomers and multi-event veterans continued to post impressive stats. Luke Chapman finished 7th overall in Skewb with a 49.8 percent cut to 3.20, while Solomon Fraga placed 6th in blindfolded solving after clocking a 2:21.67 debut run alongside an 18.85 first one-handed attempt. Evan F. Scharnhorst marked his first WCA competition by tackling four events and reaching 10th place in the 3x3x3 Cube, recording debut singles of 8.63 on 3x3, 18.45 one-handed, and 2.09 on 2x2.

Altogether, United States competitors swept all 15 podium places across the five disciplines, illustrating tremendous local depth across modern speedcubing disciplines. The intensity of each bracket, combined with the focus required across 11 elimination rounds, tested veteran resolve and rising talent alike. Simpson Scramble 2023 demonstrated the high standard of regional speed cubing, setting a competitive tone for every solver looking toward future championship brackets in the upcoming season.