Slow N Steady UMD Fall 2024

Seventeen blindfolded specialists took to the stations across multiple memory disciplines, anchoring an intense weekend of competition in College Park, Maryland, USA. The Adele H. Stamp Student Union hosted Slow N Steady UMD Fall 2024 from November 9 to November 10, 2024, drawing 173 competitors across 8 events and 13 rounds. Blindfolded solving demands flawless memorisation and supreme composure, as even the slightest mental slip turns a fast solve into a Did Not Finish. The focus in the room was absolute as competitors navigated the classic 3x3x3 Blindfolded, the grueling 4x4x4 Blindfolded, the monumental 5x5x5 Blindfolded, and the multi-cube challenge.

In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded contest, 33 competitors went through three rounds of rigorous concentration. Liam Chen earned the title with a winning average of 18.99 seconds, backed by a best single of 18.41 seconds. Andrew Tao finished closely behind in second with an average of 19.11 seconds, while Kevin Liu secured third place with a 28.23-second mark. The technical demands escalated rapidly as puzzle dimensions expanded, putting memory capacity to the ultimate test under strict timed conditions.

The larger blindfolded categories produced dramatic conclusions. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Andrew Tao claimed victory with a winning single time of 2:20.89. Liam Chen took the second spot in 2:52.64, and Kevin Liu finished third in 3:25.31. In the 5x5x5 Blindfolded discipline, Kevin Liu stood entirely alone as the only competitor in a field of 12 to log a successful completion, securing the win with a single of 7:10.07. Tao also dominated the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, collecting first place by successfully resolving 35 of 41 cubes in 59:27, ahead of Liu with 30 of 33 in 58:16 and Chen with 18 of 27 in 57:20.

Beyond the blindfolded arena, Carson Widjaja delivered a dominant speedcubing display by claiming three separate tournament victories. In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube event, which brought together 167 entrants across three rounds, Widjaja recorded a winning average of 7.08 seconds to take top honours. Raihan Sadr finished runner-up with an average of 8.21 seconds, and Brayden Adams took third on the podium with an 8.52 average. Fans analyzing the 3x3 results saw Widjaja also post a blistering best single of 6.34 seconds in the final round.

Widjaja carried that momentum across two other major disciplines at the cubing competition. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, featuring 113 competitors over two rounds, Widjaja posted a winning average of 13.49 seconds, clear of Brayden Adams in second at 14.34 and Liam Manwaring in third at 15.22. Widjaja completed the triple triumph in the 4x4x4 Cube, topping a 110-person field with a winning average of 29.77 seconds. Sanzhar Beisembayev secured second place with 32.65 seconds, while Adams earned another podium finish in third with 33.10 seconds.

The non-podium stories from the weekend provided equally compelling milestones across every experience level. Anant Krishna delivered one of the steepest single-event jumps of the tournament, setting a new Rubik's Cube personal best of 10.63 seconds, which was 58.4 percent faster than their previous best mark of 25.54 seconds. Adam Wachtel tackled six separate events, achieving a best finish of sixth place in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with a first ever attempt of 3/3 in 14:12, alongside a 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best of 1:07.49 that improved on their previous benchmark by 54 percent. Oliver Bilinski dropped their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best to 18.83 seconds, a massive 53.3 percent cut from 40.32 seconds.

Other competitors expanded their repertoires through daring debuts and significant time cuts. Charles Saroff logged a 42 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a personal best of 3:59.27, placed 23rd in Megaminx with a debut time of 1:15.85, and set a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 51.99 seconds. Tyler Smith completed a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:13.35 while shaving 36.9 percent off their 3x3x3 One-Handed best to reach 31.18 seconds. Neel Nilesh Bhatt recorded a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 39.58 seconds, an 18 percent drop on 4x4x4 Cube with 1:09.43, and a debut Megaminx result of 1:59.48. Ryan Lewis improved by 25.1 percent on 4x4x4 Cube to hit 35.98 seconds, while Amelia Cheng entered four events, posting debut marks of 1:04.52 in Megaminx, 38.91 seconds in 4x4x4 Cube, and 22.04 seconds in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

In the Megaminx event, Declan Wilhelm captured first place out of 76 competitors with a winning average of 41.35 seconds, backed by a best single of 34.92 seconds. Daniel Goodman earned second place with an average of 49.43 seconds, edging Peter Guo in third at 49.92 seconds. The twelve-sided puzzle rounded out a diverse schedule that tested spatial reasoning in every possible dimension.

Across two days of intense speed cubing, every participant contributed to an electric atmosphere at this premier WCA competition. Slow N Steady UMD Fall 2024 showcased the full spectrum of competitive puzzle solving, from high-stakes blindfolded memory feats to lightning-fast standard solves, setting a strong standard as competitors look ahead to the next stage of the regional racing calendar.