South Australian Open 2023

A total of 110 competitors gathered over the weekend of September 2 and 3 at the St Clair Recreation Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, filling the venue with the fast-paced clicks of turning puzzles. Stepping up to the timers across 11 events and 17 rounds, newcomers and experienced hands alike experienced the distinct thrill of a major cubing competition. The energy across the floor reflected both the intense focus of individual solving and the shared excitement of exploring new disciplines on the official stage.

For those taking on the challenge of a WCA competition, the journey often began with the standard Rubik's Cube before branching into complex side events. While the official tables recorded rankings and cutoffs, the heart of the tournament beat strongest in the quiet milestones achieved by newer participants expanding their repertoires. Navigating the pacing of official rounds and learning the rhythm of the competition floor turned the weekend into an unforgettable milestone for dozens of rising solvers in 2023.

The 3x3 results formed the centerpiece of the tournament schedule as 109 competitors battled through three separate rounds of classic speedcubing. Seth Ferry delivered an outstanding performance to claim the title, posting a winning average of 8.47 seconds along with the weekend's best single solve of 5.99 seconds. Junqi Feng secured second place on the podium with a 9.52 average, while Adrian Oon claimed third with a steady 10.01 mark across the final round.

Beyond the main event, Ferry assembled a dominant multi-event campaign across the competition. He secured first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 35.47 winning average, topped the 3x3x3 One-Handed bracket at 12.57, and claimed the 5x5x5 Cube title with a 1:05.56 mark ahead of Jeffers Chan and Junqi Feng. Ferry also conquered the Megaminx final with a 51.67 average, finishing ahead of Miles Fetherston and Andrew Sherman to cap off a remarkable run of gold finishes.

The short-format disciplines saw intense battles of their own. Lochitha Subasinghe captured the 2x2x2 Cube crown with a winning average of 2.47 seconds, edging Ferry and Fetherston in a high-speed final. In Pyraminx, Junqi Feng averaged 2.14 seconds to take top honours, and followed it up with victory in Skewb with a 3.95 average. Big cube specialists also had their moment, as Jeffers Chan won the 6x6x6 Cube in 2:23.16 and Brock Hamann claimed the 7x7x7 Cube with a 3:45.99 average.

Away from the top of the podium, the weekend was defined by remarkable individual strides and daring attempts at unfamiliar events. Abigail Kharece Viernes delivered one of the steepest personal breakthroughs, dropping her 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.27 seconds, an improvement of 75.1 percent over her previous mark of 13.13, alongside her first official 3x3x3 Cube solve of 55.16 seconds. Emmett Lewis took on seven events and similarly shattered his 2x2x2 Cube best with a 4.23 single, 67.5 percent faster than his past 13.03 mark, while logging his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:55.23. Yike Feng competed in eight events, cutting 43.8 percent off his Pyraminx personal best with an 8.73 single while also making a first career attempt at Square-1 in 1:24.20. Quin Szilassy lowered his Skewb best by 34.9 percent down to 7.65 seconds and tackled the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a 2:59.25 single.

Other competitors embraced the test of endurance by taking on expansive event schedules across the two days. Maxwell Dorset tackled an extraordinary slate of 11 events, registering his first official 7x7x7 Cube solve with a 5:43.01 single on his way to 10th place, alongside his first official 6x6x6 Cube single of 3:21.99. Liam Boyce took on nine events, logging his first official attempts in both the 6x6x6 Cube at 7:12.70 and the 7x7x7 Cube at 9:29.25, while also placing eighth in Pyraminx. Oliver Lodge contested six events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 4.17 seconds, which was 28.8 percent faster than his previous best, while making a first attempt at Square-1 in 31.44 seconds. Victor Andrew Antonio tackled seven disciplines, recording a personal best finish of 27th in Square-1 with a first attempt of 53.84 seconds alongside an initial 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:07.57.

By the close of Sunday afternoon, the South Australian Open 2023 had showcased the full breadth of the speed cubing community in South Australia. Competitors from Australia collected 20 podium positions across the tournament, joined by podium finishers representing China, Hong Kong, India, and Vietnam. From the highest level of mastery down to the first nervous solves of opening round heats, the event celebrated the shared dedication that continues to propel the sport forward into the upcoming season.