South Bay Weeknight Brain Freeze 4 2024

An Le delivered an absolute masterclass on home soil, sweeping both large twisty puzzles to define the tempo of South Bay Weeknight Brain Freeze 4 2024. Staged at a private residence in Sunnyvale, California, USA, the gathering brought together 16 competitors on August 7 and August 8 for an intense slate of five challenging disciplines. Le set the standard early by posting a blazing 1:36.78 single and a 1:40.63 winning average on the 6x6x6 Cube, before extending that dominance to the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:31.45 single and a 2:39.12 winning average. The pair of commanding victories anchored a fast-paced evening of speedcubing excellence in front of familiar regional support.

The two-day WCA competition showcased a demanding program focused on specialist disciplines rather than standard 3x3 results alone. Across five single-round showdowns, competitors tackled large mechanisms, non-cubic dodecahedrons, blind navigation, and hyper-efficient solution paths. An Le topped the 7x7x7 Cube podium ahead of Nico Harper (李有為), who finished second in 3:06.80, and Daniel Mullen, who took third in 3:20.52. In the 6x6x6 Cube contest, the same trio locked out the top three spots, as Harper secured runner-up honors with a 1:53.78 average while Mullen clinched third place at 2:04.11.

While Le owned the bigger hardware, Nico Harper (李有為) seized the spotlight in the Megaminx division at South Bay Weeknight Brain Freeze 4 2024. Harper assembled a formidable 38.16 winning average across the round, bolstered by a sharp 32.94 single. Ruby Lu (卢红) claimed second position on the podium with an average of 49.57, while Mullen rounded out the top tier with a 53.67 mark to pick up his third podium finish of the weeknight slate. Harper was not done, adding a second-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 1:27.69 single to close out a prolific campaign across multiple events.

Solving without sight provided high-stakes drama, requiring flawless memorisation and tactile execution under pressure. Wilson Li (李超雄) soared to the top of the 3x3x3 Blindfolded standings, clocking a winning single of 56.14 seconds to claim the gold medal. Harper followed in second at 1:27.69, while Mullen recorded a 1:35.27 single on his way to an official 1:43.95 average to take third place. In the intellectual discipline of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Calvin Nielson stood above the field, capturing the victory with a 26.67 move average and a standout single of just 20 moves. Mullen collected second with 36.33 moves, followed by Abhimanyu Singhal (अभिमन्यु सिंघल) in third at 37.00.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors generated remarkable personal breakthroughs across the scorecards. Thomas Rond entered five events, earning a 7th place finish in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with an initial mark of 52, while crushing previous personal marks by logging a 2:57.49 Megaminx result, which was 42.3 percent faster than before, and an 8:36.61 on 7x7x7 Cube, an improvement of 22.1 percent. David Lin placed 5th in the 7x7x7 Cube after recording a personal best of 5:29.62, slashing 35.1 percent off his prior benchmark. Young He (何嘉炀) delivered a personal best of 28 moves in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, 20 percent faster than past efforts, tackled their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 6:06.94, set a 6:25.86 personal best on 7x7x7 Cube, and finished 7th overall.

That momentum rippled through the rest of the Sunnyvale field as solvers tested their limits. Rahul Bollini posted a 4th place finish in 7x7x7 Cube with a personal record of 4:23.90, which was 18.3 percent faster than earlier marks, improved his Megaminx best by 19.7 percent to 59.51, and logged a first ever attempt in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves of 40. Milo Jacquet achieved a 4th place finish in 6x6x6 Cube and posted a first ever attempt of 52 in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Lucas Aubin took 4th place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves and improved his Megaminx best to 1:52.15, 3.2 percent faster than before. Robert Alan Marks completed five events, placing 8th in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with an initial mark of 58 and securing an 8:37.49 personal record on 7x7x7 Cube, while Akhil Kota clocked a personal best of 59.43 in Megaminx, an improvement of 4.7 percent to finish 6th.

The United States contingent swept all 15 available podium positions across the tournament, reflecting the immense local depth present at this cubing competition. The classic Rubik's Cube variants pushed every entrant to adapt quickly across specialized formats during a condensed weeknight schedule. Mullen concluded an exceptionally busy run with podium finishes in four separate events, demonstrating steady consistency across both mechanical speed and mental endurance. For many participants, taking on complex formats under strict conditions offered an ideal mid-season benchmark.

As South Bay Weeknight Brain Freeze 4 2024 drew to a close, the tight-knit atmosphere in Sunnyvale emphasized the distinct character of community-driven speed cubing. With double-gold performances from An Le, versatile excellence from Nico Harper, and a series of major personal milestones down the order, the competition reinforced the region's strong standing on the 2024 circuit. Solvers departed the Bay Area venue having elevated their personal standards, setting up an exciting path forward as the next season of competitive solving approaches.