Southern Solves Invercargill 2024

Sixteen competitors gathered at the Invercargill Bridge Club over January 27 and 28, taking on twenty-five rounds of action across twelve events. The Southland gathering delivered high-level speedcubing across two full days of play in Invercargill, New Zealand. Southern Solves Invercargill 2024 offered a packed schedule for puzzles ranging from the pocket-sized 2x2x2 Cube up to the massive 7x7x7 Cube. Dwyane Ramos and Jasper Murray set the pace early and maintained control of the top spots throughout the weekend schedule.

Saturday set the stage with the opening stages of the big cubes and specialty formats. Murray delivered an outstanding performance on the 4x4x4 Cube, taking the win with a 29.14 final average and posting a best single of 26.42. Ramos applied pressure throughout the bracket, eventually taking third on the 4x4x4 with a 32.07 average, while Henry Eyles secured second place with a 31.24 mark. The standard Rubik's Cube events also progressed through their preliminary heats as solvers adapted to the venue conditions.

The middle phase of the weekend saw Murray continue his dominance on the complex twisty puzzles. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Murray edged out the competition with a 52.36 average, just ahead of Ramos at 52.79 and Eyles at 56.35. Murray also secured victory in the Megaminx with a 47.39 average and a 41.35 single, alongside a blistering Pyraminx triumph averaging 1.48 with a 1.35 single. These performances gave Murray three major puzzle titles before the heavy slate of Sunday finals began.

Ramos answered by capturing the remaining events across the program. Dominating the very largest puzzles, Ramos recorded a winning 1:37.40 average in the 6x6x6 Cube and a 2:33.60 average in the 7x7x7 Cube, leading Eyles and Murray across both podiums. Ramos also demonstrated elite versatility by winning Clock with a 5.80 average and taking the Square-1 title with a 12.13 average, completing an impressive sweep across diverse formats.

Beyond the title races, Southern Solves Invercargill 2024 provided plenty of milestones for developing solvers. Daniel B. Udy achieved a massive personal best in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 6.39 single that was 49 percent faster than before, while also dropping his Skewb mark by 28.8 percent to 10.79. Oscar Childs took on all twelve events, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube best to 2.06 by 30.9 percent and their Megaminx mark to 1:16.17 by 22.7 percent. Mehul Pankaj Girhotra improved their 4x4x4 Cube best by 21.1 percent down to 1:48.12, while entering Skewb and Megaminx for the first time. Julia Eyles completed eleven events, highlighted by a first ever 7x7x7 Cube attempt of 5:49.00 and a 13.9 percent cut to their 6x6x6 Cube best at 3:43.24.

The progress continued with several newcomers taking on significant tests. Arthur Theodore Ward tackled their first WCA competition, recording initial marks of 50.85 on the 3x3x3 Cube, 17.64 on Pyraminx, and 11.82 on the 2x2x2 Cube. Francis Daly also made their official debut at this cubing competition, logging opening times of 1:03.84 on the 3x3x3 Cube and 19.82 on Pyraminx. Luis Varias entered nine disciplines, recording first attempts in Square-1 at 43.30, the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:45.03, and Megaminx at 2:01.09. Gabe Smith stepped up across eight categories, taking fourth in Skewb with a 4.39 first attempt while logging maiden runs in Clock and the 5x5x5 Cube.

Sunday afternoon brought the high-pressure finals in the marquee three-layered events. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Ramos produced a winning 9.54 average with an 8.43 single, finishing ahead of Murray at 10.64 and Oliver Jenks at 15.03. Eyles picked up a well-earned victory in Skewb with a 4.15 average, adding to their strong multi-podium campaign across the weekend. The competition maintained high energy as the top eight advanced toward the final round of the classic cube.

The concluding 3x3 results capped the two days of speed cubing in dramatic fashion. Ramos secured the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a 6.38 winning average, powered by a weekend-best 5.64 single solve. Murray took second place with a 6.95 average, while Eyles claimed third on the podium with 9.26. Ramos also sealed the 2x2x2 Cube crown with a 2.08 average, concluding a dominant seven-title showcase at Southern Solves Invercargill 2024 as the 2024 season in the region got off to a memorable start.