Southernmost Solving 2023

A blistering 6.68 winning average from Adrien Auvray Matyn in the 3x3x3 Cube set the gold standard across two packed days of action in Invercargill, New Zealand. Held at James Hargest College from March 25 to March 26, Southernmost Solving 2023 brought together 27 competitors contesting 10 events across 24 rounds of play. The weekend schedule showcased elite speedcubing across puzzles of every size, delivering sharp turnarounds and intense finals from the opening rounds to the final podiums.

The competition began with large fields and early qualification rounds, testing versatility across both traditional cubes and side events. Auvray Matyn established dominance early in the shorter puzzles, setting the pace on the classic Rubik's Cube while also delivering a 2.16 average to take top honours in the 2x2x2 Cube. His multi-event mastery continued in the Pyraminx, where he secured victory with an average of 2.40, and in the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning average of 37.56.

Henry Eyles countered with an extraordinary run of his own, taking command whenever the hardware grew larger or mechanics shifted. In the Skewb final, Eyles claimed first place with a 3.94 average, holding off Isaac Latta at 4.12 and Auvray Matyn at 4.25. Eyles also swept through the Megaminx bracket, taking the title with a mark of 50.90 to underline his control across non-standard geometries as the first day merged into a demanding second morning.

When the timetable turned to the big cubes, Eyles maintained complete control of the podium. He took the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 1:58.31 average, leading James Dyer who clocked 2:00.63 and Alex Asbery at 2:20.18. In the 7x7x7 Cube final, Eyles struck again with a 2:58.69 average to edge out Dyer on 3:19.72 and Asbery on 3:46.12. Auvray Matyn locked down the remaining big-puzzle crown, taking the 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:03.56 average ahead of Eyles and Dyer.

Beyond the fight for event titles, the weekend unfolded as a showcase of rapid personal development and ambitious debuts. Bilal Ahmad tackled 7 events and dropped his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.35, an improvement of 58.8 percent over his previous mark of 8.13, alongside a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube of 2:30.62. Otto Morrison entered 10 events, logging a 4.68 in his first Skewb attempt and cutting his Square-1 best to 23.51. Julia Eyles completed her first Megaminx attempt in 2:37.63 while shaving 43.2 percent off her 2x2x2 mark down to 6.75. Oscar Childs stepped up for 10 events, logging 4:58.76 in his first 7x7x7 Cube attempt and improving his 6x6x6 Cube best by 29.1 percent to 3:13.95.

The influx of fresh talent added further energy to the James Hargest College stage. First-time WCA competition participant Daniel Gilbert entered 5 events, recording 1:02.09 in his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt and taking 7th in Skewb. Fellow debutant John David Enriquez entered 4 events, clocking 15.70 in his first 3x3x3 Cube attempt. Konnor Shan took on 4 events at his first speed cubing outing, notching a 4.33 initial Pyraminx attempt and finishing 9th. Flynn Allan tackled 3 events in his competition debut, completing an initial 3x3x3 solve of 12.73 and a 4x4x4 Cube time of 1:11.63.

Specialist solving also reached a high point in the Square-1 event, where Auvray Matyn locked in another title with an average of 7.75, joined on the podium by Eyles with 15.74 and Connor Johnson with 25.36. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Johnson took second place behind Auvray Matyn with a 2.62 average, while Eyles finished third with 3.19. The Pyraminx podium saw similar depth, as Eyles captured second on 3.17 and Johnson placed third on 3.37.

The weekend concluded with the championship 3x3 results, providing an emphatic finish to the two days of competition. Auvray Matyn closed out the main event by posting an average of 6.68 to take gold, while Eyles finished second with 10.15 and Will Fairfax secured third with 10.84. With all 30 podium places won by New Zealand competitors, Southernmost Solving 2023 capped a memorable 2023 gathering in Southland that celebrated both established front-runners and a rising wave of local solvers.