Spooky Turn 'N Solve Valenzuela 2024

Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes delivered the sharpest performance of the weekend in the 2x2x2 Cube final, posting a winning average of 1.75 seconds alongside a tournament-best 1.40 single. The rapid-fire display set the tone for an energetic day of speedcubing at One Mall Valenzuela on November 3, 2024. Across nine disciplines, 42 competitors gathered in the City of Valenzuela, Philippines, Philippines to push their limits and test their preparation against top local talent in an action-packed 2024 calendar stop.

Carl Ashley Cortes emerged as the central figure of the weekend, securing a commanding triple crown across premier disciplines. Cortes captured the main 3x3x3 Cube title with a 7.21 final average and a 6.94 single across three rigorous rounds. He went on to dominate the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning mark of 32.90, while also claiming top honours in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 13.30. In each of those events, Stephen Mark V. Mariñas took second place, creating a consistent duel at the front of the pack.

The 3x3 results in the main event reflected tight margins throughout the podium chase. Mariñas posted a 7.67 average for silver behind Cortes, while Mharr Justhinne Ampong took bronze with an 8.53 average among a field of 39 competitors. That same trio featured prominently in the one-handed final, where Ampong finished third at 14.96 behind Mariñas at 14.67 and Cortes at 13.30. The traditional Rubik's Cube events formed the backbone of a dynamic day of classic puzzle solving.

Specialist events brought equally remarkable turnarounds across the single-round brackets. Mariñas claimed gold of his own in Pyraminx, winning the 25-competitor bracket with a 2.89 average to best Karl Matthew Angeles at 3.37 and Craig Luke Jimeno at 3.45. Meanwhile, Ampong earned the top step in Skewb with a 5.84 average, holding off Niño Francis S. Reyes at 5.90 and Hiroyuki Iriyama at 6.22. Nicole Jnus Macalalad took the Megaminx victory with a 38.90 average, and Kyle Capiral captured the Clock title in 6.05.

Beyond the podium battles, significant development appeared across the wider draw as contenders advanced their personal benchmarks. Juan Carlos Bautista entered four events and dropped his 4x4x4 Cube personal best down to 46.47, an improvement of 32.2 percent from 1:08.50, alongside an 18.4 percent cut to 4.57 in 2x2x2 Cube and an 8.2 percent drop to 11.47 in the main event. Zachary Calina tackled seven events, finishing 11th in Pyraminx while trimming his Skewb mark by 29.6 percent to 11.70 and recording a 1:11.00 in 4x4x4 Cube. Steve Godoy entered five events, placing ninth in 2x2x2 Cube, logging a 10.4 percent improvement in 4x4x4 Cube to 1:04.79, and completing his first ever attempt at Clock with a mark of 13.60.

Fresh milestones continued throughout the roster at this cubing competition. Rain David Malicsi made a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with an 8.49 result while competing across three events. Japhine Laurice E. Bigalbal lowered her 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.30, an 18.3 percent improvement from 16.28, on her way to ninth place in Clock. Lawrence Benedict N. Sison completed five events, taking eighth in Skewb while improving his one-handed benchmark by 19.2 percent to 17.43, his 4x4x4 mark by 14.9 percent to 41.71, and his 3x3x3 mark by 9.4 percent to 7.72. Aaron Yuzon improved his 3x3x3 record by 7.6 percent to 8.39, while Gibran Kwan dropped his main event mark by 3 percent to 7.96 after placing fifth in blindfolded solving.

Memory and execution were tested in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, an event where competitors study the scrambled state before donning a blindfold to execute the solution entirely from recall. John Axel B. Gordo mastered the discipline, posting a 26.36 winning average and a single of 22.38. Jacob Miko Tan finished second with an average of 52.27, while Luis Gabriel Magadia took third place with a 2:26.58 result in the five-person field.

With 11 rounds successfully completed in a single packed day, Spooky Turn 'N Solve Valenzuela 2024 highlighted the depth of talent emerging across the regional circuit. The official WCA competition proved that whether challenging the very top steps or achieving substantial double-digit percentage drops in personal times, speed cubing competitors in the region continue to accelerate the pace of progress across all nine official disciplines.

Apatnapu't dalawang kalahok ang nagtipon sa One Mall Valenzuela noong Nobyembre 3, 2024 para sa isang maaksyong araw ng paglutas ng puzzle. Sa kabuuang siyam na kategorya at labing-isang rounds, ipinamalas ng bawat kalahok ang kanilang galing sa bilis at diskarte. Ang paligsahang ito ay naging saksi sa husay ng mga beterano at ang tapang ng mga baguhang sumabak sa opisyal na entablado ng speedcubing sa unang pagkakataon.

Para sa mga bagong manlalaro, ang pagtungtong sa kanilang pinakaunang WCA competition ay nagdulot ng kakaibang sigla at karanasan. Ang pagharap sa opisyal na timer sa ilalim ng regulasyon ay patunay ng dedikasyon ng mga baguhang sumubok sa kanilang paboritong Rubik's Cube. Mula sa mga simpleng pagsasanay sa bahay hanggang sa opisyal na pagtatala ng oras, naging mahalagang hakbang ang kompetisyon para sa lumalaking komunidad sa City of Valenzuela, Philippines, Philippines ngayong taon.

Sa hanay ng mga nagpakitang-gilas, apat na baguhan ang nagtala ng kanilang mga opisyal na marka. Si Maron Kodee S. Maranan ay sumabak sa anim na kategorya at nakamit ang ika-12 puwesto sa Megaminx, habang nagtala ng 10.20 sa unang opisyal na pagsubok sa 3x3x3 Cube, 23.32 sa 3x3x3 One-Handed, at 4.77 sa 2x2x2 Cube. Si Dane Calix Montebon naman ay sumabak sa tatlong kategorya kung saan nakuha ang ika-25 puwesto sa 2x2x2 Cube, kasabay ng mga unang opisyal na oras na 5.19 sa 2x2x2 Cube, 10.18 sa 3x3x3 Cube, at 1:50.80 sa 4x4x4 Cube. Si Luis Gabrielle Artuz Cordero ay nagtala rin ng 2:29.63 sa unang subok sa 3x3x3 One-Handed, 6.76 sa 2x2x2 Cube, at 20.50 sa 3x3x3 Cube habang nakuha ang ika-25 puwesto sa One-Handed. Samantala, matagumpay namang naisagawa ni Jhiean C. Peñaflor ang kanyang unang opisyal na subok sa 3x3x3 Cube sa bilis na 20.82.

Hindi rin nagpahuli ang iba pang mga pursigidong manlalaro na nagpakita ng tibay sa iba't ibang kategorya. Si Archie G. Jamlan ay lumahok sa pitong kategorya at nakamit ang ika-15 puwesto sa 4x4x4 Cube sa kanyang ika-22 na torneo. Si Raphael B. Dioquino ay lumaban sa apat na kategorya at pumang-11 sa 3x3x3 One-Handed sa kanyang ikaapat na paglahok. Sa tatlong kategoryang sinalihan, naabot naman ni Joveboy Borromeo ang ika-20 puwesto sa Pyraminx sa kanyang ika-16 na torneo. Si Paul Ivan Lubang ay lumahok sa dalawang kategorya at nagtapos sa ika-10 puwesto sa 2x2x2 Cube. Ang ganitong mga pagsisikap ang tunay na nagbibigay-buhay sa bawat cubing competition.

Sa pangunahing kategorya ng 3x3x3 Cube, nangibabaw si Carl Ashley Cortes matapos magtala ng winning average na 7.21 at pinakamabilis na single solve na 6.94 sa huling round laban sa tatlumpu't siyam na katunggali sa tatlong rounds. Pumangalawa si Stephen Mark V. Mariñas na may average na 7.67, habang pumangatlo naman si Mharr Justhinne Ampong na nagrehistro ng 8.53 average. Ipinamalas ng mga pinalista ang pambihirang bilis at konsistensi hanggang sa huling yugto ng labanan.

Humakot pa ng karagdagang tagumpay si Carl Ashley Cortes nang dominahin din niya ang dalawa pang kategorya sa One Mall Valenzuela. Nagwagi siya sa 4x4x4 Cube bitbit ang winning average na 32.90 at best single na 30.71, kung saan pumangalawa si Stephen Mark V. Mariñas sa 36.64 at pumangatlo si Louie Jay Quibote sa 37.25. Sa 3x3x3 One-Handed, nasungkit muli ni Cortes ang unang puwesto na may 13.30 average, habang sumunod sina Stephen Mark V. Mariñas na may 14.67 at Mharr Justhinne Ampong na nagtala ng 14.96.

Sa kategoryang 2x2x2 Cube, itinanghal na kampeon si Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes na nagtala ng mabilis na 1.75 winning average at 1.40 single solve laban sa tatlumpung kalahok. Kasunod niya sa podium sina Karl Matthew Angeles na may 2.61 average at Bearwin Jairus Jovellanos Cruz na nagtala ng 2.77. Si Stephen Mark V. Mariñas naman ang naghari sa Pyraminx matapos magrehistro ng 2.89 winning average laban kina Karl Matthew Angeles na may 3.37 at Craig Luke Jimeno na nagtala ng 3.45.

Naging matagumpay rin ang iba pang mga kategorya sa pagtatapos ng torneo. Sa Skewb, nanguna si Mharr Justhinne Ampong sa pamamagitan ng 5.84 average laban kina Niño Francis S. Reyes na may 5.90 at Hiroyuki Iriyama na may 6.22. Sa Clock, nagwagi si Kyle Capiral na may 6.05 average, kasunod sina Nicole Santos na may 6.92 at Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes na may 7.44. Nakamit naman ni Nicole Jnus Macalalad ang tagumpay sa Megaminx gamit ang 38.90 average. Sa 3x3x3 Blindfolded, nanguna si John Axel B. Gordo na may 26.36 winning average at 22.38 single, kasunod sina Jacob Miko Tan sa 52.27 at Luis Gabriel Magadia sa 2:26.58. Ang Spooky Turn 'N Solve Valenzuela 2024 ay nag-iwan ng magagandang alaala at panibagong inspirasyon sa buong komunidad.