Springing into Auckland 2024

Inside the bustling Panmure Community Hall, the rhythmic clacking of turning plastic filled the space as timers lit up across competition tables. Solvers gathered at the Auckland, New Zealand venue on October 12, 2024, eyeing a varied schedule packed with puzzles that extended far beyond standard formats. With 80 competitors taking part across seven disciplines and 13 rounds, the atmosphere was charged from the opening scrambles. While every cubing competition naturally draws eyes to classic events, the day offered a distinct spotlight for big cubes, mechanical clockwork, and angular twisty puzzles.

The big cube division delivered some of the most commanding displays of the single-day WCA competition. Angela Braganza took charge of the heaviest hardware on the schedule, securing a sweep across both the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube events. Braganza posted a winning 6x6x6 average of 1:41.85 alongside a best single of 1:32.28, finishing clear of Richard Yiheng Tao in second at 1:49.47 and Levi Eyou in third at 2:05.26. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Braganza repeated the feat, logging an average of 2:39.53 and a single of 2:32.37 to finish ahead of Tao with 2:53.87 and Liam Wadek with 3:15.78.

The 5x5x5 Cube brought further excitement for multi-layered speedcubing fans as 26 competitors lined up in a direct single-round battle. Alexander Vujcich captured the top spot on the podium with a decisive winning average of 49.48, bolstered by a rapid 43.45 single. Tao secured yet another podium finish, earning second place with a 54.13 average, while Chris Mills locked down the third spot on the podium with an average of 56.88. The deep lineup demonstrated the high standard of long-form solving present across the region.

Niche puzzle action continued in the Clock event, where competitors managed dial manipulation across three full rounds. Richard Yiheng Tao claimed the title thanks to a 4.03 average in the finals, backed up by the fastest single of the discipline at 3.69. Brandon Harris took the silver position with an average of 5.01, while Jaden Heerikhuisen rounded out the Clock podium in third with an average of 6.65. Over in Skewb, Chris Mills prevailed among 38 entrants, clocking a winning average of 4.02 and a best single of 2.22, narrowly edging Elyas Eyou at 4.06 and Ashley Foster at 4.39.

Beyond the podium battles, significant progress unfolded throughout the lower ranks of the field. Krisoth Bommisetty recorded a massive 58.1 percent drop in the 2x2x2 Cube, bringing a previous mark of 12.71 down to a personal best of 5.33. Jacob Coring tackled all seven events on the schedule, highlighted by an 11th place finish in 7x7x7 Cube, a 14.67 personal best in Skewb that cut 57.3 percent off his earlier mark, and a 2:51.43 best in 5x5x5 Cube. Atticus Cook also found great speed on Skewb, chopping 52 percent off his prior benchmark to set a new personal best of 7.83, while Albert Chen lowered his 2x2x2 Cube best by 39.1 percent to 3.00 and logged his first ever Clock attempt at 13.10.

The breakthroughs continued with Isaac Sheng, who made his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube to record a 2:35.45 for a 19th place finish, alongside cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 36.5 percent down to 4.09. Ethan Ruoqing Chen entered four events, posting a Clock personal best of 14.00 which was 44.4 percent faster than his prior record, as well as an improved 13.41 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Vukasin Kupreski tackled his first ever official 2x2x2 Cube solve at 8.80 and improved his 3x3x3 Cube time by 23 percent to 21.60. Meanwhile, Jackson Priscott stepped up for his first WCA competition, taking on three events and establishing initial marks of 23.22 on the 3x3x3 Cube, 10.07 on 2x2x2, and 19.52 on Skewb.

The 2x2x2 Cube brought high-intensity action across three packed rounds for 64 starters, concluding in an extraordinarily tight final. Ram Thakkar took the victory with a 1.63 winning average and a 1.49 single. Elyas Eyou pressed hard to take second with a 1.65 average, while Carol Chai secured third place with 1.77. The event witnessed an abundance of swift times throughout the bracket, showcasing the explosive precision that short-format speed cubing demands under tournament conditions.

Rounding out the day was the classic Rubik's Cube, featuring a tournament-high field of 78 competitors across three rounds of play. Andrew Feng claimed the title with a tournament-winning average of 6.91 and a blazing single of 5.38. Richard Yiheng Tao followed closely behind to collect second place with a 6.98 average, and Chris Mills took third with a 7.05 average. These final 3x3 results brought a thrilling conclusion to Springing into Auckland 2024, highlighting a day of diverse puzzle mastery across every tier of the local cubing scene.