Stevenage June 2024

A total of 188 competitors descended on The Forum in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom for Stevenage June 2024, crossing continents and channels to take part across June 8 and June 9, 2024. While local solvers filled the majority of the ranks, international travelers brought significant depth to the roster, including podium contenders hailing from Sweden, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Across nine distinct disciplines and sixteen intense rounds, the weekend unfolded into a grand celebration of speedcubing skill and dedication.

The flagship Rubik's Cube event stood out as the centerpiece of the entire cubing competition, drawing an immense field of 176 entrants through three complete rounds. James Alonso delivered a masterclass on the final day, claiming victory with a decisive winning average of 6.49 seconds. His winning mark was backed by a blistering best single of 5.01 seconds. The rest of the 3x3 results podium saw Alan Tan lock down second place with a 7.37 average, closely followed by Daniel Partridge in third with a 7.52 mark.

Alonso was not finished with just the premier puzzle, as he also clinched top honors in the 4x4x4 Cube event. Facing a field of 104 solvers over two rounds, Alonso averaged 31.83 seconds, featuring a best single of 30.88 seconds to narrowly edge out Partridge, who took second at 31.96. Ryan Chan of Hong Kong made his long journey worthwhile by taking third on the podium with a 32.58 average, proving the immense caliber of the global contenders present.

Daniel Partridge put together an exceptionally busy weekend himself, securing gold in two different categories. In the Pyraminx, Partridge conquered the 122-person lineup with a dominant winning average of 1.57 seconds, flanked by a 1.19 single. Sweden's Bo Forsell earned silver with an impressive 1.96 average, while Fabio Schwandt claimed third with 2.92. Partridge then went on to capture the massive 7x7x7 Cube title, besting 48 entrants with a winning average of 2:30.13.

Sean Moran demonstrated stunning efficiency across both the 3x3x3 One-Handed and Megaminx events. In the one-handed division, which featured 95 competitors, Moran topped the standings with a 12.51 average ahead of Noah Calderon-Kamata at 14.09 and Alonso at 14.10. Moran then navigated the twelve-sided Megaminx to victory with an average of 34.78 seconds, finishing ahead of Malaysia's Ainesh Sevellaraja, who posted 47.70, and Partridge, who rounded out the podium at 52.10.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors made tremendous strides at this WCA competition. Jesse Cohen took on six events and dropped their 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 3.18 seconds, an improvement of 41.8 percent from 5.46, alongside logging a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed of 25.29. Antoni Szczepaniak shaved 39.8 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube personal best with a 19.81 single and registered a first ever Pyraminx attempt of 9.51. Liam Aleck-Cheong improved their 3x3x3 Cube best by 29.5 percent to 25.35 and logged a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed of 1:01.05. Meanwhile, Nicholas Fernandez sliced 41 percent off their 2x2x2 Cube mark with a 3.07 single and registered a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:11.62.

The progress continued across all disciplines as Brayden Bushay tackled nine events, cutting their Pyraminx best by 35.6 percent to 5.60 seconds and logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx of 2:00.32. Albie Cooper brought down their Pyraminx mark by 41.7 percent to a 2.92 personal best, alongside logging a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves of 38. Cosmo Alagna lowered their Pyraminx best by 32.3 percent to 3.39 and recorded a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:08.97. Younus Siddiqui improved their Megaminx mark by 27.4 percent to 59.09 seconds and notched a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves of 40.

The sprint-style 2x2x2 Cube tournament was captured by Max Tully, who prevailed over 161 solvers with a 1.94 winning average and an event-best single of 1.04 seconds. Calderon-Kamata took second in 2.28, just ahead of Joshua Da Costa in 2.34. In the specialized categories, Fabio Schwandt won the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest with a 28-move single, while Ben Ridley solved his way to gold in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division with a 49.66 average and a 44.41 best single.

As the equipment was packed away at The Forum, the success of Stevenage June 2024 stood as a testament to the thriving state of modern speed cubing. Solvers of all backgrounds and travel distances found new milestones on the official stage, setting high benchmarks for the next gathering on the calendar.