Stevenage May 2023

A total of 196 competitors converged on The Forum for Stevenage May 2023, delivering a fast-paced weekend of speedcubing across nine events and twenty full rounds of action. Held on May 20 to May 21 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, the gathering marked another major chapter in the 2023 WCA competition calendar. Solvers from across the globe took to the tables to test their discipline and reaction times, delivering memorable battles on the main stage alongside an extraordinary burst of benchmark breakthroughs across the board.

The 2x2x2 Cube event generated notable national milestones, where several emerging talents established official marks for their respective federations. Isabella Bosia of Italy recorded a single of 4.56 seconds and an average of 8.78 seconds, while Cyprus representative Harvey Constanti-Smith turned in a 13.00 single alongside a 17.47 average. Poland was represented on the record sheet by Ernest Jardzioch with a 7.76 single and a 10.54 average. For the home nation, United Kingdom solvers including Chloe Erin Sumner, Abdullah Ali, Eva Williams, Benjamin Storch, Henry Orme, George Smith, and Arthur Chen all etched their names onto the official listings with new standard marks.

In the marquee 3x3x3 Cube, the premier test of the traditional Rubik's Cube, 189 competitors battled through four intense stages to determine the championship podium. Poland standout Tymon Kolasiński commanded the final, winning the event with a 5.63 average and a round-leading 5.38 single. Chris Mills representing the United Kingdom earned second place with a 6.55 average, while France star Juliette Sébastien took third at 7.28. These sharp 3x3 results underscored the high level of execution demanded across every solve at Stevenage May 2023.

Tymon Kolasiński doubled his trophy tally by claiming the 5x5x5 Cube title, taking the gold with an average of 45.70 seconds and a best single of 44.56 seconds. Daniel Partridge from the United Kingdom followed in second place with a 55.82 average, while Juliette Sébastien secured another podium finish in third with 1:03.78. Sébastien enjoyed an exceptional weekend of her own, capturing two outright victories by winning the 4x4x4 Cube in 30.94 seconds and topping the 102-competitor field in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 11.08 seconds.

Daniel Partridge delivered a standout multi-discipline campaign, capturing two major victories during the weekend. Partridge won the Pyraminx title with an average of 2.47 seconds ahead of 131 competitors and topped the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:57.99, finishing ahead of Chris Chi of the USA at 2:01.62 and Brody Lassner at 2:13.07. Chi turned the tables in Square-1, earning first place with an 8.40 average over Partridge at 9.70 and Eleanor Sinnott at 10.75. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Jaye Sloan took victory for the United Kingdom with a 1.89 average, while Ariel Benchetrit sealed the Skewb title averaging 3.63.

Beyond the championship finals, the heart of this cubing competition beat through the personal milestones recorded down the order. Dhyey Shah cut an astonishing 68.2 percent off their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to hit 2.92 seconds, and took on their first ever attempt at Skewb with a 14.22. Oskar Bialek matched that momentum by lowering their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 64.8 percent down to 2.76 seconds while making first career attempts in Pyraminx at 8.86 and Skewb at 9.39. Sienna Gerleman logged a 54.9 percent improvement in Skewb with 7.11 seconds alongside new adventures in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 47.88 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:39.86.

The personal breakthroughs continued across a wide variety of puzzles throughout the two days. Efe Pasaogullari took on a packed slate of nine events, slashing their Square-1 personal best by 68.2 percent to 25.98 seconds and making a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:41.20. Sam Russell also completed nine events, improving their Skewb best by 56.7 percent to 5.20 and recording a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with 4:43.83. Elliot Celani dropped their 2x2x2 Cube best by 56 percent to 2.29 seconds while tackling Square-1 for the first time in 35.07, Harsha Aditya Yalamanchili cut their Skewb best by 40.9 percent to 5.01, and Jan Wolowiec lowered their 2x2x2 Cube best by 44.7 percent to 4.26.

The overall podium haul highlighted an impressive spread of international talent, with the United Kingdom leading the count with 14 podium finishes, followed by the USA with five, France with four, Poland with two, and Ireland and Malaysia taking one apiece. From the opening moves to the decisive solves in the finals, Stevenage May 2023 demonstrated the depth, precision, and relentless practice that define modern speed cubing.

With 20 completed rounds and memories etched across nine separate formats, Stevenage May 2023 closed out a remarkable weekend in Hertfordshire. The mixture of world-class winning times, foundational national records, and dozens of personal triumphs ensured the competition will stand out as a benchmark fixture as the community looks ahead to the remainder of the season.