Stevenage July 2023

A total of 188 competitors gathered at The Forum for Stevenage July 2023, setting the stage for two days of relentless sprint solving across 18 rounds of play. Staged from July 22 to July 23 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, the gathering delivered rapid turnarounds across nine official events. High-speed dexterity took center stage from the opening heats, establishing an intense pace as participants tackled traditional twists and specialized puzzles alike during a packed weekend of speedcubing action in 2023.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw some of the most frantic turning of the entire cubing competition, highlighted by James Alonso securing first place on home soil. Alonso captured the title with a winning average of 1.55 seconds, powered by an exceptional best single of 1.09 seconds. Poland's Tymon Kolasiński earned the silver spot on the podium with a 2.05 average, while Jaye Sloan rounded out the top three with an average of 2.45 seconds over three hotly contested rounds among 156 competitors.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 174 entrants, testing stamina and precision across four complete rounds. Tymon Kolasiński delivered a masterclass, claiming victory with a world-class winning average of 5.41 seconds and laying down the weekend's best single solve at 4.15 seconds. Alonso backed up his shorter-puzzle triumph by taking second in the classic Rubik's Cube with a 6.55 average, while Eli Jay claimed third position on the podium with a mark of 7.93 seconds to seal the official 3x3 results.

Kolasiński continued his dominant run across the mid-sized and big puzzles throughout Stevenage July 2023. In the 4x4x4 Cube, the Polish standout posted a winning average of 22.92 seconds, finishing ahead of Dean David at 28.09 and Eli Jay at 30.06. Moving up to the 5x5x5 Cube, Kolasiński maintained his winning standard by taking top honors with a 40.20 average, clear of Jay who secured second in 51.33 and Fabio Schwandt in third with 1:01.13.

The larger layers brought further success for Kolasiński, who swept the biggest hardware in Stevenage. He took the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 1:20.65 mean, finishing ahead of Jay's 1:32.82 and Daniel Partridge's 1:44.82. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Kolasiński added yet another victory by registering a winning average of 2:04.47, highlighting his command across every multi-layered format contested at the venue.

Specialist categories produced tight battles that kept the tables bustling during this WCA competition. Daniel Partridge claimed the Pyraminx crown with a 2.24 average, edging Kolasiński by a single hundredth of a second as the runner-up finished on 2.25, while Jason Harley took third at 3.19. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Cham J. Chambers prevailed with a 14.85 average over Schwandt's 14.94 and Marcus Siu's 15.57. Siu then captured the Square-1 title with a 9.22 average, leading Schwandt at 9.50 and Billie Hammill at 10.40.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule at Stevenage July 2023. Misk Hussein Abdulrazak produced a standout 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 6.31 seconds, an improvement of 66.6 percent over their previous best, while also logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx with an 8.47. Zeke Sirju dropped their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 60.6 percent to 2.95 seconds, alongside making a first attempt at Square-1 in 1:18.15 and a first try at 3x3x3 One-Handed. Nathan Hothersall slashed 59.5 percent off their 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 5.32 seconds and completed a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:43.24. Ronald Young took on eight events, lowering their Pyraminx personal best by 50.4 percent to 3.94 seconds while logging first career attempts in the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube.

The progress continued across every tier of the order sheet as personal records tumbled. Sam Russell tackled all nine events on the program, reducing their Pyraminx personal best by 48.3 percent to 2.58 seconds and recording a first 7x7x7 Cube attempt of 6:11.07. Jonathan Ayre entered nine categories, taking tenth in the 5x5x5 Cube while improving their 6x6x6 Cube best by 42.2 percent to 2:17.96 and attempting the 7x7x7 Cube for the first time. Hector Cross cut their Pyraminx personal best by 39.6 percent to 3.31 seconds and made a first official attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 27.05 seconds. Connor Gunthorpe also marked significant strides, lowering their 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 37.2 percent to 27.71 seconds and recording a first 5x5x5 Cube solve of 2:32.90.

Across the two days of speed cubing, competitors from the United Kingdom collected 20 podium places, while Polish representation accounted for seven. The high-tempo displays in the shortest formats set the tone for the entire gathering, leaving a lasting impression on the regional circuit as Stevenage July 2023 wrapped up another memorable weekend of tournament play.