Suur-Kloostri Side Events 2023

Inside the historic halls of Gustav Adolf Grammar School in Tallinn, Estonia, the late-autumn chill stayed firmly outside as 28 competitors gathered on November 25, 2023. Stacks of large puzzle layers and specialised hardware clicked steadily across the tables, setting an intense pace for a full Saturday of competition. As the international cubing calendar moved toward its final stretch for the year, this dedicated gathering offered a stage free from the usual standard speedcubing program, shifting focus straight into testing endurance and technical versatility across 11 rounds.

Without standard 3x3 results to anchor the timetable, Suur-Kloostri Side Events 2023 spotlighted five demanding non-standard disciplines. Arriving late in the 2023 season, the meeting gave participants an opportunity to secure late-year marks across five events, spanning the multi-layered challenge of big cubes to the unique mechanical demands of Clock and Megaminx. The single-day tournament assembled talent across the Baltic and Nordic regions, with competitors from Estonia, Finland, Ukraine, and Latvia trading podium spots from morning until evening.

Finland's Arttu Puttonen delivered an outstanding performance by capturing two event titles across the day. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Puttonen clinched the victory with a 1:54.87 winning average and a best single of 1:44.23 across two rounds, narrowly edging out Estonia's Kait Rosenberg, who posted a 1:55.04 average, and Remo Pihel, who took third with 1:58.61. Puttonen then doubled his gold tally in the 7x7x7 Cube, posting a winning average of 3:07.50 and a single of 3:02.69 to finish ahead of Maksym Oliynyk at 3:16.18 and Rosenberg at 3:18.99.

Kait Rosenberg turned the tables in the 5x5x5 Cube, where 26 competitors battled over two rounds. Rosenberg secured the title with an impressive winning average of 1:02.37, backed by a tournament-best single of 58.70, while Puttonen took second place with 1:05.75 and Latvia's Mikus Lembergs earned third in 1:05.92. Even without a standard Rubik's Cube on the schedule, the complex turning speed on display proved world-class, with tight margins defining the upper tiers of every bracket.

The specialised puzzles produced equally compelling finishes. Ukraine's Maksym Oliynyk dominated the Megaminx field of 23 competitors, recording a winning average of 49.57 and a single of 44.37 across two rounds, finishing ahead of Kaur Tuule with 56.97 and Antto Pitkänen with 57.36. In Clock, Oliver Pällo of Estonia led the 25-player field through three rounds to take first place with a 5.14 average and a 4.40 single, topping Finland's Niko Ronkainen at 6.50 and Estonia's Sofia Veedler at 6.71.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several competitors made substantial breakthroughs in events they had never previously attempted in a WCA competition. Toms Edvards Vucens delivered a remarkable Megaminx personal best of 2:20.58, improving by 17.8 percent over his previous best of 2:51.01, while also placing 7th in Clock and registering his first ever official attempt at 5x5x5 Cube with a 3:03.61. Jonathan Lauri took on three separate disciplines, recording his first ever attempts at Clock with 15.18, Megaminx with 2:26.09, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:24.13. Luukas Nuutinen trimmed 11.5 percent off his previous Clock personal best down to 8.07 and logged his first Megaminx attempt at 2:23.86.

The spirit of testing new disciplines continued throughout the pack, where seasoned speed cubing entrants tackled fresh formats. Martti Elvisto entered three events, logging his first ever attempts at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:04.71, 6x6x6 Cube in 4:50.33, and 7x7x7 Cube in 6:51.72. Markus Sild took on all five events, posting first attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:36.44 and 7x7x7 Cube at 5:45.61. Laur Jakob Jänt completed his first 6x6x6 Cube attempt in 6:15.65 alongside a Clock personal best of 10.44, while Pärtel Enok logged his first Megaminx attempt in 2:07.32. Ivan Kunitcyn improved his Clock mark by 6.5 percent to 7.62 across four events.

By the time the final timers were packed away, host nation Estonia led the medal count with 7 podium finishes, followed by Finland with 5, Ukraine with 2, and Latvia with 1. Suur-Kloostri Side Events 2023 offered an ideal venue for specialists and all-around solvers to measure their progress before the season draws to a close, wrapping up a memorable day of racing in Tallinn.