SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023

A blistering 1.65-second winning average on the 2x2x2 Cube by Elvin Thorsen set an aggressive tone for a memorable weekend of competition as the circuit reached its ultimate stage. Taking place at the Life Arena from December 8 to December 10, the SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023 brought together 81 competitors across 17 events and 30 rounds of action. As the marquee gathering to close the year, the tournament served as the defining milestone of the Swedish speedcubing calendar, giving solvers one last opportunity to secure hardware before the 2023 season concluded in Uppsala, Sweden.

Elvin Thorsen delivered a masterclass across the short-format puzzles, capturing the flagship 3x3x3 Cube title with a 7.16 average to go alongside his 2x2x2 victory. In the final round of the classic Rubik's Cube, Thorsen posted a best single of 6.21 to hold off Jack Larsson Backsell, who took second place with a 7.81 average, while William Jensen earned third on a mark of 7.97. Thorsen added a third gold medal in Pyraminx, averaging 2.06 across five solves with a single of 1.95, establishing himself as the sharpest sprinter at this high-stakes cubing competition.

William Jensen matched the intensity by capturing five separate titles throughout the schedule, proving his immense versatility across standard, big-cube, and specialty categories. Jensen claimed top honours in 4x4x4 Cube with a 30.94 average, narrowly edging out Govend Avgerinos Djangoi at 31.12 and Jack Larsson Backsell at 31.59. He also took first in Skewb with a 2.79 average, 3x3x3 One-Handed with 13.68, 6x6x6 Cube with 1:43.16, and 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:29.45 average. Jensen rounded out his remarkable haul by winning 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with an efficient 31-move single solve.

The blindfolded categories became an exhibition of absolute focus for Daniel Wallin, who completed a clean sweep of all four memory events at the SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023. Wallin took gold in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a winning single of 25.93 seconds, besting Jensen who finished runner-up at 38.75. In the exhausting multi-cube format, Wallin solved 26 out of 28 cubes in 58:16 to lead the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind standings ahead of Viktor Zenk, who achieved 17 of 18 in 56:17. Wallin added commanding single victories in 4x4x4 Blindfolded at 3:31.91 and 5x5x5 Blindfolded at 5:34.28.

The remaining puzzle finals showcased tremendous depth across the broader Swedish and Nordic speed cubing contingent. Jack Larsson Backsell captured first place in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a winning average of 53.15 and a best single of 47.71. Joel Lundström secured the Megaminx crown by putting together a 41.51 average, Helmer Ewert mastered the intricate turning of Square-1 to win with an 8.13 average, and Norway's Anders Barhaugen took the Clock title with an average of 3.69. Across the full spectrum of podiums, Swedish entrants collected 45 top-three finishes, while Norway secured seven and Finland earned one.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors delivered standout personal breakthroughs across demanding multi-event schedules. Rocky Argården cut massive chunks from previous marks, improving their Pyraminx best to 6.91 seconds, a 53.9 percent leap from 15.00, alongside a 14 percent drop on 4x4x4 Cube to 1:56.73 and a 13.4 percent reduction on 3x3x3 Cube to 19.14. Love Aerts took on 10 events, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.46 seconds, which was 29 percent faster than their prior 4.87, while also notching a 9.9 percent drop on 5x5x5 Cube to 3:07.00 and recording a first ever attempt in Clock at 29.80. Melker Karlgren also tackled 10 events, chopping 21.1 percent from their 5x5x5 Cube best down to 2:28.15 while making their first ever attempts in Square-1 at 1:24.30 and Megaminx at 2:59.45.

The drive to expand repertoires was evident throughout the hall as experienced solvers stepped up to unfamiliar categories. Isac Lindqvist entered all 17 events at the tournament, earning a best finish of sixth in 5x5x5 Blindfolded while logging first-ever official attempts in 4x4x4 Blindfolded at 13:21.00, Megaminx at 2:53.35, and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with a successful 3 out of 4 in 32:03. Jakob Dalemo entered 10 events and registered first attempts in 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 4:42.24, Square-1 at 23.31, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:25.56, earning an 11th-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind. Arne Nyström Jernebring completed seven disciplines, achieving a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:23.55 alongside personal bests in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 40.14 and 3x3x3 Cube at 23.05.

As the final season chapter for the league, the SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023 offered both elite hardware battles and foundational milestones for emerging talent across 30 rounds of intense play. From Thorsen's lightning-fast short-cube averages and Jensen's five-event sweep to Wallin's blindfolded dominance and dozens of individual personal bests, the Life Arena stage provided an exhaustive showcase of competitive solve execution. The collective 3x3 results and multi-puzzle achievements served as a fitting conclusion to the calendar year for the Nordic community.

With equipment packed away and medals distributed, the SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023 concluded a vibrant 2023 campaign for Swedish speedcubing. The three days of high-level solving in Uppsala demonstrated the remarkable health of the discipline, blending the sharp execution of established champions with the steady, ambitious progress of solvers taking on new puzzles for the very first time. As the circuit resets for another competitive cycle, the standard established across all 17 events sets a formidable benchmark for the year ahead.

81 deltagare samlades när årets stora uppgörelse avgjordes i Life Arena. Under helgen 8–10 december 2023 stod SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023 i centrum för svensk speedcubing, där hela 17 grenar och 30 rundor sattes på prov. På den här nivån räcker det sällan med enstaka snabba enkelrundor. Det krävdes stenhård jämnhet över fem lösningar för att ta hem medaljerna i Uppsala, Sweden, när landets främsta kubare gjorde upp om titlarna.

I huvudgrenen för klassisk Rubiks kub, 3x3x3 Cube, visade Elvin Thorsen just den sortens stabilitet som krävdes för att vinna. Med ett vinnande genomsnitt på 7.16 sekunder och ett bästa singelresultat på 6.21 höll han undan för konkurrenterna över tre intensiva rundor bland 78 deltagare. Bakom honom knep Jack Larsson Backsell silvret på 7.81, medan William Jensen säkrade tredjeplatsen med 7.97. Elvin Thorsen dominerade även i 2x2x2 Cube med ett snitt på 1.65 och segrade i Pyraminx med snittet 2.06.

Helgens stora gigant sett till bredd och uthållighet var William Jensen, som plockade hem hela fem guldmedaljer. I 4x4x4 Cube vann han en tät final på snittet 30.94 före Govend Avgerinos Djangoi på 31.12 och Jack Larsson Backsell på 31.59. Jensen triumferade även i Skewb med 2.79, 3x3x3 One-Handed med 13.68, 6x6x6 Cube med 1:43.16 samt 7x7x7 Cube med 2:29.45. Dessutom tog han förstaplatsen i 3x3x3 Fewest Moves genom att lösa kuben på blott 31 drag.

Bakom de stora segrarna på denna kubtävling fanns mängder av imponerande individuella framsteg. Alexandru Bichiu stod för helgens mest markanta lyft när han kapade sitt personbästa i 3x3x3 Cube till 17.61, vilket var hela 44.4 procent snabbare än tidigare, samtidigt som han förbättrade sig med 30.6 procent i 2x2x2 Cube till 6.52 och med 29.9 procent i Pyraminx till 8.90. Max Aspegren sänkte sitt personbästa i Skewb med 43.2 procent till 4.09, förbättrade sig med 15.9 procent i 4x4x4 Cube till 46.55 och tog en tolfteplats i Clock.

Framstegen fortsatte i rask takt bland startfältets flitiga utövare. Björn Arvidsson tog sig an 13 grenar, gjorde sitt allra första försök i Clock med tiden 11.72, kapade sitt personbästa i 3x3x3 Blindfolded med 26.6 procent till 2:56.95 och nådde en trettondeplats i 7x7x7 Cube. Emil Wallin genomförde sitt första officiella försök i Megaminx på 4:49.16, sänkte sitt personbästa i 2x2x2 Cube till 6.06 och noterade 20.78 i 3x3x3 Cube. Zhiyuan Jing förbättrade sitt personbästa i 4x4x4 Cube med 17.4 procent till 1:00.99 och i Pyraminx med 16.2 procent till 6.35, medan Carlos Wang ställde upp i 11 grenar, gjorde sitt första försök i 3x3x3 Blindfolded på 7:47.46 och sänkte sitt personbästa i Megaminx med 8.9 procent till 1:25.59.

I de mer krävande disciplinerna levererade Daniel Wallin en makalös uppvisning i minneshantering och blindlösning. Han tog hem segern i 3x3x3 Blindfolded med en vinnande singeltid på 25.93 sekunder, vann 4x4x4 Blindfolded på 3:31.91 samt segrade i 5x5x5 Blindfolded på 5:34.28. I den mentala kraftmätningen 3x3x3 Multi-Blind stod Daniel Wallin för 26 lösta kuber av 28 möjliga på tiden 58:16, i hård konkurrens med Viktor Zenk som klarade 17 av 18 kuber på 56:17.

Bland de övriga grenarna under SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023 stod Jack Larsson Backsell som segrare i 5x5x5 Cube med ett genomsnitt på 53.15 sekunder. I Megaminx vann Joel Lundström på snittet 41.51 sekunder, medan Helmer Ewert säkrade segern i Square-1 med fina 8.13 sekunder. Norske deltagaren Anders Barhaugen stod för en vass insats i Clock där han tog hem förstaplatsen med ett vinnande snitt på 3.69 sekunder efter två jämna rundor.

Helgens officiella WCA-tävling visade tydligt att svensk kubning står stark inför kommande utmaningar, med totalt 45 svenska pallplatser jämte framgångar från norska och finska tillresta deltagare. När tre intensiva tävlingsdagar summerades i Uppsala stod det klart att jämnhet, tålamod och teknisk precision över hela serier av lösningar var receptet för framgång vid SveKub Super League Final: Uppsala 2023.