Taiwan Blind Day 2023

A stunning single of 19.97 seconds on the blindfolded 3x3 stage set the high-water mark for precision as Chih-Chuan Yang captured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded crown at Taiwan Blind Day 2023. Staged on April 16, 2023, at the Qian-Cao Activity Center in Tainan, Taiwan, the gathering offered a focused showcase of purely memory-driven events. Over the course of six rounds across four disciplines, 35 competitors pushed through high-pressure solves where one misplaced turn meant a complete disqualification, setting the tone for an intense day of Rubik's Cube mastery.

For those taking their first steps into blindfolded events, stepping onto the competition floor is an entirely different challenge than standard speedcubing. Solvers must inspect the scrambled puzzle, commit thousands of piece relationships to memory, and then pull down a blindfold before executing precise algorithms in complete darkness. The specialized environment of Taiwan Blind Day 2023 welcomed both seasoned veterans and bold newcomers attempting these notoriously unforgiving events for the very first time under World Cube Association regulations.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded tournament served as the core attraction of the schedule, drawing all 35 competitors through three demanding rounds of competition. Chih-Chuan Yang maintained composure through to the final round, locking down the gold medal with a winning average of 23.73 seconds alongside the day's singular sub-20 single. Jia-Hong Lu secured second place on the podium with an average of 26.46 seconds, while Takuma Shirahase took third place for Japan with a mark of 53.82 seconds to complete the premier 3x3 results of the event.

The larger puzzles demanded immense endurance, and Jia-Hong Lu rose to the occasion by sweeping the big cube blind categories. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded final, Lu secured first place with a single of 3:07.88, finishing ahead of Malaysia's Tam Shen Hsiung at 3:55.63 and Takuma Shirahase at 9:20.70. Lu then returned to the table to conquer the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event, delivering a gold-medal single of 7:00.28, with Shirahase earning the silver medal at 18:01.00 as the only other competitor to record a successful time.

In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Wayne Pi produced an exceptional display of endurance and spatial recall, solving 18 out of 19 cubes within a time limit of 54:56 to take first place. Hung-Tsang Chen earned second place by completing a clean 3 out of 3 cubes in 16:11, while Cheng-Wei Lin took third place on the podium with 4 out of 5 cubes solved in 17:54. The demanding nature of the event challenged 20 competitors to memorize and solve large banks of puzzles without sight.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors delivered remarkable personal milestones across their schedules. Tian-Sin Yang entered two events and achieved a massive personal best of 1:34.12 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, trimming 46.6 percent off a previous best of 2:56.13, while also taking on a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind to score 5/10 in 56:20 for an 11th-place finish. Jui-Hung Liu tackled three events, posting a personal best of 4:25.25 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, 6.7 percent faster than before, finishing 5th in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, and logging a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2/3 in 21:47. Ting-Yu Huang also took on three events, registering a 5th-place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, a 4 percent personal best of 3:28.87 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, and a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2/3 in 23:20.

The breakthrough performances continued with Po-Hsien Lai taking on two events, achieving a 5th-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with a first ever attempt of 2/2 in 17:10 and a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 2:55.59. Yu-Shi Tzeng entered two events, claiming 12th in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind and notching a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 4:12.82. Single-event specialists also made their presence felt, as Kuan-Ying Li recorded a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 5:59.61, and Shun-Yu Yu completed a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 7:07.75.

The podium tallies reflected a strong showing across international borders, with host competitors from Taiwan earning nine total podium spots, while Japan claimed three and Malaysia collected two. Every successful solve represented hours of solitary practice brought to light under official tournament conditions, providing a memorable milestone for those navigating their first blindfolded solves on the official stage.

As Taiwan Blind Day 2023 drew to a close at Qian-Cao Activity Center, the event demonstrated the depth of talent within the regional speed cubing community. From elite multi-blind sweeps to the nervous excitement of a solver tackling their first blindfolded attempt, this WCA competition highlighted the dedication required to conquer the cube entirely from memory. Solvers and organizers departed Tainan with fresh experience, ready to build upon their achievements in the next competitive season.

在需要極致記憶與空間轉換的盲解賽場上，每一步操作都承載著巨大風險與榮耀。2023年4月16日在Tainan, Taiwan的Qian-Cao Activity Center舉行的Taiwan Blind Day 2023，匯聚了35位頂尖魔術方塊玩家。這場高張力的WCA competition共設有4個項目與6輪對決，考驗選手在完全看不見情況下的極限抗壓能力與專注度。

三階盲解項目經歷三輪激烈爭奪，最終由Chih-Chuan Yang (楊智全)以23.73秒的奪冠平均成績傲視群雄，他在該項目更是創下了19.97秒的最快單次成績。緊追在後的Jia-Hong Lu (陸嘉宏)以26.46秒獲得亞軍，來自日本的Takuma Shirahase (白波瀬拓磨)則以53.82秒拿下季軍，展現了高水準的國際對決。

大方塊盲解賽場完全成為Jia-Hong Lu (陸嘉宏)的天下。在四階盲解項目中，他頂住壓力以3:07.88的單次成績奪得冠軍。馬來西亞選手Tam Shen Hsiung (譚昇雄)以3:55.63獲得亞軍，Takuma Shirahase (白波瀬拓磨)則以9:20.70名列第三，為這項高難度項目寫下精彩篇章。

隨後的五階盲解項目更是對選手記憶容量的終極考驗。Jia-Hong Lu (陸嘉宏)再次發揮強大實力，以7:00.28的單次成績奪下個人當天第二座冠軍獎盃。Takuma Shirahase (白波瀬拓磨)以18:01.00收穫亞軍，展現了驚人的耐力與穩定性，而其餘選手則遺憾未能完成有效成績。

在極具挑戰性的三階多顆盲解項目中，Wayne Pi展現了超群的記憶統整力，在54分56秒內成功復原18顆方塊中的18顆，以18/19的傲人成績勇奪冠軍。Hung-Tsang Chen (陳泓滄)以16分11秒完成3/3獲得亞軍，Cheng-Wei Lin (林澄蔚)則以17分54秒達成4/5奪得季軍。

在頒獎台耀眼光芒之外，賽場上許多默默耕耘的身影同樣令人動容。Pei-Ni Chiang (江霈妮)在此次比賽迎來生涯首次三階盲解嘗試，交出4:51.65的亮眼成績。來自香港的Jerry Chung (鍾養浩)也在本場賽事挑戰生涯首次三階盲解，成功記錄下6:37.39。初次踏上賽場的Shang-Wen Wang (王聖文)同樣完成生涯首次三階盲解挑戰，創下6:27.07的佳績。

這場cubing competition亦見證了多位選手的多項目嘗試與突破。初次參賽的Fang-Ru Yu (余芳儒)勇敢站上舞台，Wei-Chun Hung (洪煒鈞)與Zih-Siang Huang (黃子翔)雙雙報名了2個項目並在三階多顆盲解獲得第12名。Han-Lin Wu (吳翰霖)同樣挑戰2個項目並列三階多顆盲解第12名，他們展現了無畏挑戰的運動家精神。

回顧整場Taiwan Blind Day 2023，主場選手發揮出色，台灣選手一共斬獲9個頒獎台席位，日本選手奪得3席，馬來西亞選手取得2席。這場一年一度的speedcubing盛會，在台南的方塊愛好者見證下圓滿落幕，所有選手的專注身影也為2023年的盲解賽季留下了無可磨滅的精彩印記。