Take a Break Ohio State 2023

Thirty-six competitors gathered at the Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, USA, for a weekend centered on technical precision and new horizons. Scheduled across March 17 to March 18, Take a Break Ohio State 2023 offered a unique lineup of nine events spanning eleven rounds. Rather than standard sprinting, the program prioritized larger hardware, blind solving, and mechanical ingenuity. Many participants embraced the occasion to expand their repertoires, bringing a distinct developmental energy to a major WCA competition during the 2023 season.

The big cubes featured exceptional control from Kate Grahame, who swept both the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube events. In the 6x6x6 final, Grahame topped a field of 31 competitors with a winning average of 1:35.48 and a best single of 1:30.93, finishing ahead of Stanley Chapel at 1:46.50 and Luke Garrett at 1:50.96. Grahame followed up in the 7x7x7 event with a 2:25.58 winning average, powered by a single of 2:18.00. Garrett took second in 2:43.24, while Phillip Lewicki placed third in 3:02.71 to complete the podium.

Blindfolded events brought several of the most striking performances of the weekend. Stanley Chapel secured first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a winning single of 16.34, while Rowe Hessler was second in 26.03 and Mason Langenderfer took third in 40.08. In the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event, Chapel claimed victory with a 2:33.96 single, leading Thiago Han of Brazil, who placed second in 7:36.32, and Langenderfer in 8:18.99. Chapel also delivered an extraordinary 3x3x3 Multi-Blind round, successfully registering 32 out of 33 cubes in 52:58. A major international highlight occurred when Han set a South American continental record and Brazilian National record average of 27.25 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded.

Specialist solving continued to produce top-tier speedcubing throughout the schedule. Mason Langenderfer captured the 4x4x4 Blindfolded title with a winning single of 4:02.01, ahead of Rowe Hessler at 5:33.07 and Howie Craig at 7:48.34. In 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Mark Boyanowski solved with meticulous efficiency to earn first place with an average of 25.33 and a single of 22 moves, leading Owen Widdis at 26.00 and Evan Brown at 29.00. The distinct mechanics of Clock saw Luke Garrett take top honors with a 4.90 average, followed by Canada's Gabrielle Morasse in 6.78 and Braden Richards in 7.31.

Square-1 action provided a thrilling two-round battle among 28 entrants. Evan Wright secured the gold with a winning average of 8.75 and a sharp 7.31 single, edging out Rowe Hessler, who finished second in 9.46, and Luke Garrett in third at 10.66. While standard Rubik's Cube rounds were not contested, attendees studying general speed cubing mechanics and standard 3x3 results found plenty of technical inspiration in the high-level decision making and complex algorithms required by these specialized variants.

Beyond the championship podiums, Take a Break Ohio State 2023 served as a launchpad for athletes expanding into unfamiliar disciplines. Arjun Srinath made major strides by recording his first ever official attempt in the 6x6x6 Cube at 4:24.95 and his first 7x7x7 Cube attempt at 6:53.62, alongside a Square-1 personal best of 29.47 that was 46.8 percent faster than his prior mark. Maxwell Cobb tackled five events, achieving a Square-1 personal best of 19.27, which improved his previous standard by 36 percent, while also recording maiden attempts of 6:50.42 in 7x7x7 and 16.31 in Clock. Troy Lucas added three first-time official attempts, logging 5:26.03 on 6x6x6, 9:16.82 on 7x7x7, and 32.37 on Square-1.

The breakthrough momentum continued across the roster as Kenny Biddle took on three events, registering his first attempts in Square-1 at 33.47, 6x6x6 at 3:56.61, and 7x7x7 at 6:20.59. Brenden Vaughn made his first official 7x7x7 Cube attempt at 5:40.90, his first Square-1 attempt at 24.03, and dropped his 6x6x6 personal best by 20.7 percent down to 3:18.03. Ethan Wolf logged impressive personal bests across multiple categories, cutting his Square-1 time by 27.4 percent to 21.86, his 7x7x7 time by 20.9 percent to 4:17.93, and his 6x6x6 time by 19.2 percent to 2:58.91. Scott Cousteau tackled five events, recording his first 6x6x6 attempt at 10:53.00 and improving his Clock mark by 22.7 percent to 19.86, while Colin Sharpe made his first ever official Clock appearance with a mark of 12.05.

The diverse lineup at this cubing competition highlighted the depth and versatility of the community. With 25 podium places secured by competitors representing the USA, alongside international honors earned by Brazil and Canada, the event demonstrated how specialized formats foster both elite mastery and personal discovery. Take a Break Ohio State 2023 proved that stepping away from traditional formats can yield remarkable individual growth, sending solvers back to their practice sessions with fresh accomplishments and newly unlocked disciplines.