Tallinn Open 2024

Toms Edvards Vucens secured a striking victory in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, resolving two out of three cubes without sight in 16:28 to highlight a weekend packed with specialized events. The unique discipline, requiring absolute memorization before execution, set the tone for the Tallinn Open 2024 held in Tallinn, Estonia. Across June 29 and June 30, 2024, the Tallinn University of Applied Sciences hosted 28 competitors tackling a massive schedule of 13 events and 26 rounds. While standard puzzles drew full fields, the niche formats provided some of the most compelling narratives.

The blindfolded discipline saw another clean victory in the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded category, where Ken-Erik Aus topped the field of seven competitors with a single time of 2:42.31. Over on the side event tables, the Clock event featured rapid precision across three rounds, culminating in a win for Oliver Pällo of Estonia with an average of 4.76 seconds. Pällo held off Vincent von Schantz of Finland, who took second with a 5.95 average, while Sofia Veedler completed the podium with an average of 6.80.

Oliver Pällo proved equally dominant in another non-traditional format, taking the Megaminx title with an average of 53.54 seconds. Pällo led a field of 13 solvers over two rounds, posting a best single of 50.34 seconds along the way. Latvia's Roberts Dreijers finished second with a 58.03 average, followed by Sofia Veedler in third at 1:11.11. Dreijers claimed his own specialized crown in Square-1, recording a decisive 13.01 winning average in the single-round contest ahead of nine other entrants, highlighted by a single solve of 10.41 seconds.

The big cube specialists were led by Vladislavs Baranovs of Latvia, who completed a commanding sweep of the heaviest puzzles. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Baranovs captured first place with an average of 2:09.65, besting Oliver Pällo, who took second in 2:29.20, and Roberts Dreijers in third at 2:32.77. Baranovs then added the 7x7x7 Cube title to his tally with a winning average of 3:27.31 and a best single of 3:17.12, displaying absolute mastery over the grueling long-format brackets at this WCA competition.

Behind the top of the standings, the speedcubing community witnessed substantial personal achievements. Märt Pint delivered a massive breakthrough in Pyraminx, logging an 8.35 single that was 51.1 percent faster than his previous mark of 17.06. Aleksander Romanovski cut his Pyraminx best by 50.1 percent down to 7.86 seconds and reduced his Skewb mark by 34.8 percent to 12.09. Gleb Zobnitsev sliced 42.2 percent off his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark with a time of 41.91, while Simon Holster tackled 11 events, made his debut in the 6x6x6 Cube at 4:34.44, and improved his one-handed best by 32.4 percent to 29.06.

New ventures and steep progression continued across the floor as several athletes expanded their repertoires. Ilja Krehov entered nine events at Tallinn Open 2024, recording initial official attempts in 4x4x4 Cube with 1:31.62, Megaminx with 2:25.73, and one-handed solving with 35.62. Sergei Ogoltsov made initial appearances in three formats, clocking 14.88 in Pyraminx and 1:41.30 in one-handed solving. Lukas Eliaser took on Clock for the first time with a 26.99 single and improved his Pyraminx best by 36.8 percent down to 11.86. First-time competitor Marite Liiskmann made her official debut, recording a 22.33 single in the classic 3x3x3 Cube.

The traditional twisty puzzle formats maintained immense intensity throughout the competition. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Roberts Dreijers earned victory with a mark of 36.68 seconds, narrowly beating Maksim Zemtšihhin of Estonia at 39.55 and Oliver Pällo at 39.62. Dreijers doubled his speed cubing success in the short formats, taking the 2x2x2 Cube title with a 2.47 average ahead of Vincent von Schantz at 3.17 and Mike Vidrik Rätsep at 3.24. Dreijers also captured the Skewb championship with an average of 4.35 seconds.

The classic Rubik's Cube main event rounded out the Tallinn Open 2024 schedule with 27 competitors across three elimination rounds. Vincent von Schantz emerged victorious, securing the title with an average of 8.19 seconds and a standout single of 7.53 seconds. The final 3x3 results saw Roberts Dreijers claim second place at 9.01 seconds and Maksim Zemtšihhin take third at 9.55. Von Schantz also took gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 15.48 seconds, while winning Pyraminx in 3.36 seconds, putting a cap on a weekend where Estonia collected 19 podium finishes, Latvia claimed 14, and Finland captured six.

The variety of events at this cubing competition offered a complete showcase of the sport, balancing the rapid pace of standard cubes with the patience required for mega and blindfolded events. Competitors from across the region found success across every round, leaving Tallinn with substantial improvements as the season moves forward.