TalliNxN 2023

Twenty-nine competitors gathered on June 3, 2023, as the summer stretch of the regional calendar got underway at Viimsi Huvikeskus. Hosted in Viimsi, Estonia, the single-day showdown brought together solvers across ten rounds of play. With the middle of the season demanding sharper execution and peak consistency, the tournament offered a concentrated look at how the region's elite and emerging talents handle high-pressure brackets across all classic NxN puzzles.

The 3x3x3 Cube tournament delivered sharp speedcubing at the top of the table. Across three full rounds, Kaur Tuule set the standard for the field. After battling through the preliminary stages, Tuule secured first place with an impressive winning average of 7.25 seconds in the final, bolstered by a best single of 6.00 seconds. Remo Pihel finished in second place with an 8.01 average, while Oliver Pällo locked up the third step on the podium with a 9.31 mark. The official 3x3 results underscored Estonia's strength in the premier category.

Tuule also captured top honours in the 4x4x4 Cube, pacing 20 competitors through two rounds to claim the title with a 37.22 average and a round-best 34.98 single. Kait Rosenberg followed closely behind in second place with a 38.99 mark, while Maksim Zemtšihhin rounded out an all-Estonian top three with an average of 39.87. The two-tier bracket tested stamina and transition efficiency, showing how quickly the mid-sized puzzle margins narrow once the top contenders hit their stride.

Rosenberg went on to stage an extraordinary sweep of the largest puzzles on the schedule. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Rosenberg topped a 12-person field with a winning average of 1:01.81 and a best single of 58.79, holding off Finland's Luukas Lempinen, who took second in 1:13.74, and Oliver Pällo, who finished third in 1:18.62. The heavier hardware demands deep concentration and clean execution, qualities Rosenberg demonstrated repeatedly as the puzzle dimensions increased through the afternoon.

The dominance continued on the six- and seven-layer cubes. Rosenberg took the 6x6x6 Cube victory with a 1:51.33 average, clear of Finland's Niko Ronkainen in second at 2:18.85 and Remo Pihel in third at 2:21.04. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Rosenberg completed the big-cube triple crown, averaging 2:58.05 with a best single of 2:46.78. Ronkainen and Lempinen secured the remaining podium steps for Finland with marks of 3:32.79 and 3:43.96, giving the international contingent strong representation across the endurance events.

Shorter formats yielded fast finishes in the 2x2x2 Cube, where Niko Ronkainen claimed first place with an average of 2.18 seconds and a best single of 1.95. Kaur Tuule followed in second at 2.67, while Luukas Lempinen secured third in 3.29. Across the board, podium places split between Estonia with 12 medals and Finland with 6, demonstrating the healthy cross-Baltic rivalry that fuels this cubing competition each time both nations share the floor.

Beyond the championship tier, TalliNxN 2023 featured remarkable breakthroughs from competitors expanding their range. Kevin Maalman took on three events and delivered massive leaps forward, lowering his 2x2x2 single to 2.93 seconds, an improvement of 58.9 percent, while cutting his 3x3x3 mark to 19.76 seconds for a 31.1 percent boost, alongside a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 2:09.71. Alexander Druzbin posted a 27.4 percent improvement on 2x2x2 with 4.63 seconds and lowered his 3x3x3 best by 21.1 percent to 25.14, while logging a first 4x4x4 attempt of 2:37.41. Laur Jakob Jänt advanced in three categories, trimming his 3x3x3 mark by 26.4 percent to 20.46, taking 25.4 percent off his 4x4x4 best with 1:49.64, and shaving his 2x2x2 best to 4.44. Fred Vaine achieved a personal best of 11.24 on 3x3x3, cutting 24.3 percent, made a first 4x4x4 attempt of 1:54.79, and reached a weekend-best 13th finish in 2x2x2.

The drive to tackle new disciplines defined many scorecards throughout the weekend. Ruben Uba took on all six disciplines on the schedule, logging a personal-best 9th finish in 6x6x6 Cube alongside maiden attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:00.48, 6x6x6 Cube at 5:52.60, and 7x7x7 Cube at 8:55.09. Amarin Ouk entered three events, logging a first 2x2x2 attempt of 7.95 seconds and a first 4x4x4 mark of 2:50.94. Erick Ungefug knocked 18.4 percent off his 3x3x3 single down to 32.80 and took 15.2 percent off his 2x2x2 mark to reach 9.13. Kristo Palu improved his 2x2x2 best to 5.22 seconds, a 22.1 percent jump, earning a best finish of 17th. First-time appearances by Silver Oskar Ossep, Henry Valdmann, and Gleb Zobnitsev brought fresh faces into the official speed cubing fold.

Across six categories ranging from the smallest twisty puzzles to the classic Rubik's Cube and the massive seven-layer variant, the event fulfilled its mission as a comprehensive mid-season test. By providing structured rounds for seasoned medal contenders and an accessible arena for newcomers, TalliNxN 2023 captured the competitive spirit of the region. As the 2023 calendar progresses toward upcoming fixtures, the standards set in Viimsi provide a reliable benchmark for the next wave of competition.