Tartu Open 2024

Kaur Tuule delivered the standout performance of the day by securing a brilliant 5.36 single on his way to winning the 3x3x3 Cube with a 7.50 average. Hosted at the historic Estonian Students' Society venue in Tartu, Estonia, Tartu Open 2024 brought together 22 competitors on December 14, 2024. The single-day tournament showcased 12 rounds across six different events, highlighting remarkable skill, deep brackets, and tremendous individual progress from both veterans and rising solvers alike across the Baltic speedcubing community.

The 3x3 results formed the centerpiece of the program, drawing the full field of 22 solvers through three rounds of Rubik's Cube competition. Tuule captured first place comfortably, finishing ahead of Nikita Slavinski, who took second with a 9.69 average, and Maksim Zemtšihhin, who rounded out the podium in third place at 9.88. Tuule also claimed victory in the 4x4x4 Cube, producing a winning mark of 28.01 and a best single of 25.80, outpacing Remo Pihel at 33.56 and Oliver Pällo at 36.26 in the final.

Oliver Pällo proved to be the most prolific champion of Tartu Open 2024, collecting three gold medals across a variety of disciplines. Pällo took first place in Skewb with a 4.10 average and a 2.57 single, finished on top in Clock with a 4.33 average and a 4.06 single, and captured the Megaminx title with a 48.97 average and a 43.10 single. His multi-event mastery kept him busy throughout the tournament, while also securing third-place podium spots in both the 2x2x2 Cube and 4x4x4 Cube.

In the 2x2x2 Cube, Remo Pihel captured the title with a swift 2.37 winning average and a 1.98 single, leading Tuule with 3.18 and Pällo with 3.37. Pihel was also a fixture across the leaderboards, securing runner-up spots in both 4x4x4 Cube and Skewb with a 4.35 average, as well as third place in Clock with a 7.07 average. In the Clock event, Sofia Veedler claimed second place behind Pällo with a 6.70 average, while Jan Erik Soosaar earned silver in Megaminx at 53.98 and bronze in Skewb at 5.01.

Beyond the top podium steps, this WCA competition stood out for massive personal time drops and breakthrough attempts across the brackets. Villem Jaagosild produced the biggest drop of the meet, slicing his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 49.8 percent down to 46.06 while also logging his first ever attempt at Skewb with an 8.30 and his first 2x2x2 Cube mark of 4.18. Lukas Eliaser took on five events and saw huge improvements, cutting his Clock best by 35.4 percent down to 17.43 and dropping his 2x2x2 Cube best by 28.8 percent to 3.89. Sten Richard Kase improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 25.5 percent to 23.56 and knocked his 2x2x2 Cube mark down by 17.9 percent to 6.61, while Oleksandr Kosheliev lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best by 24.8 percent to 17.68.

The progress continued with Hans Saar, who slashed 35.8 percent off his Skewb mark to post a 2.58 personal best and a fourth-place finish, alongside a 53.76 personal record in 4x4x4 Cube. Mihails Teļkijevs tackled six events, recording his first ever attempt at Megaminx with a time of 3:28.90 while improving his Skewb personal best by 16.1 percent to 7.59 and Clock by 12.8 percent to 7.97. Simon Holster also entered six disciplines, setting personal bests of 13.01 in 3x3x3 Cube and 1:45.71 in Megaminx, while Ilja Krehov advanced his Clock personal best by 6.2 percent to 14.32 across his six events.

The event also welcomed new faces to the tournament floor, marking the initial speed cubing appearances for several participants. Both Kiur Pärnamets and Marek Tallinn completed their first official solves in the 3x3x3 Cube, recording times of 37.83 and 53.49 respectively. Across all six events, competitors demonstrated sharp execution on both standard puzzles and non-twisty formats, illustrating the wide technical range demanded by modern cubing competition regulations.

Altogether, Tartu Open 2024 served as a showcase of individual progression and focused execution in Tartu, with Estonian competitors collecting all 18 podium positions available. From Tuule's dominant 3x3x3 Cube speed to Pällo's three-event sweep and the widespread personal records established throughout the roster, the gathering at the Estonian Students' Society concluded a memorable chapter of competition for the regional circuit as solvers look toward the next competitive season.