Tbilisi October Open 2023

Fifteen competitors gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia, on October 1, 2023, turning College Barakoni into a bustling hub of mental strategy and mechanical dexterity. Across 11 events and 15 rounds of action, this compact WCA competition delivered intense speedcubing drama alongside measured tactical problem-solving. In traditional puzzle solving, the contrast between rapid twitch turns and quiet calculation is always sharp, as competitors balance the impulse to rush with the need to inspect scrambles carefully before making their opening moves. The single-day tournament demonstrated the full spectrum of modern cubing, spanning short sprints, massive multidimensional puzzles, and single-handed execution.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew all 15 entrants through two competitive rounds of speed cubing. Vako Marchilashvili emerged on top of the 3x3 results by securing victory with an 8.60 winning average and registering a best single of 7.74. Andro Gvaramadze pushed Marchilashvili in the final round to take second place with a 9.09 average, while Nino Zguladze earned the third spot on the podium at 9.31. The classic Rubik's Cube remains the ultimate benchmark of consistency, demanding both lightning-fast lookahead and smooth algorithm execution across all five attempts in a final.

Marchilashvili doubled his gold count in the 2x2x2 Cube, delivering another composed performance under pressure. He took the title with a 2.36 final average and a 1.76 best single, narrowly edging out Germany's Linus Buck, who posted a 2.48 average for second place. Zguladze joined the top three once more with a 2.88 mark. The event featured exceptional speed across the roster, highlighted by Marchilashvili recording an outstanding 1.40 single and 1.67 average during earlier round play, while Buck notched a 1.55 single and Tamar Dolenjishvili logged a 1.51 single.

Dolenjishvili stood out as one of the weekend's most versatile athletes, accumulating four separate event victories on the schedule. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Dolenjishvili commanded the table with a 15.27 winning average and a 12.70 single, outpacing Buck's 19.71 average and Gvaramadze's 19.89. Dolenjishvili followed that with a dominant performance in 4x4x4 Cube, winning with a 33.41 average and a 26.54 single. In Square-1, Dolenjishvili captured first place with an average of 25.68 and a single of 23.71, and concluded an impressive haul by claiming gold in 5x5x5 Cube with a 1:06.11 average, just ahead of Buck's 1:06.39.

Buck proved unbeatable across the heavy hardware and twisty geometric categories, sweeping three major events and a side puzzle. The German standout conquered 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:58.20 winning average over Dolenjishvili's 2:18.16, and locked down 7x7x7 Cube with a 3:11.72 average against Dolenjishvili's 4:03.23. Buck also triumphed in Megaminx, recording an average of 1:01.05 and a 57.31 single to take first place ahead of Dachi Tevdorashvili's 1:09.01. Earlier in the schedule, Buck also claimed the Pyraminx crown with a 3.88 average and a 2.71 single, while Gvaramadze secured the Skewb gold with a 5.04 average over Zguladze's 5.66.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable breakthroughs and reached new personal milestones. Daniel Mamonov tackled four events and delivered major personal bests, dropping his Pyraminx time to 10.02, which was 38.2 percent faster than his previous record, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 5.01 for a 19.1 percent improvement, and taking on his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube to finish 7th in 4:35.44. Ana Marchilashvili entered five events and recorded a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 1:41.62, an improvement of 26.6 percent, while also shaving 9.1 percent off her Skewb mark with a 27.53. Ketevan Feradze competed in six events, recording a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 30.93 to improve by 23.6 percent, along with a 3:16.93 personal best in Megaminx and a 6th place finish in Pyraminx. Andrey Yakubovski entered five events and earned a strong 4th place finish in Megaminx.

The day also served as an exciting debut stage for newcomers taking their first steps in competitive solving. Deniel Andriasov competed in his first WCA competition across five events, securing an 8th place finish in 4x4x4 Cube alongside his first ever attempt in 2x2x2 Cube at 8.09, Pyraminx at 12.01, and Skewb at 10.47. Andrea Toliashvili made his official debut across two events, claiming 7th place in 4x4x4 Cube with a first attempt of 2:11.18 and notching a first attempt of 20.83 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Zurab Tkhelidze also completed his first competition across two events, logging his first ever attempt in Pyraminx at 14.13 and in 3x3x3 Cube at 1:00.03.

By the conclusion of Tbilisi October Open 2023, the medal table highlighted a strong showing from the host nation, with Georgian competitors earning 23 podium placements, Germany securing 9, and Russia taking 1. The full day of competition at College Barakoni provided an ideal showcase for both tactical planning and lightning reflexes across all puzzle sizes. As the 2023 speedcubing season moves forward, the performances across 11 different events set a high bar for local talent and visiting competitors alike.