Tbilisi Side Events 2023

Eighteen competitors gathered in the capital on June 18, 2023, turning College Barakoni into a bustling hub of competitive problem solving. Organised for specialists and all-arounders alike, Tbilisi Side Events 2023 tested finger dexterity across eight events and twelve rounds of action. In technical disciplines like one-handed solving or specialty twisty puzzles, speedcubing rewards delicate table management, calculated fingertricks, and deep algorithmic familiarity. Those very mechanics set the tone for an intense single-day cubing competition in Tbilisi, Georgia, where every turn counted toward final placements.

Tamar Dolenjishvili proved to be the undeniable standout of the meet, orchestrating an exceptional run across multiple disciplines. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube, Dolenjishvili delivered crisp solutions to secure top honors with an average of 8.22 seconds, highlighted by a single solve of 7.83 seconds across three rounds of play. Those final 3x3 results capped a dominant showing, holding off Vako Marchilashvili who posted an average of 9.46 seconds for second place, and Andro Gvaramadze who finished third with an average of 9.59 seconds.

The broader puzzle schedule provided ample opportunity for Dolenjishvili to extend that advantage. In the Pyraminx final, Dolenjishvili seized first place with an average of 4.17 seconds and a best effort of 3.51 seconds, narrowly edging out Mykhailo Lagoida of Ukraine who averaged 4.46 seconds, and Gvaramadze who took third in 4.76 seconds. The 4x4x4 Cube saw another commanding victory from Dolenjishvili, setting a winning mark of 30.69 seconds over Ilya Anishchanka of Belarus at 39.72 seconds. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Dolenjishvili added yet another gold with an average of 1:08.37 ahead of Georgia's Dachi Tevdorashvili.

Beyond the traditional Rubik's Cube variants, the blindfolded category delivered its own brand of drama, demanding supreme spatial memory and execution under complete sensory deprivation. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline at Tbilisi Side Events 2023, Dolenjishvili topped the standings with a best single solve of 3:22.30. That effort proved just enough to overcome Lagoida, who took second place with a single of 3:25.29, while Aleksandr Podolskiy finished third after registering a successful attempt of 4:47.93.

Other specialists secured their own moments at the top of the podium throughout the afternoon. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Vako Marchilashvili took the crown across three competitive rounds with a winning average of 2.83 seconds and a sharp 1.65 single, finishing ahead of Dolenjishvili at 3.30 and Giorgi Gegeshidze at 3.68. The Skewb event belonged to Mykhailo Lagoida, who logged an average of 3.04 seconds to capture first place over Dolenjishvili and Gvaramadze. Meanwhile, Ilya Anishchanka captured the Megaminx title with a 1:22.47 average, holding off Dolenjishvili and Lagoida on the twelve-sided puzzle.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors logged significant developmental milestones across the floor. Sandro Daushvili took on six events and achieved a major breakthrough in Pyraminx with a personal best of 4.91 seconds, which was 39.2 percent faster than his prior best, alongside an eleventh-place 16.57 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube. Gevorg Melkumyan completed four events, making his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 1:37.98 to finish seventh, while cutting his Pyraminx personal best in half to 8.34 seconds, a 50 percent drop. Saba Jikia tackled four events, registering his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:44.50 to claim eighth place, as well as setting a 3x3x3 personal best of 16.53 seconds. Luka Patashuri entered three events, lowering his 3x3x3 personal best to 10.71 seconds, an improvement of 20.5 percent, and dropping his 2x2x2 personal best by 17.9 percent to 3.58 seconds.

The depth of progress continued across both debutants and returning participants at this WCA competition. Andrey Yakubovski tackled five events and recorded his first ever attempt at Megaminx with a mark of 2:12.90. Ketevan Feradze entered four events, posting a 2x2x2 personal best of 2.71 seconds that cut 40.4 percent off her previous record and earning a best finish of fifth in Pyraminx. Revaz Rukhadze attended his first career speed cubing tournament, stepping up to three events and posting his first ever attempts in 2x2x2 Cube with 5.52 seconds, 3x3x3 Cube with 26.29 seconds, and Pyraminx with 11.51 seconds. Amir Mohammad Abdalhalim also made his competitive debut across three events, logging his first ever attempts in Skewb at 12.95 seconds, 2x2x2 Cube at 6.61 seconds, and 3x3x3 Cube at 13.10 seconds.

By the conclusion of the day, host nation Georgia claimed sixteen total podium finishes, while visiting solvers from Ukraine earned four, Belarus took three, and Russia captured one. Tbilisi Side Events 2023 offered a comprehensive showcase of multi-discipline talent, proving that technical mastery across varied puzzle sizes remains a key pillar of modern speedcubing. As the participants look ahead to the next season of competition, the performances in Tbilisi demonstrated sharp execution and steady progress across the entire field.