Texas Championship 2024

Inside the halls of the Henry B. González Convention Center, rows of stacking mats and digital displays buzzed with focused energy as the tournament floor filled from early morning to late evening. Tables were lined with competitors calibrating tensions, inspecting scrambling sheets, and timing practice solves while family members watched from the sidelines. San Antonio, Texas, USA hosted 199 competitors across three packed days of action from November 22 to November 24, 2024, providing a massive stage for both established contenders and rapidly developing solvers.

A major theme across the three days was how swiftly newer talent is advancing through the ranks at every cubing competition. Young competitors across the state showed rapid gains, converting hours of deliberate practice into decisive stage results. The Texas Championship 2024 delivered 35 rounds of high-pressure solving across 16 official events, testing quick fingers, deep algorithmic knowledge, and mental resilience under the bright lights.

The premier 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube final featured intense matchups through four full rounds of competition among 191 entrants. Kyle Santucci of Canada captured first place with an impressive winning average of 6.08 seconds, backed by a best single of 4.82. Ryan Pilat of the USA secured the runner-up spot on the podium with an average of 6.92, while Siddharth Reddy took third place with a 7.10 mark. These decisive 3x3 results capped a weekend of world-class speedcubing at the highest level.

Santucci also topped the podium in 3x3x3 One-Handed, recording an 11.56 winning average and a single of 9.11 to finish ahead of Ray Bai at 12.31 and Siddharth Reddy at 13.42. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Reddy claimed the title with a swift 1.50 average and a 0.66 single, prevailing over Jake Maddox with 2.41 and Santucci with 2.48. Meanwhile, Dylan Baumbach dominated Square-1 with a winning average of 5.26 and a best single of 4.34 across three rounds of play.

Ray Bai assembled an exceptional performance in the mid-sized and alternate twisty puzzles, winning three separate disciplines. Bai captured the 4x4x4 Cube with an average of 25.07 seconds, ahead of Ryan Pilat at 27.57 and Benjamin Wei at 29.96. Bai repeated the feat in the 5x5x5 Cube, taking the win with a 47.84 average to beat Pilat at 52.38 and Wei at 52.44, before adding the Megaminx title with a winning mark of 39.78 seconds.

Away from the top of the podium, the heart of the tournament emerged in the personal milestones achieved across the venue. Rodrigo Villegas delivered a remarkable leap in Square-1, recording a personal best of 17.46 seconds that improved on a previous mark of 58.03 by 69.9 percent, while also logging a 13th-place finish in Megaminx and taking his first official attempt at Pyraminx in 7.52 seconds. Stefan Bryan tackled 12 events at the Texas Championship 2024, completing his first Clock solve in 10.42 seconds alongside initial attempts in Square-1 at 53.83 and the 6x6x6 Cube in 5:46.89. Konstantin Bryan took on 12 events, recording his first official 2x2x2 Cube solve at 2.95 seconds, a 6.92 Skewb single, and a 4:17.23 mark on 6x6x6. Junie Rogers reached 16th place in Pyraminx while logging first-time attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 3.00 seconds and 6x6x6 Cube in 3:53.73.

The ambition among rising solvers was equally visible across the broader schedule of the WCA competition. Humberto Martinez III competed across all 16 disciplines, earning 4th place in 4x4x4 Blindfolded and completing his first attempts at 7x7x7 in 7:13.91 and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2 out of 4 cubes in 21:33. Wesley Zuniga took on 10 events, finishing 15th in Pyraminx and making his first attempts at Megaminx in 1:33.91 and One-Handed in 29.20. James Pease entered 12 events, recording his first Square-1 solve at 20.89 seconds, while Caleb Torres completed his initial Clock attempt in 34.32 seconds.

Big cubes and memory disciplines brought a demanding test of focus to the Henry B. González Convention Center floor. Benjamin Wei swept the largest standard puzzles, capturing the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:30.46 and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:04.04. In memory events, Ryan Pilat took first in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 25.63 single and won 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 3:46.28. Joshua Gao dominated the marathon disciplines, winning 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 32 out of 36 cubes solved in 57:50 and taking 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a single of 7:00.77.

Side events rounded out the packed schedule with fast-paced action. Marcus Kamen secured the Pyraminx title with a 2.06 average, Jonathan Pelser won Skewb in 3.81 seconds, and William Henry Ruppert V posted a 3.79 winning average to claim Clock. The broad participation across all disciplines reflected the vibrant speed cubing culture in the region.

United States solvers earned 44 podium places, while Canadian competitors claimed 4 podium finishes. As equipment was packed and timers powered down, the Texas Championship 2024 highlighted the immense depth and rapid progress of a new generation of competitors ready to push times even lower in future seasons.