The Battle of Concord 2024

Ethan Zhuang delivered the most striking performance of the day by claiming victory in the 2x2x2 Cube with a blistering final average of 1.82 seconds and a fastest single of 1.18 seconds, having also set marks of 1.16 single and 1.49 average earlier in the rounds. That electric sprint set the tone for The Battle of Concord 2024, held on March 2, 2024, at Concord-Carlisle High School in Concord, Massachusetts, USA. A total of 79 competitors gathered to contest six varied puzzles across eleven rounds of high-energy speedcubing, turning the single-day meet into an unforgettable showcase of progress.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a crowded field of 77 entrants battling through three full rounds. William Greninger emerged at the top of the standings to capture the title, logging a winning average of 7.17 seconds alongside the round best single solve of 6.76 seconds. Brooklyn Schmidt secured second place with an average of 7.94 seconds, while George Fan took third on an 8.32 average. The decisive 3x3 results demonstrated tremendous composure under pressure at this major regional cubing competition, setting a high standard for classic Rubik's Cube solving in the 2024 season.

George Fan enjoyed an exceptionally productive day across the broader schedule, walking away with two distinct titles. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Fan topped a field of 37 entrants across two rounds with a winning average of 30.49 seconds and a sharp single of 27.65 seconds, holding off William Greninger who took second at 31.10 and Gabriel Garber Burd in third at 32.63. Fan doubled his gold tally in Square-1, navigating two rounds against 26 competitors to win with an average of 12.81 seconds and a best solve of 11.94 seconds, finishing ahead of Joshua Broderick Phillips at 14.09 and Ryan Durette at 14.68.

Specialty disciplines provided plenty of excitement across the venue. In Clock, Brendan Lee mastered the dials over 31 competitors to take first place with an impressive 4.70 winning average and a 4.08 single, finishing clear of Timothy Huynh at 7.61 and Ryan Durette at 8.08. The 3x3x3 Blindfolded contest tested pure spatial memory across 14 entrants, where Brazil representative Thiago Han clinched victory with a fast 22.30 single solve despite a DNF average. Elliot Wiecek followed in second place with a time of 47.26 seconds, while Will Russo locked in third with a 1:00.76 solve.

Beyond the championship finals, the heart of the event lived in the massive time drops recorded across every tier of the field. Charlie McEneaney took on five events and posted a massive 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.70 seconds, which was 54.1 percent faster than their previous 3.70 mark, while also shaving their Clock best down to 4.26 seconds for a 23.7 percent improvement and finishing tenth in 2x2x2. Peyton Israsena Na Ayudhya tackled five events, finishing 26th in Clock, dropping their 4x4x4 Cube best by 44.3 percent to 54.01 seconds, and logging first ever official attempts in Square-1 at 49.25 and Clock at 26.96.

The breakthroughs continued with Murry Zuo, who registered a first attempt in 2x2x2 Cube at 11.39 seconds and dropped their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 33.3 percent down to 29.95 seconds. Thomas Jace Kim entered two events, logging a first 2x2x2 Cube attempt of 4.98 seconds and cutting 28.4 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 15.84. Adam Lavoie improved their 3x3x3 Cube time by 27.8 percent to 35.59 and their 2x2x2 Cube to 12.30, while Connor Simes took 22nd in Clock, trimming their Clock best by 20.1 percent to 15.37 and their Square-1 to 47.33. George Herault recorded first attempts in Clock at 37.94 and 2x2x2 Cube at 20.12 while improving their 3x3x3 Cube by 12.4 percent to 43.76, and Will Gray posted a first 2x2x2 Cube solve of 8.24 alongside a 16.8 percent Clock improvement to 19.15.

Also competing in the venue was Julian Kim, the founder and developer of Speedcubing.app, who took on three separate events and came away with zero podiums but three fresh personal bests. Kim made his first ever official attempt in Clock, finishing in 27th place with a single of 34.76 seconds. He also took his first official steps in 2x2x2 Cube to finish 44th with an 11.15 average and an 8.03 single, while completing his first attempt in the 3x3x3 Cube to place 62nd with a 38.02 average and a best single solve of 27.41 seconds.

Newcomers made an immediate impact throughout this WCA competition, demonstrating the rapid growth of speed cubing in the region. Drishaan Biswas competed in their first tournament, taking 23rd in Clock with an 18.45 single, while adding debut marks of 18.82 in 3x3x3 and 5.65 in 2x2x2. Fellow debutant Ijae Kim logged first attempts of 19.15 in 3x3x3 and 5.62 in 2x2x2. First-time competitors Oliver McColgan and Torrin Flood also completed debuts across three puzzles each, with McColgan posting 2:29.31 in 4x4x4, 34.82 in 3x3x3, and 11.45 in 2x2x2, while Flood recorded 31.00 in 3x3x3, 2:51.95 in 4x4x4, and 7.70 in 2x2x2.

The 2x2x2 Cube podium saw Ethan Mai take second place with a 2.17 average and Joshua Broderick Phillips secure third in 2.37, following behind Zhuang's winning performance. Across the entire competition, United States competitors captured 17 podium places alongside one podium finish for Brazil. When the final rounds concluded at Concord-Carlisle High School, The Battle of Concord 2024 stood as a testament to broad personal growth, sharp competitive focus, and widespread personal bests.