Thornhill Spring 2024

The tables across the Thornhill Community Centre bustled with continuous motion as solving mats clicked under the rapid turnover of hardware. Across five distinct disciplines, 153 competitors gathered on April 20, 2024, navigating a demanding schedule that moved from corner-turning puzzles to multi-layered big cubes. The atmosphere inside the hall captured the full breadth of the hobby, where intricate mechanical challenges shared the floor with raw speed tests throughout eight rounds of intense play in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.

The central focus for many remained the classic Rubik's Cube, which brought a massive field of 153 entrants through three stages of competition. Burno Li Chak Kwan secured the top spot in the main event, locking down victory with a 7.60 final average and delivering the tournament best single of 5.87. Omar Ellabban claimed the runner-up position on the podium with a 7.98 average, while Yiming Lu completed the top three with an 8.00 mark. The 3x3 results demonstrated remarkable depth across the bracket as contenders pushed each other through every solve.

Beyond the standard cube, the roster of events tested a wide array of specialized skills, beginning with the dynamic mechanical design of the Skewb. Max Murphy conquered the 81-player field across two rounds, averaging 3.63 seconds to take gold alongside a tournament-best 2.86 single. Burno Li Chak Kwan secured second place with an average of 4.02, while Larry Shi earned third place with a 4.68 mark. The event highlighted rapid-fire ergonomics and precision handling on an axis system very different from standard twisty puzzles.

The puzzle slate also ventured into the shape-shifting complexities of the Square-1, where 37 competitors tackled unique rotational constraints and alignment challenges. Matthew Lee emerged victorious in the single-round format, posting a winning average of 9.21 seconds and the round best single of 6.28. Burno Li Chak Kwan took second place with a 9.54 average, adding another podium finish to a remarkably diverse campaign, while Peter Charbonneau locked in third position with a 12.28 average to round out the medalists.

On the big cube side of the venue, Omar Ellabban dominated the marathon events, showcasing absolute mastery over the high-order layers. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Ellabban outpaced 43 competitors to win with a 1:25.74 average and a 1:19.80 single. Max Xiong earned second place with 1:33.27, and Burno Li Chak Kwan placed third with 1:41.24. Ellabban repeated his triumph in the 7x7x7 Cube against 30 entrants, taking top honours with a 2:04.71 average and a 1:59.72 single, finishing ahead of Xiong at 2:10.77 and Li at 2:29.25.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, numerous competitors delivered outstanding breakthroughs across fresh formats and personal milestones. Kayden Park cut an enormous 40.8 percent off a previous mark to record a 21.91 Square-1 personal best, also achieving a 3.57 Skewb best and a first official 6x6x6 Cube attempt of 3:59.41. Kian Jafarian improved by 34.3 percent with a 3.08 Skewb personal best, placed fourth overall in that event, logged a first Square-1 attempt of 25.63, and recorded a 10.98 3x3x3 Cube personal best. Lincoln Minge made inaugural official starts in the 6x6x6 Cube at 4:46.12 and Skewb at 10.24, alongside an 11.27 mark in 3x3x3 Cube that was 30 percent faster than before. Eden Soref achieved a 29.8 percent improvement in Square-1 with a 14.24 personal best, placed eighth, and posted debut times of 3:37.03 in the 6x6x6 Cube and 6:14.49 in the 7x7x7 Cube.

The progress continued across all experience levels as competitors expanded their repertoires at this WCA competition. Alexander Guntayon dropped 25.9 percent off an earlier best to hit 11.87 in the 3x3x3 Cube, secured ninth in Square-1 with a first-time 12.74, and made a Skewb debut at 4.97. Spencer Lee lowered a 3x3x3 Cube best by 23.9 percent to 19.16 and registered a first Square-1 time of 47.13. Eva Ruixi Huang improved her 3x3x3 Cube standard by 21.7 percent to 15.10 while recording first official marks of 1:10.96 in Square-1 and 14.78 in Skewb. Clara Wu Mun Yu posted a 17.5 percent drop for a 5.44 Skewb personal best, placed 15th in Square-1 with a 22.08 personal best, and logged a maiden 6x6x6 Cube result of 5:06.65.

The international spread among podium finishers saw Canadian competitors claim seven positions, while representatives from Hong Kong earned five and China took three. This dynamic cubing competition provided a comprehensive test of dexterity, concentration, and adaptability across both traditional and non-standard hardware. The vibrant weekend of speed cubing at Thornhill Spring 2024 concluded with milestones achieved at every level, demonstrating the growing depth and enthusiasm within the local speedcubing community as the season moves forward.