Troy Story 2024

A razor-thin margin of three hundredths of a second determined the 2x2x2 Cube title in Troy, New York, USA, as Noah Melita edged out Curtis Chai in a final round that came down to the absolute wire. Melita sealed victory with a 1.87 winning average against Chai's 1.90, securing the top step after three rounds of intense speedcubing. The high-stakes showdown capped an action-packed day of competition that brought 76 competitors to the Hilton Garden Inn Troy on January 21, 2024.

The 2024 gathering marked an energetic stop on the regional speed cubing calendar, featuring four distinct events and a total of 12 rounds of head-to-head racing. Troy Story 2024 delivered high drama across all disciplines, with solvers trading sub-second advantages across three full rounds of cuts. Beyond the gripping 2x2x2 Cube duel, the tournament showcased top-tier talent in the classic 3x3x3 Cube, Skewb, and Pyraminx, drawing both seasoned performers and enthusiastic newcomers under the banner of the World Cube Association.

The main event spotlight fell squarely on the classic Rubik's Cube, where Alex Niedland captured the 3x3x3 Cube crown among 74 competitors. Niedland demonstrated superb consistency over the three rounds, delivering a winning average of 8.26 seconds alongside the tournament's fastest single solve of 6.69 seconds. Noah Melita secured the runner-up position with an average of 9.05, while Aditya Arunkumar claimed third place with a 9.33 average, completing an all-United States podium in the final 3x3 results.

The Pyraminx event produced another exceptionally close contest between the tournament's top contenders. Clem Tucker earned first place with a winning average of 3.13 seconds, narrowly holding off Curtis Chai, who finished second with a 3.15 average. Melita continued a prolific weekend by locking down third place with an average of 3.89 seconds. Tucker also recorded the fastest single solve of the event at 2.33 seconds across three rounds contested by 47 entrants at Troy Story 2024.

In the Skewb competition, Ryan Hughes outpaced a field of 49 competitors to claim the title with a 3.14 winning average. Hughes set the standard early by posting the best single solve of the event at 2.37 seconds. Ethan Zhuang earned the silver spot on the podium with a 3.53 average, while Chai added another medal to his tally by finishing third with an average of 3.64 seconds, cementing a weekend of solid multi-event results.

Beyond the championship finals, the cubing competition served as a proving ground for competitors setting notable personal milestones. Michael McIntosh took on three events, earning a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 12.92 seconds, which was 73.2 percent faster than his prior mark, alongside a 43.3 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Cube to 1:27.55 and a first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a time of 29.33 seconds. Benjamin Epstein made his first career official attempts in Pyraminx at 13.82 and 2x2x2 Cube at 9.31, while dropping his Skewb mark to 11.39, an improvement of 63.2 percent.

Significant progress continued across the scorecards as Devin S. Dhamoon entered four events, logging a first Skewb attempt of 15.96 while cutting 56.3 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 5.74 seconds. Victor Calderon posted a Skewb personal best of 7.60, which was 55.5 percent faster than his previous standard, and lowered his Pyraminx best by 36.5 percent to 6.92. Benjamin McIntosh improved across three puzzles, including a 55 percent drop to 9.83 in Pyraminx and a 47.8 percent improvement to 8.68 in Skewb.

First-time competitors also made an immediate impact during their introductory WCA competition appearances. Nathan Kon contested four events, earning a best finish of 18th place in Skewb with an opening mark of 6.18, alongside debuts of 3.09 in 2x2x2 Cube and 22.20 in 3x3x3 Cube. Jayaditya Yeluri entered three events, achieving a 14th-place best finish in 2x2x2 Cube at 3.25 seconds while posting initial marks of 4.36 in Skewb and 12.39 in 3x3x3 Cube. Solomon Egeth tackled four events, recording debut solves of 4.39 in 2x2x2 Cube, 9.59 in Pyraminx, and 22.40 in 3x3x3 Cube.

The 2x2x2 Cube event saw a long sequence of record results entered throughout the day. Competitors including Melita, Arunkumar, Eli Rogers, Zach Ridall, Chai, Zhuang, Nico Ozsvath, Louis Truong, Raymond Tyrrell, and Hughes registered standout singles and averages. United States competitors collected all 12 available podium positions across the four official disciplines, reflecting deep regional proficiency across short-format and rotational puzzles.

As the final timers were cleared and the equipment packed away at the Hilton Garden Inn, Troy Story 2024 concluded having delivered top-tier competition and widespread progress. From Niedland's decisive 3x3x3 Cube victory to Melita's nail-biting final solve in the 2x2x2 Cube, the single-day tournament highlighted the competitive vitality of the regional scene as solvers look forward to the upcoming milestones of the 2024 season.