UTP Cube Open 2024

Twenty-eight podium spots belonged to Malaysian solvers by the close of the weekend, anchoring an extraordinary run of local form across thirteen disciplines. The action unfolded across twenty-seven rounds at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS in Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia on September 7 and 8, 2024. A field of 52 competitors took to the tables for two days of relentless speedcubing, turning the gathering into a showcase of depth across every tier of the roster.

The tournament stood as a memorable WCA competition where Malaysian competitors claimed complete top-three lockouts in several signature puzzles. In the Skewb final, Mohamad Adrian Syahirin Bin Mohd Faizal secured the title with a 2.79 winning average and a 2.49 single. He was joined on the podium by compatriots Eng Dickson in second at 3.50 and Ang Chin Xiang in third at 3.53. In Clock, Ng Jia Quan took the victory with a 5.45 average, followed by Jayden Choo with 7.98 and Wong Ming Liang with 8.58 to complete another full Malaysian rostrum.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline delivered yet another podium sweep for the host nation. Lee Roo Zen captured the gold with a stunning best single of 24.85 seconds in an event that pushes memorisation and spatial awareness to their absolute limits. Ng Jia Quan took second place with a single of 56.04, while Poh Jen Joon completed the sweep with a 1:06.98 single for third. Ng also had a remarkably versatile weekend, collecting wins in Pyraminx with a 2.97 average and Square-1 with a 10.63 average alongside his Clock triumph.

China also featured prominently in the headline 3x3 results and big cube categories. In the premier 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube final, Kangze Wang took top honours with a dominant 7.00 average, backed by a quick 6.41 single, ahead of Jiayu Wang who posted 7.90 for second, while Malaysia's Moy Jay Min claimed third with an 8.26 average. Kangze Wang added a second victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 10.65 average. In the large cubes, Anyu Zhang of China captured gold in 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:28.05 average and 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:02.81 average, holding off strong challenges from Ang Chin Xiang and Ivan Lew Yi Wen.

Every cubing competition reveals its heart through the personal milestones reached in early rounds, away from the silverware. Efren Thayabaran AL Thaiyalan delivered one of the weekend's biggest leaps, recording a Skewb personal best of 5.46 seconds that was 72.9 percent faster than his previous mark of 20.13, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Cube best to 21.54. Zarif Ikmal bin Soleh improved his 2x2x2 Cube best to 1.69 seconds, a 48.8 percent drop from 3.30, and logged his first Clock attempt with an 18.67 single. Tan Xuan Yu dropped his 5x5x5 Cube mark by 42.1 percent to 1:13.23, took his first 6x6x6 Cube attempt at 3:42.56, and improved his blindfolded best to 5:16.65. Muhammad Syahmi Salihin Bin Sharifuddin tackled the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a 2:30.93 single and made his one-handed debut at 35.97 while slicing his 3x3 mark to 10.35.

The ambition across the hall was evident in heavy multi-event schedules. Marcus Yeow took on all 13 events, posting his first official attempts in 7x7x7 Cube at 9:02.91, Square-1 at 44.08, and 6x6x6 Cube at 5:54.60, along with a 6th place finish in 2x2x2 Cube. Chang Kai Hean entered 10 events, recording an 8th place finish in Pyraminx while lodging his first marks in Megaminx at 2:22.48, 5x5x5 Cube at 1:10.30, and 7x7x7 Cube at 9:31.79. Ahmad Amzar Bin Ahmad Azri registered first-time attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:38.00, Pyraminx at 12.06, and Skewb at 8.58. Gan Vinkent completed his first official solves in Square-1 at 59.00 and Clock at 20.70, alongside an improved 3x3x3 best of 11.08.

The 2x2x2 Cube final provided a thrilling conclusion decided by fractions of a second. Malaysia's Muhammad Syahmi captured first place with an average of 2.41 seconds, edging out Kangze Wang who finished second in 2.43, while Aariz Sayfiyy Bin Saiful Azam secured third at 2.44. In 4x4x4 Cube, Ang Chin Zhen claimed victory with an average of 28.82, while Ang Chin Xiang won the 5x5x5 Cube title averaging 49.68. Megaminx went to Ivan Lew Yi Wen with a winning average of 45.16 across two rounds.

The high standard of speed cubing on display throughout the UTP Cube Open 2024 reflected the strong regional growth of the sport. With 52 competitors sharing tables, personal records, and intense multi-round finals, the UTP Cube Open 2024 stood as an outstanding gathering for the community. The weekend closed with Malaysia earning 28 podium finishes, China claiming 10, and Singapore taking one, setting an impressive benchmark as the circuit moves forward into the rest of the year.

Dewan di Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) dipenuhi tumpuan mendalam serta ketangkasan jari para peserta sebaik sahaja pemasa dimulakan pada hujung minggu tersebut. Pertarungan format kejuaraan yang berlangsung pada 7 hingga 8 September 2024 ini menuntut ketahanan mental dan kepantasan mutlak bagi merebut gelaran dalam setiap kategori. Suasana pertandingan kiub Rubik di pentas berprestij ini menguji setiap strategi penyelesaian apabila seramai 52 peserta berentap dalam 27 pusingan yang merangkumi 13 acara berbeza sepanjang dua hari kejohanan.

Dalam acara utama kiub 3x3x3, saingan memuncak sehingga ke pusingan akhir yang melibatkan 51 peserta secara keseluruhan. Kangze Wang mempamerkan ketenangan luar biasa untuk merangkul kejuaraan dengan catatan purata kemenangan 7.00 saat serta catatan masa tunggal terbaik 6.41 saat. Tempat kedua disandang oleh Jiayu Wang yang mencatatkan purata 7.90 saat, manakala Moy Jay Min melengkapkan kedudukan podium di tempat ketiga dengan catatan purata 8.26 saat. Kemenangan ini membuktikan dominasi teknikal yang tinggi dalam pusingan penentu.

Bukan setakat acara klasik, Kangze Wang turut menguasai acara 3x3x3 One-Handed dengan mencatatkan purata kemenangan 10.65 saat serta masa tunggal 9.78 saat menewaskan 33 peserta lain. Di samping itu, Ng Jia Quan muncul antara peserta paling cemerlang pada UTP Cube Open 2024 selepas menyapu bersih tiga kejuaraan berbeza. Beliau memenangi acara Pyraminx dengan purata 2.97 saat, acara Clock dengan catatan purata 5.45 saat, serta acara Square-1 dengan purata masa 10.63 saat selepas menewaskan pencabar lain.

Kategori kiub bersaiz besar pula menyaksikan kehebatan Anyu Zhang yang membawa pulang dua kejuaraan utama. Beliau mengungguli acara 6x6x6 Cube menerusi catatan purata 1:28.05 dan masa tunggal 1:24.49, mendahului Ang Chin Xiang yang mencatat 1:33.09 serta Ivan Lew Yi Wen dengan 1:40.33. Anyu Zhang meneruskan kecemerlangannya dalam acara 7x7x7 Cube dengan purata kemenangan 2:02.81, mengatasi Ivan Lew Yi Wen di tempat kedua dengan 2:27.46 dan Carmen Teo Bin Jie dari Singapura di tempat ketiga dengan 2:31.95.

Acara kiub mini 2x2x2 Cube mencetuskan drama tersendiri apabila Muhammad Syahmi meraih kemenangan tipis dengan purata 2.41 saat, menewaskan Kangze Wang yang mencatatkan 2.43 saat dan Aariz Sayfiyy Bin Saiful Azam di tempat ketiga dengan 2.44 saat. Sementara itu, Ang Chin Xiang memenangi acara 5x5x5 Cube dengan purata 49.68 saat mengatasi Anyu Zhang dan Ang Chin Zhen. Bagi acara Skewb, Mohamad Adrian Syahirin Bin Mohd Faizal menjuarai saingan dengan purata 2.79 saat di hadapan Eng Dickson dan Ang Chin Xiang.

Di sebalik carta kemenangan utama, pertandingan speedcubing ini turut menyaksikan pencapaian peribadi yang sangat bermakna buat peserta lain. Bryant Liew Jing Heng menyertai 6 acara dengan menduduki tempat ke-6 dalam Skewb, mencatat percubaan sulung Clock 12.10 saat, memperbaiki rekod 3x3x3 kepada 8.61 saat iaitu 15.3 peratus lebih pantas, serta mencatat 4.34 saat dalam Skewb. Daniel Syafiq Bin Eruwan Gerry melakukan percubaan pertama bagi 4x4x4 Cube dengan 1:39.38 dan One-Handed dengan 47.97 saat, di samping memperbaiki catatan 3x3x3 sebanyak 6.4 peratus kepada 17.68 saat. Yap Pak Zheng menyertai 7 acara, melakukan percubaan pertama One-Handed 33.09 saat dan Skewb 9.81 saat, serta memotong rekod Pyraminx sebanyak 13.6 peratus kepada 8.89 saat. Amirul Zarif Bin Mohd Nasir pula membuat percubaan rasmi pertama bagi Skewb dengan 11.79 saat dan Pyraminx dengan 8.64 saat.

Pentas kejohanan ini juga menjadi medan pengenalan rasmi yang cemerlang buat muka-muka baharu. Lok Ann Qin menyertai pertandingan WCA sulung beliau dengan beraksi dalam 7 acara, merakamkan percubaan pertama 5x5x5 Cube 2:02.96, 3x3x3 Cube 13.52 saat, dan Pyraminx 7.22 saat. Mondo Abe turut membuat kemunculan sulung dengan menyertai 4 acara termasuk percubaan pertama 2x2x2 Cube 6.28 saat, Skewb 22.31 saat, dan Pyraminx 19.81 saat. Wong Zi Earn menyertai 3 acara pada penampilan pertamanya dengan catatan 2x2x2 Cube 3.25 saat, One-Handed 21.83 saat, dan 3x3x3 Cube 11.28 saat, manakala Teo Jun Xian beraksi dalam 2 acara dengan catatan 2x2x2 Cube 11.22 saat dan 3x3x3 Cube 45.05 saat.

Kejohanan berprofil tinggi ini turut menyaksikan kehebatan Lee Roo Zen dalam acara 3x3x3 Blindfolded apabila mencatat masa tunggal terbaik 24.85 saat untuk memenangi tempat pertama, mengatasi Ng Jia Quan dengan 56.04 saat dan Poh Jen Joon dengan 1:06.98. Dalam acara 4x4x4 Cube, Ang Chin Zhen muncul juara dengan catatan purata 28.82 saat, manakala Ivan Lew Yi Wen mengungguli saingan Megaminx dengan purata 45.16 saat. Dari segi kutipan keseluruhan, wakil Malaysia meraih 28 penamat podium, diikuti China dengan 10 podium dan Singapura dengan 1 podium.

Penganjuran UTP Cube Open 2024 di Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia membuktikan keupayaan penganjur dalam menyediakan medan berkualiti tinggi bagi mengasah bakat baharu serta menguji kehebatan peserta berpengalaman. Pelbagai rekod baharu dan kejayaan individu yang tercipta sepanjang tahun 2024 ini menutup tirai kejohanan dengan penuh gilang-gemilang, sekali gus menetapkan penanda aras baharu bagi pusingan saingan yang akan datang.