UW or U Don't 2023

Ninety-three competitors gathered in Seattle, Washington, USA on December 2, 2023, turning Oak Hall at the University of Washington into a stage for rapid execution and relentless progression. Across five events and ten rounds of high-pressure solving, the official WCA competition delivered a flurry of milestone marks. Enthusiasts tracking official 3x3 results saw the main bracket push boundaries as competitors delivered blistering times from the preliminary rounds straight through to the final solves.

Max Siauw produced a dominant campaign, securing three victories across the schedule. In the classic Rubik's Cube event, Siauw took first place with a 5.92 winning average and a best single of 5.55 across three rounds of play. Along the way, Siauw delivered a 6.01 single and a 6.74 average, while runner-up Sameer Aggarwal countered with a 5.67 single and a 6.78 average. Aggarwal claimed second overall in 3x3x3 Cube with a 6.45 final average, while Zhouheng Sun took third with a 7.00 mark.

The 3x3x3 Cube event produced an extraordinary cascade of personal benchmarks throughout the bracket. Ethan Rusnak recorded marks of a 7.53 single and 7.81 average, while Ash Black turned in a 7.35 single and an 8.30 average. Greyson James logged a 6.40 single alongside an 8.88 average, and Darius Burt delivered an 8.10 single and 9.07 average. Timothy Castle posted a 7.71 single and 9.16 average, Zhouheng Sun hit a 7.49 single and 9.20 average, Mihir A. Rai posted a 7.56 single and 9.29 average, and Ron G. Arama registered an 8.54 single with a 9.37 average.

Beyond the main event, Max Siauw established supremacy on bigger and shape-shifting puzzles at UW or U Don't 2023. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Siauw won the single-round contest featuring 53 solvers with an average of 25.34 and a best single of 23.06. Sameer Aggarwal claimed the silver medal position with a 29.86 average, and Timothy Castle locked up third with 31.78. Siauw then captured the Square-1 crown with an average of 5.24 and an event-best single of 3.69, finishing ahead of Aggarwal at 6.11 and Castle at 8.28.

Away from the top steps, the weekend offered an exceptional proving ground for competitors setting personal landmarks. Felix Luo trimmed an enormous 51.3 percent off his previous benchmark in Pyraminx with a 5.80 single, while also recording a 1:38.98 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube across three events. Derin Rohde tackled two events, logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 9.92 and delivering a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 12.50, an improvement of 39 percent. Matthew Franchini took on five events and secured a 9th-place finish in Pyraminx, while dropping his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 42.7 percent down to 21.05 and his Pyraminx single down to 3.32.

The spirit of this speed cubing gathering showed equally in the achievements of athletes expanding into new formats. Bawar Rasuli entered five events, recording a first ever attempt at Square-1 in 1:49.61 and a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 42.79, while dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.89, which was 19.5 percent faster. Arlo Maier made a first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 36.09, while cutting his 3x3x3 Cube best by 38.6 percent to 17.75. Cameron Sauve entered four events, posting a first attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 29.16 and improving his 4x4x4 Cube best by 20.3 percent to 58.31. Auden McBride made a debut at their first WCA competition across three events, logging a 14.74 in 3x3x3 Cube and a 9.63 in Pyraminx. Daniel Shuey also debuted in three events, posting a 12.42 Pyraminx and a 17.00 in 3x3x3 Cube.

One-handed solving provided another showcase of elite dexterity at UW or U Don't 2023. Zhouheng Sun captured the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with a decisive 10.62 winning average and the best single of the event at 8.60 among 47 competitors over two rounds. Max Siauw placed second with a 12.48 average, while Mihir A. Rai completed the podium in third with a 14.58 average, capping a balanced and competitive discipline.

The Pyraminx bracket delivered another tight contest among 58 entrants over two rounds. Sameer Aggarwal earned the top spot on the podium with a winning average of 3.27 and a best single of 2.22. Ash Black followed closely behind in second place with a 3.36 average, while Mihir A. Rai earned another medal placement by taking third with an average of 3.62. Across the five featured events, United States competitors captured 13 podium places, with Chinese representatives taking two.

With ten complete rounds executed in a single day at Oak Hall, UW or U Don't 2023 proved how vibrant modern speedcubing remains across every level of the bracket. From the record-paced 3x3 results to the dozens of breakthrough attempts across different puzzles, the cubing competition in Seattle set a sharp standard for the Pacific Northwest community as the 2023 calendar drew to a close.