Vancouver Pride 2023

A total of 130 competitors gathered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on June 11, 2023, for a fast-paced day of puzzles at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. Across seven rounds and five events, Vancouver Pride 2023 delivered a showcase of technical precision and personal growth. The single-day tournament highlighted the enduring appeal of speedcubing across a spectrum of twisting puzzles, ranging from the classic three-layered cube to more complex geometric challenges.

The 3x3x3 Cube drew the largest participation of the day, with 129 entrants vying through two full rounds of solves. When the final round wrapped up, Max Siauw of the United States stood atop the standings with a winning average of 7.10 seconds alongside a best single solve of 6.31. Compatriot Sameer Aggarwal followed closely behind, securing the second step of the podium with a 7.19 average, while Brian Sun of Canada earned third place with an average mark of 7.52.

Beyond the standard Rubik's Cube, Max Siauw and Sameer Aggarwal traded top honors across the program. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Siauw captured first place with an average of 12.33 seconds, besting Aggarwal's 12.84 average and Canadian competitor Kenny Zhong's 15.58. Siauw added a third victory in Megaminx, navigating the twelve-sided puzzle to an average of 45.96 seconds, ahead of Canada's Ethan Rusnak at 49.09 and Aggarwal at 53.78.

Aggarwal answered with decisive victories of his own in the remaining two events. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Aggarwal finished on top with a 27.87 average, just ahead of Siauw's 28.00 and Mexico's Jesús Julián De Niz Hernandez, who took third in 36.18. In the Pyraminx final, Aggarwal set the winning mark with an average of 2.82 seconds and a single of 2.56, while Siauw finished second with 4.26 and Canadian Kyle Van Straaten placed third with 4.88.

Behind the fight for podium hardware, the real heart of Vancouver Pride 2023 was the sheer number of personal bests recorded on the competition floor. Yu-Ruei Chen delivered a massive leap forward in 3x3x3 One-Handed, posting a personal best of 59.04 seconds that was 52.9 percent faster than their previous best, alongside a 22.9 percent drop in 4x4x4 Cube to 2:18.05. Enoch Tribhuwan registered a major personal best of 3.74 seconds in Pyraminx, cutting their prior mark down by 49.1 percent. Zakkary Stewart shaved 37 percent off their previous best in the 3x3x3 Cube to finish in 20.78 seconds and dropped 31.3 percent in 3x3x3 One-Handed down to 1:00.97. Charlie Jackson made substantial strides as well, securing a 35.6 percent personal best improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube with a time of 15.43 seconds.

The progress continued with several competitors taking on brand new puzzle formats for the very first time at a WCA competition. Samuel Sloat improved their Pyraminx best by 32.3 percent to 6.11 seconds and logged their first official 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 2:42.68. Owen Poon cut 29.3 percent off their previous 3x3x3 mark down to 11.54 seconds while delivering a debut 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 53.14. Thomas Abresch logged personal best drops of 24 percent in 4x4x4 Cube with 1:40.60 and 21.6 percent in 3x3x3 Cube with 21.76, while tackling Megaminx for the first time with a 3:30.33 solve. Harlan Beddoes rounded out the strong showing with a 19.6 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Cube to 16.08 seconds, pairing it with debut marks in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:25.12 and Pyraminx at 5.54.

In addition to personal milestones, the main event featured ten different competitors establishing fresh official marks in the standard 3x3 category, generating an exciting set of official 3x3 results. The podium distribution reflected a diverse gathering, with the United States taking 10 podium spots, Canada earning four, and Mexico capturing one over the course of the day.

Vancouver Pride 2023 proved to be a vibrant stop on the regional speed cubing calendar, showcasing the rapid development of newer participants alongside seasoned performers. As the cubing competition concluded at the Roundhouse, the collection of steep personal improvements set a high standard for the community across British Columbia and beyond.