Victorian Open 2023

The Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre was a hive of activity on July 1 and 2 as the Victorian Open 2023 got underway. The air was thick with the distinctive click-clack of plastic against plastic, a soundtrack that only a dedicated cubing competition can produce. With 467 competitors settling into their chairs, the atmosphere was a mix of intense focus and community spirit. Tables were covered in timers, mats, and puzzles of various shapes and sizes, ready for a busy weekend of speedcubing. As the first scrambles were projected onto the screens, the quiet murmur of the crowd gave way to the sharp, rapid movements of hundreds of hands working in unison. This WCA competition in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia brought together a massive field to tackle six different events across sixteen gruelling rounds.

The story of the weekend was undoubtedly the overwhelming success of the home nation, with Australian competitors claiming sixteen of the eighteen available podium places. It was a dominant display of local speed cubing talent. The classic 3x3x3 Cube event, always the centrepiece of any competition, saw David Epstein take the top spot with a winning average of 6.38 seconds and a best single of 6.11 seconds in a massive field of 460 competitors. Feliks Zemdegs secured second place with an average of 6.68 seconds, while Phoenix Patterson completed the all-Australian podium sweep in third with 7.23 seconds. These 3x3 results underscored the depth of talent currently residing within the country.

The success of the host nation continued across the other events. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Andy Gong led the way with a blisteringly fast winning average of 1.82 seconds and a best single of 1.63 seconds. China’s Guanbo Wang took second place with a 1.98-second average, breaking up the Australian monopoly slightly, before Phoenix Patterson claimed third with 2.02 seconds. It was an event that also saw a flurry of national records for Australia, with Phoenix Patterson setting an Oceanic Record single of 1.60 seconds and an Oceanic Record average of 2.01 seconds. Jacob Joshi, Riley Dexter, Cameron Stollery, Alex Butera, Roman Rudakov, Lochitha Subasinghe, Nathan Fares, and David Epstein also established Oceanic Records in the 2x2x2 Cube, alongside Guanbo Wang who set Asian Records for China.

The Pyraminx event saw another all-Australian podium at the Victorian Open 2023. Ziqi Ding emerged victorious with a winning average of 2.44 seconds and a best single of 1.96 seconds, navigating the tetrahedral puzzle with precision. Phoenix Patterson added another podium to his impressive weekend haul, taking second place with a 2.64-second average. Riley Dexter rounded out the top three with an average of 2.80 seconds. The competition was fierce among the 318 competitors who took on the Pyraminx across three rounds of solving.

While the top of the leaderboard rightly draws attention, the heart of any Rubik's Cube event lies in the personal milestones achieved throughout the field. Liam Aharonovich demonstrated massive improvement, shaving a massive 70.3 percent off his previous best to record a new 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 15.47 seconds. He also expanded his repertoire, making his first ever attempts at the 2x2x2 Cube and Pyraminx. Vivaan Degaonkar similarly impressed, registering a Pyraminx personal best of 9.14 seconds, which was 66.1 percent faster than his prior mark, alongside a new 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 20.69 seconds and a first ever attempt at the Skewb. Madeline Lawson recorded a Skewb personal best of 4.16 seconds, a 51.3 percent improvement, and took on the 3x3x3 One-Handed and 2x2x2 Cube for the first time.

The drive to try new events was a recurring theme at the Victorian Open 2023. Jack Cleave secured a Skewb personal best of 8.72 seconds, improving by 46.2 percent, and made his first ever attempts at the Pyraminx and 3x3x3 One-Handed. Rafael Sirota achieved a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 7.03 seconds, 44.6 percent faster than before, while trying the Pyraminx and Skewb for the first time. Lachlan Ong improved his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 42.5 percent to 11.94 seconds, and debuted in the Skewb and 3x3x3 One-Handed. Cameron Tan took 41.1 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to record 11.66 seconds, making first attempts at the 3x3x3 One-Handed and Pyraminx. Noah Thomas Van Heugten achieved a Pyraminx personal best of 9.18 seconds, a 39.3 percent gain, and tackled the 3x3x3 One-Handed and Skewb for the first time.

The Skewb event brought further success for the home crowd. Eli Panetta claimed victory with a winning average of 3.40 seconds and a best single of 2.15 seconds. Ziqi Ding followed closely in second place with an average of 3.79 seconds, and Miller Atkinson secured third place with 3.80 seconds. The 3x3x3 One-Handed event provided another minor disruption to the Australian sweep, as China's Yibo Wang secured the win with an average of 10.34 seconds. Feliks Zemdegs took second with an 11.49-second average, and Phoenix Patterson was third with 12.02 seconds.

The final event of the weekend, the Square-1, saw David Epstein return to the top of the podium. He secured his second victory of the Victorian Open 2023 with a winning average of 7.06 seconds and a best single of 5.41 seconds. Phoenix Patterson was right behind him, taking second place with an average of 8.59 seconds, completing a remarkable weekend of consistent high-level solving. Jacob Joshi finished third with an average of 10.47 seconds. As the last puzzles were packed away, the 467 competitors could reflect on a highly successful competition marked by rapid solves, numerous records, and a resounding display of Australian talent.