VID Cubing Hatillo 2024

The tables at VID in Hatillo 3, San Jose, Costa Rica buzzed with intensity on May 4 as 40 competitors took their stations for a packed schedule of speedcubing. Representing different regional circles across Costa Rica alongside international challenger Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado of Guatemala, solve stations saw rapid-fire turns from the first morning solves to the late afternoon finals. The one-day gathering packed nine rounds of competition across eight distinct disciplines, giving local standouts a stage to test their preparation.

The central rivalry of VID Cubing Hatillo 2024 quickly crystallized into a head-to-head battle between Christian Rodríguez and Michael Zúñiga Meléndez. The classic 3x3x3 Cube, the quintessential Rubik's Cube event, saw 38 competitors push through two rounds of tense competition. In the decisive final, Rodríguez claimed top honors with a winning average of 9.17 seconds and a best single of 8.41 seconds, edging out Zúñiga Meléndez who took second place at 9.35 seconds, while Aarón Alfaro Navarro claimed third with a 9.92 average.

Zúñiga Meléndez answered with dominant authority in the 2x2x2 Cube, leading a field of 31 entrants with a blistering 2.77 winning average and a single of 1.85 seconds. Rodríguez secured the runner-up spot with a 2.99 average and a 1.51 single, while David Calderón Arce placed third with 3.24 seconds. The short format left virtually no room for errors, proving that minor fractions of a second decided the order on the podium in San Jose.

The duel continued into the larger cubes, where Michael Zúñiga Meléndez swept the remaining big cube titles. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Zúñiga Meléndez posted a 32.16 winning average and a best single of 24.13 seconds, outlasting David Calderón Arce who took second in 35.59 seconds and Kyle McDonald Trejos in third at 35.94. Zúñiga Meléndez then completed his triple-crown showing in the 5x5x5 Cube, producing a winning average of 55.54 seconds and a single of 49.90, finishing ahead of McDonald Trejos at 1:02.71 and Sebastián Herrera Pomares at 1:06.55.

Christian Rodríguez responded with equal force in the specialized rotational events. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Rodríguez took first place with a 13.93 average and a top single of 11.54 seconds, keeping Calderón Arce at bay in second place with 14.57. Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado of Guatemala broke onto the podium in third with a 17.59 average, securing the sole international hardware of the tournament. Rodríguez also mastered the technical challenges of Square-1, finishing first with an average of 15.58 seconds, comfortably ahead of Jose Daniel Solano Rodríguez at 18.66 and Andres Sanchez Ponce at 19.17.

Beyond the championship battles, several under-the-radar performers achieved standout individual milestones on the competition floor. Carlo Valencia Pignani entered seven events and delivered massive progress, slicing his Skewb mark down to 7.33 seconds, an improvement of 56.4 percent, while also dropping his 2x2x2 time to 3.69 seconds. Gustavo Vargas González cut his 2x2x2 personal best by 54 percent to 8.50 seconds. Darrell Mora Campos trimmed his Pyraminx personal best to 5.64 seconds, gaining 52.5 percent, and Kenneth Sancho lowered his 2x2x2 personal best to 1.81 seconds, 51.2 percent faster than his prior record.

New ventures and steep learning curves also defined the lower rounds of this cubing competition. Gabriel Alvarado Villalobos posted a 24.55 mark in his first ever attempt at Pyraminx and improved his 2x2x2 mark by 39.7 percent to 8.08 seconds. Santiago Núñez Bonilla tackled five events, recording his first official attempts at Pyraminx in 16.22 seconds and 2x2x2 in 11.24 seconds. Santiago Chaves Aguilar registered his first Pyraminx attempt with a 5.80 solve, while Mathías Báez Pérez took on 3x3x3 One-Handed for the first time, notching a 34.53 average and an 11th-place finish.

The side events rounded out the hardware distribution across San Jose. Jason Conejo Aguilar captured victory in Pyraminx with an average of 3.27 seconds and a best single of 2.55, finishing ahead of Zúñiga Meléndez at 4.89 and Calderón Arce at 5.08. Calderón Arce took his own gold in Skewb, recording a 5.27 average and a 2.98 single to hold off Andres Sanchez Ponce at 5.33 and Rodríguez at 5.78 in one of the tightest podium finishes of the day.

With 23 podium finishes retained by Costa Rican solvers and one earned by Guatemala, the action at VID Cubing Hatillo 2024 showed the depth of Central American speed cubing. From the hard-fought 3x3 results to the multi-event versatility of the finalists, the 2024 WCA competition delivered memorable head-to-head racing that set a high benchmark for the region.