Wakefield MA Summer 2024

Inside the Wakefield Elks hall, the tables were constantly shifting through an array of mechanical shapes and vibrant colors. As timers beeped across the floor, solvers handled everything from compact cubes to multi-faceted dodecahedrons. Wakefield MA Summer 2024 brought 67 competitors together on June 30, 2024, delivering a packed single-day program that celebrated the full geometric diversity of speedcubing. Across 11 total rounds and six distinct disciplines, the Wakefield, Massachusetts, USA tournament highlighted just how wide-ranging modern speed cubing has become.

The traditional 3x3x3 Cube contest drew a full roster of 67 entrants across three hard-fought rounds. When the 3x3 results were finalized, Krish Shah-Nathwani emerged atop the podium with a decisive winning average of 7.31 seconds, backed by a best single solve of 6.44. Charles Amarello claimed second place with an 8.51 average, while Ethan Zhuang rounded out the podium in third with an 8.88 mark. The classic Rubik's Cube remains the universal standard, but the day offered far more variety beyond the flagship event.

In the 2x2x2 Cube division, Shah-Nathwani secured a double victory, capturing first place with a 2.17 average in the final round. Chris Chi pressed close behind to earn the silver medal with a 2.31 average, while Zhuang took his second bronze of the gathering with 2.53. The event saw blazing speeds throughout the earlier stages, highlighted by Zhuang posting a 1.67 average and a 0.87 single, alongside rapid marks from Chi, Shah-Nathwani, and Saisabari Ramesh.

Big cubes and corner-turning puzzles tested alternate skill sets throughout the afternoon. Chi displayed remarkable command on the larger hardware, claiming victory in the 5x5x5 Cube with an average of 1:04.16 and a sharp 1:00.04 single across 26 competitors. Shah-Nathwani grabbed the runner-up spot with 1:08.79, followed by Derek White at 1:09.01. Chi added another gold in the Square-1 event, averaging 8.08 to outpace Tommy Szeliga at 10.85 and Shah-Nathwani at 12.04.

The schedule also brought out non-cubic challenges that demanded unique physical turn styles and distinct spatial recognition. The twelve-sided Megaminx saw Mike Zheng take top honors with an average of 53.34 seconds, registering a 47.25 single along the way to lead Ramesh at 55.96 and Viktor Pearl at 59.68. Meanwhile, Ethan Zhuang found his own gold medal in Skewb, recording a 3.68 winning average to edge out Justin Lee at 3.87 and White at 3.88 in a tight final.

Beyond the championship finals, the heart of this cubing competition came from individual milestones and breakthrough performances. Alexander Laskin cut down personal records dramatically, dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best by 55.1 percent to 20.14 seconds and his 2x2x2 mark by 38.2 percent to 5.01, while also logging a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 13.35 single. Dov Geoghegan slashed his previous Skewb best by 73.8 percent to 12.39 seconds and improved his 5x5x5 time by 19.8 percent to 1:37.48. Simon Steinberg took on four events, producing his first ever official attempts in Skewb with 21.57 and 2x2x2 with 3.82, alongside a 15.9 percent drop in 3x3x3 to 17.04. Sriaarush Vaddadi made a first attempt in 2x2x2 with 7.25 and improved his Skewb mark by 39.7 percent to 8.11.

Progress continued across the scorecards as Jack Miller lowered his 2x2x2 time by 35.1 percent to 5.28 seconds and improved his 3x3x3 solve by 30.7 percent to 19.45 while trying Skewb for the first time. Jordan Blaustein took on four disciplines, making first attempts in both Skewb at 16.29 and 5x5x5 at 2:47.11 while setting an 11.33 personal best in 3x3x3. Lichia Huang finished fourth in Square-1, lowered their 2x2x2 best by 56.4 percent to 1.54, trimmed Square-1 to 10.94, and tried Skewb for the first time with a 3.69 solve. Will Gray tackled five events, completing a first attempt at Square-1 in 51.41 seconds and improving his 5x5x5 best by 22.8 percent down to 2:47.80.

For new entrants John Ashe, Xavier Liu, Nathan Pearce, and Ian Chan, the tournament served as an introduction to official play, each taking on multiple puzzle formats in their very first appearance. Every one of the eighteen podium spots was claimed by United States competitors, underscoring the depth of local talent in 2024. As the day concluded, Wakefield MA Summer 2024 proved how a well-balanced WCA competition can showcase both elite speed and personal improvement across a rich spectrum of puzzles.