Waterloo Favourites A 2023

Inside RIM Park, tables filled early on February 18, 2023, as timers and mats lined the floor for an intense single-day schedule. A total of 143 competitors assembled in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, creating a buzzing atmosphere across 12 distinct events. With 16 rounds of action planned throughout the venue, competitors warmed up and planned their solves in what proved to be a test of endurance and focus at this regional WCA competition.

Reaching a final round required surviving massive preliminary brackets where the slightest misstep meant elimination. The marquee 3x3x3 Cube drew 129 entrants, demanding elite consistency across two rounds just to contend for top honours. Brennen Lin rose to the top of the 3x3 results by securing victory with an exceptional winning average of 6.64 seconds and a best single solve of 5.97. Morgan Yeh placed second with an average of 6.98, while Jeriel James Thomas finished third with a mark of 7.26 in a podium sweep for Canada.

Brennen Lin was not finished with just the classic Rubik's Cube victory, carrying that momentum into the 2x2x2 Cube. In a crowded field of 84 entrants, Lin captured first place with an average of 1.60 and a single of 1.17. Arhaan Sareen pushed hard to take second place with an average of 1.72, and Andrew Mao rounded out the podium in third with a 2.34 mark. Overcoming such massive fields made the double victory stand out during Waterloo Favourites A 2023.

Beyond the smaller puzzles, Morgan Yeh displayed mastery across the mid-sized hardware. Yeh won the 4x4x4 Cube from a field of 56 competitors, recording a 29.53 average and a 25.82 single to top Stanley Wang, who averaged 32.49, and Jeriel James Thomas at 32.82. Yeh doubled up by taking the 5x5x5 Cube title with an average of 56.31, finishing ahead of Jonathan Esparaz at 1:06.17 and Matthew Lee at 1:07.12 in an impressive showing of speedcubing stamina.

Away from the top steps of the podium, the open rounds showed significant progression and personal milestones. Rafael Ayala-Morales tackled four events, setting a Pyraminx personal best of 5.46 that was 58.9 percent faster than before, a 2x2x2 personal best of 3.77 that improved by 46.8 percent, and registering a first official 3x3x3 One-Handed solve of 38.06 on the way to a 31st place finish. Gabriel Granovski improved his 3x3x3 best to 22.27, a 42.7 percent leap, while putting up a first-ever One-Handed mark of 1:04.16 and a first Skewb solve of 18.25. Jakob Patel dropped his 3x3x3 best by 41.5 percent down to 11.26, chopped his 2x2x2 mark by 30.3 percent to 3.54, and posted a 9.75 in his Skewb debut. Nolan Schulzke cut his 4x4x4 best by 39.3 percent to 1:00.05, improved his 3x3x3 best to 13.78, and took 16th in Square-1 with a first-time mark of 41.75.

The breakthroughs continued across a wide range of disciplines during Waterloo Favourites A 2023. Austin Xu competed in four categories, earning a sixth-place finish in Pyraminx with a personal best of 4.11 that trimmed 33.2 percent off his previous mark, alongside first attempts in 2x2x2 at 4.78 and One-Handed at 32.72. Andrew Partington sliced his 2x2x2 personal best by 36.3 percent to 4.60 while recording debut results of 10.13 in Pyraminx and 11.18 in Skewb. Douglas Martin improved his 3x3x3 mark by 30.6 percent to 42.48 and registered first-time finishes of 14.29 in Pyraminx and 31.83 in Skewb. Gabriel Meztli Ayala-Morales achieved 31st place in 4x4x4 with an initial 1:08.44 mark, logged a first 2x2x2 result of 6.64, and took 26.7 percent off his 3x3x3 time to finish at 14.35.

Specialist events also produced razor-thin margins throughout the afternoon. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Stanley Wang took the win with an average of 11.95, edging out Roan Paone who posted an 11.99 average, while Jeriel James Thomas claimed third at 13.46. Lucas Nieuwland captured the Clock title with an average of 5.11, finishing ahead of Hong Kong competitor Burno Li Chak Kwan at 7.30 and Roan Paone at 8.44. Andrew Mao won the Pyraminx event in 2.48, and Nicholas Patterson secured the Skewb win with an average of 3.41.

The technical and large-cube divisions showcased intense single-round battles. Burno Li Chak Kwan completed a versatile double by winning Square-1 with an average of 10.03 and Megaminx in 36.21. In the biggest puzzles of the weekend, Ryan Wu swept both the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning average of 1:49.12 and the 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 3:14.14, besting Marco Yang and Benson Lau on the 7x7x7 podium.

With 33 podium places secured by Canadian competitors alongside three for Hong Kong, the single-day gathering provided high-level drama across every stage of the schedule. From new solvers making their initial appearances to experienced finalists grinding out fractions of a second, Waterloo Favourites A 2023 offered a comprehensive showcase of modern speed cubing skill as the community prepares for the upcoming season of competition.