Waterloo Favourites Autumn 2023

Inside RIM Park, the steady click and turn of plastic puzzle mechanisms filled the spacious hall as 145 competitors gathered across multiple solving stations. Timers reset and judges raised scorecards throughout a packed schedule spanning 12 official events and 16 separate rounds. The single-day gathering brought together solvers from across the region to test their speed, consistency, and problem-solving execution in a high-intensity environment that highlighted both premier speedcubing talent and dedicated community members.

The spotlight of the day belonged squarely to Morgan Yeh, who put on a dominant showcase across multiple disciplines at Waterloo Favourites Autumn 2023. Taking control of the main Rubik's Cube division, Yeh captured first place with an impressive winning average of 6.41 seconds, backed by a blistering best single solve of 5.61 seconds. The premier 3x3 results confirmed Yeh at the top of a deep 138-competitor bracket, finishing ahead of Stanley Wang who secured second with a 7.39 average and Max Sun who rounded out the podium at 9.20.

Yeh was far from finished with a single victory, carrying top form directly into the larger cube categories. In the 4x4x4 Cube competition featuring 66 solvers, Yeh secured the title with an average of 27.46 seconds and a fast single of 24.38, holding off runner-up Jeriel James Thomas at 30.69 and Abishua James Thomas at 33.53. Yeh then completed a golden triple by winning the 5x5x5 Cube event with a 54.94 average, clear of Max Sun who finished in 1:02.95 and Abishua James Thomas at 1:06.04, cementing Yeh as the standout performer of the weekend.

Beyond the three-event sweep by Yeh, Max Xiong delivered an equally command performance in the heavy puzzle categories. Xiong clinched first place in the 6x6x6 Cube with an average of 1:32.46, followed by a victory in the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:16.75 average. Xiong also captured the Megaminx title by averaging 50.37 seconds, while collecting a third-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 12.68. The one-handed category was won by Jeriel James Thomas with a crisp 12.05 average, besting Stanley Wang's 12.51.

In the shorter formats, Nicholas Patterson delivered sharp execution to win the 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.12 average, finishing ahead of Morgan Yeh at 2.67 and Jeriel James Thomas at 2.90. Patterson also took top honours in Skewb, posting a winning average of 3.23 seconds across two rounds. Harsha Paladugu conquered the Pyraminx with a 1.98 average and a 1.11 single, while Peter Charbonneau won Square-1 in 13.99 seconds and Nathan Glajch secured the Clock victory with a 6.91 average.

Away from the top of the podium, numerous competitors delivered breakthrough moments across their respective brackets. Justin Delahunty produced one of the most remarkable jumps of the day, cutting down his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 61.5 percent to a personal best of 1.60 seconds, while taking on the 7x7x7 Cube for the first time with a 4:12.36 result for a 9th-place finish. Andrew Jaques slashed his Pyraminx personal best by 47.3 percent down to 7.95 seconds and logged a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 6.76 mark. Nicolas Orion Maynard dropped his 2x2x2 Cube best by 46.5 percent to 3.58 seconds alongside a first attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:17.54.

Other solvers took on demanding event debuts with great resolve. Michael Leggett registered a 31.8 percent improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube down to 30.80 seconds, as well as a first 2x2x2 Cube mark of 7.71. Clara Wu Mun Yu achieved a 5th-place finish in Clock with an 11.68 debut attempt and improved her 2x2x2 Cube best by 30.4 percent to 3.16 seconds. Felix Burke earned 9th in 2x2x2 Cube while posting a first Pyraminx solve of 4.93, Lucas McLean debuted in 3x3x3 One-Handed with 28.43 seconds to finish 28th, and Sebastián Font secured 9th in Clock with a first attempt of 17.72.

Staged in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada on December 16, 2023, the event demonstrated the immense breadth of modern speed cubing, featuring solvers representing Canada, China, USA, and Pakistan. Canadian competitors captured 29 podium spots during the day, demonstrating strong depth in every format from sprint events to complex large-cube solving. Waterloo Favourites Autumn 2023 served as a fitting year-end celebration for the community, closing out a memorable WCA competition schedule with elite consistency and personal milestone achievements across the board.