Weston-super-Mare Spring 2023

Inside the Grand Pier along the Somerset coast, tables were set against the backdrop of the sea as puzzle covers lifted and timers clicked into action. Competitors gathered over the May 13 to May 14 weekend in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, United Kingdom, facing eighteen rounds of intense competition across ten separate events. With 79 competitors assembling at the coastal venue, the tension was unmistakable across every tier of play, especially where the margins for error were nonexistent.

The distinctive format of big-cube solving defines the hardest tests in any speedcubing tournament. In mean-of-three events, there is no safety net and no discarded worst solve to rescue an unsteady turning sequence. A single locked piece, misplaced layer, or hesitation in parity resolution directly impacts the final standing. At Weston-super-Mare Spring 2023, the big-cube rounds demanded complete precision on every individual attempt, creating an environment where consistency mattered more than raw single-solve pace.

Ari Randers-Pehrson handled that unforgiving pressure with remarkable control, sweeping the largest puzzles on the schedule. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Randers-Pehrson secured the title with a winning mean of 1:41.01 and a single of 1:40.40, outpacing Cham J. Chambers at 1:53.40 and Mark Ostrom at 1:54.09. Randers-Pehrson doubled the success in the 7x7x7 Cube, posting a winning mean of 2:40.71 alongside a single of 2:27.39 across 38 competitors, cementing a commanding run across the endurance formats.

Beyond the massive layers, Randers-Pehrson added two more victories to complete an exceptional quartet of titles. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Randers-Pehrson delivered a 25.26 average to finish ahead of Juliette Sébastien with 28.45 and Chris Mills with 29.59. The 5x5x5 Cube final followed a similar narrative, as Randers-Pehrson captured gold with a 48.18 average, while Chambers claimed second in 59.72 and Jake Brown took third in 1:00.85.

The depth of this WCA competition extended far beyond the top steps of the podium, highlighted by athletes making massive personal leaps across their events. George Austin tackled ten events, lowering their 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best by 39.3 percent to 2:31.04, their 6x6x6 Cube mark by 38.9 percent to 2:38.17, and their 7x7x7 Cube best by 37.5 percent to 3:57.20. Miles Huxley entered six events and cut their 5x5x5 Cube time by 37.5 percent to 1:42.17, while also posting a first official 6x6x6 Cube effort of 4:04.06 and a 7x7x7 Cube mark of 7:26.78. Samuel Hunt improved their Clock time by 36.2 percent down to 11.57 and their Rubik's Cube best by 22.8 percent to 26.83, while trying 3x3x3 One-Handed for the first time at 1:14.49. Kenny Forbes dropped their 3x3x3 Cube best by 24.8 percent to 8.98, while also making first official attempts in Clock at 8.21 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 26.21.

Fresh milestones continued throughout the lower brackets as newcomers and experienced solvers alike logged new milestones. Cameron Gerleman recorded a first 6x6x6 Cube attempt of 2:43.73 and a first 7x7x7 Cube time of 4:23.66, along with a 14.2 percent Megaminx drop to 1:09.33. Friddy Shippam tried the 6x6x6 Cube for the first time with a 4:49.70 while improving their classic 3x3x3 Cube mark by 10.7 percent to 9.60. James Treisman attended their first official cubing competition, competing in six events with an initial 3x3x3 Cube solve of 11.91, a 22.12 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and a 6:53.33 in the 7x7x7 Cube. Billy Baggott also debuted at the tournament across six events, logging first attempts of 1:40.09 in 4x4x4 Cube, 2:18.81 in 5x5x5 Cube, and 5:00.75 in 6x6x6 Cube.

The premier three-round 3x3x3 Cube event drew 73 entrants, delivering some of the sharpest 3x3 results seen all year. Chris Mills secured the championship title with a rapid 6.56 average and a best single of 5.70. Juliette Sébastien took second place with a 6.75 average, while Knut Skaug Haraldsen earned third with 7.52. Sébastien also earned an outright victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed, claiming top honours with a 9.95 average over two rounds.

Speciality events brought further variety to Weston-super-Mare Spring 2023. Cham J. Chambers claimed victory in Clock with a 3.74 average, defeating Sam Shaw at 5.27 and Danny Morgan at 6.72. In Megaminx, Aidan Grainger finished first with a 36.33 average ahead of Sébastien at 41.48 and Mills at 43.99. Ben Stokes ruled the memory events, winning 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single of 27.73 and topping 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by successfully solving 15 of 20 cubes in 52:18, leading Oliver Wheat and Callum Hales-Jepp on the podium.

When the final timers reset and the equipment was packed away on the pier, the 2023 speed cubing gathering had delivered an exhaustive showcase of technical skill and composure under pressure. Across nineteen podium finishes for United Kingdom competitors, five for France, four for the USA, and two for Norway, the weekend proved that mastery of the mean-of-three and the classic speed formats requires equal parts nerve and calculation.