Weston-super-Mare Spring 2024

Inside the Grand Pier along the Somerset coast, the tables were packed with timers, mats, and puzzles as 85 competitors assembled for two full days of competition. Across 18 rounds in nine events on May 18 and May 19, the atmosphere was defined by the sheer density of talent assembled by the sea. Reaching a final round demanded consistent precision from the opening solve, with large starting brackets quickly exposing how small the margin for error was at every stage of the weekend.

The 3x3x3 Cube contest showed the true difficulty of surviving multiple rounds, as 76 competitors entered the first stage chasing a spot in the final. Danny Morgan captured the victory at Weston-super-Mare Spring 2024 with a winning average of 7.89 seconds, holding off Ireland's Ciarán Beahan, who took second place with a close 7.93 average. Alan Tan rounded out the podium in third with an average of 8.74, while Morgan also secured the best single solve of the event at 7.56 seconds. The high caliber of the 3x3 results underlined just how tough it was to navigate the three-round event.

In the 2x2x2 Cube event, 70 contenders battled through three rounds where fractions of a second separated the contenders. Alan Tan took the title with a winning average of 2.13 seconds, besting Danny Morgan, who finished runner-up with an average of 2.34 seconds. Rufus Cripps claimed third place with a 2.58 average. Tan delivered the fastest solve of the final round with a 1.51 single, while the depth of the field pushed solve times down across every stage of the bracket.

Ciarán Beahan dominated the big cubes, claiming three separate victories across the weekend. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Beahan took first place among 48 entrants with a winning average of 43.98 seconds and a single of 42.43 seconds, ahead of Danny Morgan in second at 53.38 and Jake Brown in third at 55.86. Beahan also secured the 6x6x6 Cube title from a field of 38 competitors with a mark of 1:19.78, followed again by Morgan in second at 1:46.15 and Brown in third at 1:56.06. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Beahan completed his sweep of the category with a 1:54.82 winning average and a single of 1:50.54.

The Pyraminx event drew 64 entrants over two rounds, where Rufus Cripps secured top honors with an average of 2.80 seconds and a single of 2.06 seconds. Jake Brown took second with a 3.24 average, while Danny Morgan collected third with 3.36. In the Skewb final, Ariel Benchetrit earned the victory with a 2.57 average and a 1.43 single, leading Morgan in second at 3.71 and Matt Stephenson in third at 4.18. The classic Rubik's Cube variants tested every aspect of turning speed cubing skill across short-format puzzles.

Beyond the podium battles at Weston-super-Mare Spring 2024, the scorecards captured remarkable progress throughout the ranks. Kai Vermeulen registered an exceptional personal best of 2.80 seconds in Pyraminx, which was 72.2 percent faster than their previous best mark of 10.06, alongside a Skewb personal best of 4.86. Francesca Hale made their first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a time of 10.20 seconds, tried the 2x2x2 Cube for the first time with a 9.38, and achieved a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 20.43, marking a 48.2 percent improvement. William Didelot reduced their Pyraminx best by 40.8 percent down to 5.93 seconds while taking on their first attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 2:27.46 and 7x7x7 Cube at 4:36.01. Gilbert Birchall logged a Skewb personal best of 4.71 seconds, 32.1 percent faster than their prior record, while recording first attempts in both the 6x6x6 Cube at 2:51.46 and 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 2:41.64.

The weekend also served as an arena for major milestones across several different disciplines. Isla McLachlan delivered an 18.79 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube, improving by 28.4 percent, alongside first attempts in Pyraminx at 8.70 and 2x2x2 Cube at 6.17. Szymon Plesniak lowered their Skewb personal best by 27.5 percent to 4.73 seconds, while Carter Swan took on eight events and posted a 6x6x6 Cube personal best of 4:00.94, which was 23.5 percent faster than their previous mark. George Berry attended their first ever WCA competition, recording initial marks of 27.92 in the 3x3x3 Cube, 7.37 in Pyraminx, and 6.72 in Skewb, including a 26th place finish in Pyraminx.

Memory disciplines demanded immense concentration amid the busy surroundings of the pier. Adam Devere won the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a single solve of 56.44 seconds, leading Oliver Wheat who clocked 1:00.40 and Jake Brown in third at 1:09.24. In the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, Max Kwok U Sam secured victory by solving 8 out of 8 cubes in a time of 34:27. Callum Hales-Jepp finished second with 8 out of 9 in 41:23, while Jake Brown claimed third place by solving 12 out of 17 cubes in 59:20.

Across two days of intense speedcubing in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, United Kingdom, the 2024 tournament highlighted the standard required to advance through crowded brackets. The podium distribution saw United Kingdom solvers claim 21 top-three spots, with Ireland earning 4 and Macau taking 2. From opening heats to narrow final rounds, Weston-super-Mare Spring 2024 demonstrated how a competitive field elevates performances across every event on the schedule as competitors prepare for the remainder of the season.