Westview Cubing Favorites 2023

Max Park delivered a commanding multi-event masterclass on May 27, 2023, capturing four separate titles to lead the field at the Westview Gym. His standout display in the main event brought a winning average of 5.84 seconds and a best single solve of 5.69 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube. Across two rounds featuring 113 competitors, Park remained untouchable atop the standings. That standard of excellence set the tone for a busy day of Rubik's Cube action in Southern California, anchoring a competition full of rapid times across a wide variety of puzzles.

The one-day WCA competition in San Diego, California, USA brought together 141 competitors contesting 12 events and 16 rounds. Westview Cubing Favorites 2023 gave speedcubing followers plenty to track, with Park taking center stage across both classic and large cubes. Beyond his standard 3x3 results, Park dominated 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 9.75 seconds, backed by a single of 7.53 seconds. Henry Helmuth finished second in the event with a 12.14 average, while Kavin Tangtartharakul rounded out the podium at 13.05.

Park expanded his winning collection into the larger cubic events without missing a beat. In the 4x4x4 Cube, he posted a 23.14 winning average and a single of 21.07 across two rounds of play. When the 5x5x5 Cube took the floor, Park secured another title with an average of 40.34 and a top single of 37.30 seconds. Paul Mahvi followed in second place with a 56.41 average, while Nevign Angelique Besas earned third on a 1:03.57 average, confirming Park's absolute grip over the big cube categories.

The heavier puzzles brought exceptional performances from other specialists in the arena. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Paul Mahvi claimed the top spot with a 1:32.98 average and a best single of 1:28.26, finishing ahead of Nevign Angelique Besas at 1:51.06 and Jihu Mun at 1:58.67. Besas turned the tables in the 7x7x7 Cube, capturing the victory with an average of 2:49.78 and a single of 2:39.94. Mun took second place with a 2:56.60 average, while Shane Grogan placed third at 3:30.01.

International speed cubing talent shone brightly across several specialty disciplines. Kyeongmin Choi collected two gold finishes, winning the 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.75 average over Yuyang Zhen at 2.31 and Isaac Nuon at 2.76, while also taking the Megaminx title in 35.74 seconds. In Square-1, Wang Ma captured first place with an average of 7.79 seconds, ahead of Choi at 9.49 and Michael Young at 10.19. Ryan Fong took the Clock title with a 5.33 average, Owen Yepeng Sun won Pyraminx averaging 2.59, and Vinícius Shaw secured Skewb with a 4.25 average.

Behind the top steps of the podium, numerous participants reached remarkable personal milestones that showed the true depth of this cubing competition. Santino Signorile cut his Pyraminx personal best by 49 percent down to 5.79 seconds, while also logging his first ever attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 36.88 seconds and Skewb at 11.23. Henry Cheng entered four events, posting his first ever attempts at Pyraminx in 9.16 seconds and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:19.15, alongside a 33 percent personal best improvement in One-Handed to 21.37. Atticus Brown dropped his Pyraminx personal best by 40.1 percent to 5.48 seconds and tried Clock for the first time with a mark of 23.65.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the field as competitors expanded their repertoires into new disciplines. Umar Abdul Ghani logged his first attempts at One-Handed with 53.45 and 4x4x4 Cube with 2:15.35, while cutting his 2x2x2 best by 31 percent to 5.87. Alan Wang completed his first official attempts at 2x2x2 Cube in 8.99 and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:32.40, improving his 3x3x3 mark by 21.6 percent to 23.03. Reese Fernandez recorded first tries in Pyraminx at 13.20 and 2x2x2 Cube at 10.76, while Sean Tesler set fresh marks in 2x2x2 at 14.58 and Pyraminx at 22.03. Boden Brierley tackled Megaminx for the first time in 3:12.01 and placed 20th in the event.

The single-day slate closed as a comprehensive showcase of precision and skill, leaving the United States with 23 total podium placements, alongside strong showings from Korea, China, the Philippines, and Brazil. From the sweeping mastery shown by Park to the dozens of individual milestones logged on every table, Westview Cubing Favorites 2023 delivered a memorable day of competitive solving in San Diego, setting a high bar for the rest of the 2023 calendar.