Wilmington Warmup 2023

Shaun Mack delivered a blistering performance to win the premier event at Wilmington Warmup 2023, capturing first place on the 3x3x3 Cube with a winning average of 6.99 seconds and a weekend-best single solve of 6.17 seconds. The high-stakes clash on the main stage proved to be the defining moment of the two-day gathering, setting a high standard against a crowded field of contenders. Michael Nielsen followed closely behind in the final standings with an 8.08 average for second place, while Aaron Jake Wong locked up third position with an 8.13 average.

Held across June 3 and June 4 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, the gathering took over the DoubleTree Downtown Wilmington for a packed weekend of high-level speedcubing. A total of 141 competitors converged on the venue, tackling 7 different events across 12 scheduled rounds of play. With championship-level standards across every bracket, the atmosphere inside the hall reflected the pressure of delivering peak speed cubing performances under tournament conditions.

Beyond his main-event triumph, Shaun Mack proved to be the most versatile athlete of the weekend, securing podium spots across four separate categories. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed bracket, Justin Mallari took the top prize with a clean 12.59 winning average and an 11.16 best single, holding off Mack, who secured second with 13.13, and Livia Kleiner, who earned third place with a 15.10 average across the two rounds of competition.

The Pyraminx final brought lightning-fast turns across two intense rounds featuring 110 competitors. Michael Nielsen clinched the title with an exceptional 2.01 winning average, anchored by a rapid 1.30 single. Kyle Meade took second place with a 2.27 average, while Marcus Kamen claimed third with 2.47. In the Square-1 arena, Daniel Karnaukh commanded the field across two rounds, taking first place with a 6.38 winning average and a 5.33 single, outperforming Chris Chi in second at 8.54 and Mack in third at 10.66.

Away from the top of the standings, several participants unlocked remarkable milestones across the schedule at Wilmington Warmup 2023. Konrad Julian Jefferson Krafft entered five events and recorded a Clock personal best of 10.35, which was 65.7 percent faster than his prior mark of 30.21, while also improving his Square-1 best to 27.29. Collin Sayers took on five events and earned a 16th-place finish in Clock with an 8.14 first attempt, while chopping his Square-1 best to 32.09, which was 39.1 percent faster. Idan Nutkevitz took on five disciplines, placing 29th in Clock on a 12.71 debut solve and improving his Square-1 mark by 50 percent to 25.95 alongside an 8.89 3x3x3 personal best. Omar Abou-Afach achieved a 20.42 personal best in One-Handed, dropping his previous record by 47.7 percent, while also setting personal bests of 10.81 in the main cube and 8.74 in Pyraminx.

New milestones continued to emerge throughout the cubing competition for both seasoned solvers and newcomers. Elias Guglielmo tackled five events, delivering a 58.04 first attempt on Square-1 and improving his One-Handed mark to 50.27, a 36.5 percent drop from 1:19.17. Alex Yu took on three events and slashed his standard Rubik's Cube best down to 12.10, an improvement of 35.3 percent, while completing his first official attempts in Pyraminx at 13.07 and One-Handed at 29.80. Elijah Barkan competed across five events, recording debut solves of 52.71 in One-Handed and 51.47 in Square-1, while improving his Pyraminx personal best to 8.49. Jaydon Mei made their first official appearance at a WCA competition, tackling five separate events and posting benchmark times of 8.92 on Pyraminx, 28.56 on Clock, and 54.18 on Square-1.

The Clock event tested competitors over a single decisive round with 62 entrants, where Ryan Michael Breen secured victory with a 5.85 winning average and a 5.09 single. Sula Mareska followed right behind in second place with a 6.08 average, and Jude Stradtner earned the third podium spot with a 6.20 average in a tight finish.

The blindfolded disciplines required absolute focus, testing competitors on both memorisation and flawless execution without visual cues. Evan Liu conquered the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event with a 5:11.02 winning average and a best single of 4:31.48, ahead of Corey Sakowski in second with 6:13.33 and Roberto Carcamo in third with 24:56.00. Sakowski claimed his own victory in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, topping the chart with a single of 44.04 seconds, followed by Carcamo in second at 1:55.03 and Mack in third at 3:17.55.

With 139 solvers contributing to the final 3x3 results, the competition delivered elite speed and widespread individual progression across seven events. All 21 available podium places went to competitors representing the USA, marking an impressive showcase of regional depth. As the curtain falls on Wilmington Warmup 2023, the 2023 season moves forward with solvers carrying fresh benchmarks into upcoming tournaments.