Wiltshire November 2024

103 competitors gathered at the Olympiad Leisure Centre across November 30 and December 1 for a high-intensity championship program at Wiltshire November 2024. Staged in Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, the gathering brought together elite solvers and rising contenders across 17 rounds of competition in 9 distinct events. With medals and ranking points on the line, every solve carried heavy implications as the 2024 calendar approached its conclusion.

Fabio Schwandt delivered a standout campaign across the two-day meet, claiming five titles. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, which drew a massive field of 93 participants through three rounds of action, Schwandt secured top honours with a winning average of 7.53 seconds alongside a best single of 6.57. Monty Fox took second place on the podium with a 7.91 average, while George Scholey earned third place with an 8.12 average, highlighting the competitive depth of the final 3x3 results.

Schwandt also excelled across alternate formats throughout the cubing competition schedule. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, he captured victory with a 15.61 average, finishing ahead of Aidan Grainger at 16.66 and Rufus Cripps at 16.88. Schwandt then secured first place in Square-1 by recording an 8.85 average to edge out Dorian Chan at 9.38 and Grainger at 12.93. His consistency extended into Skewb, where he topped the podium with a 3.23 average, followed by Ariel Benchetrit at 3.33 and Scholey at 3.88.

In the technical discipline of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Schwandt capped his five-victory haul by delivering a winning average of 25.00 moves, supported by a round-best single of 23. Sam Shaw earned the runner-up spot with a 32.67 average, while Oliver Wheat took third with 34.67. Elsewhere, Aidan Grainger topped the Megaminx podium with a 30.46 winning average and a 28.87 single across two rounds of play, navigating the 12-sided puzzle with great efficiency.

The remaining puzzle categories at Wiltshire November 2024 brought equally sharp contests. Harry Allen captured the 2x2x2 Cube crown with a 1.71 average, prevailing in a tight battle against Max Tully at 1.80 and Satya Bhavesh Gala at 2.31. In the Clock event, Dorian Chan claimed first place with a 4.23 average, leaving Cripps and Fox tied in second and third with matching 5.01 marks. Meanwhile, Daniel Chiu took the 4x4x4 Cube victory with a 31.54 average, clear of Toby Palmer at 34.18 and Fox at 37.36.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Saiguhan Kathirvelan delivered massive progress by dropping his 2x2x2 Cube single to 1.66 seconds, a 76.6 percent improvement over his previous 7.09 mark, while cutting his Rubik's Cube best by 52.8 percent to 17.14 seconds. Michael Sutton tackled seven disciplines, taking on his first official 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:49.22, his first 3x3x3 One-Handed solve in 49.84, and slicing his Skewb best by 56.1 percent to 10.32 seconds. Jake Funnell entered eight events, completing first attempts at Skewb in 11.57, One-Handed in 1:02.94, and Square-1 in 42.61, while Cosmo Alagna recorded an 18.71 in his first Square-1 attempt alongside an 11th-place finish in 2x2x2 Cube.

The progress continued with Mezon Gurung, who took on eight disciplines, logging first-time marks in Skewb at 4.91 seconds and One-Handed at 24.06, while improving his Square-1 best by 31.9 percent to 20.74. Nuriel Pinela set a personal best of 51.43 in 4x4x4 Cube, improving by 47.6 percent, and reached 9th place in Clock. Kacper Goral secured a 9th-place finish in Megaminx while making his first appearances in Fewest Moves with 51 moves and Square-1 in 33.41 seconds. Ronnie Grieveson registered an eight-event weekend, highlighted by a first Square-1 attempt of 48.33 and a 36.7 percent Clock improvement to 27.35 seconds.

The competitive atmosphere throughout the WCA competition reflected the growing strength of speedcubing talent in the region. Competitors representing the United Kingdom accumulated 24 podium placements across the nine events, with Hong Kong representatives securing 3 podium finishes. Every round demanded composure under the tournament timer, making each qualification cut highly contested.

As the final solves concluded at Wiltshire November 2024, the weekend stood as a comprehensive test of speed cubing versatility across standard, mechanical, and multi-layered challenges. From the five-gold performance of Schwandt to the numerous personal milestones across the arena, the gathering provided a fitting conclusion to a demanding weekend in Chippenham.