Winchester Weeknights III 2023

Twenty-four competitors gathered at the Winchester Elks Club on July 19, 2023, creating an energetic and friendly atmosphere across five compact rounds of play. Winchester Weeknights III 2023 offered a midweek haven for the local cubing scene in Winchester, Massachusetts, USA, providing a welcome space where puzzle enthusiasts could catch up, practice together, and share techniques between events. The single-day schedule gave everyone ample time to connect as tables filled with conversation and mutual support, turning standard tournament heats into an engaging celebration of the craft.

The scheduled lineup brought a tight mix of three distinct challenges, balancing the classic Rubik's Cube with the mechanical turns of Clock and the angled pivots of Skewb. Having a variety of non-standard formats at this WCA competition encouraged competitors to trade advice on hardware setups and compare solving strategies while waiting for their groups. The smaller venue layout allowed participants to watch fellow solvers up close, cheer on breakthrough rounds, and maintain a close-knit community spirit that defined the entire evening from the first scramble to the final solve.

The showcase 3x3x3 Cube contest featured twenty-three participants navigating two fast-paced rounds of speed cubing. Krish Shah-Nathwani delivered the standout performance in the final, securing first place with an impressive winning average of 7.76 seconds along with a sharp best single of 6.51 seconds. Charles Amarello claimed second place on the podium with a steady 9.11 average, while Daniel Mullen earned third place by logging an average of 9.16 seconds. The final 3x3 results capped an exciting bracket marked by consistent execution across all five attempts.

In Skewb, twenty-one competitors tackled two competitive rounds where quick corner rotations decided the outcome. Nico Bezzerides captured first place by producing a winning average of 3.89 seconds, backed by a tournament-best single of 2.38 seconds. Saisabari Ramesh finished closely behind in second place with a 3.98 average, and Ben Colwell earned third place with a mark of 5.17 seconds. The dynamic event kept the tables engaged, with solvers comparing fingertricks and rotation alignments between groups throughout the evening.

The single round of Clock featured nineteen competitors mastering the dual-faced dial puzzle under the venue lights. Daniel Mullen topped the standings to take first place with a 6.61 winning average and a best single of 5.47 seconds. Nico Bezzerides followed in second place with a 6.95 average, while Joshua Marriott secured third place with an average of 7.00 seconds. The tight margins on the podium highlighted the intense precision required, while surrounding participants spent the round analyzing dial paths and sharing inspection routines.

Away from the top of the podium, Winchester Weeknights III 2023 served as a launchpad for significant personal milestones. Nicholas T. Masdea made massive progress by cutting their Skewb personal best to 7.59 seconds, an improvement of 51.6 percent over their previous best of 15.67. Arya Kodumuru dropped their Skewb personal best by 29.4 percent down to 6.66 seconds from 9.43, and Mark Gowman lowered their Clock personal best by 21.8 percent to 6.66 seconds from 8.52 while finishing ninth. Brendan Lee also saw gains, sharpening their Clock personal best by 9.6 percent to 7.60 seconds to place fifth and setting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 9.43 seconds.

First-time official attempts in specific disciplines brought equal excitement to the floor. Max Langan tackled their first WCA competition by entering three events, recording a first attempt of 9.46 in Skewb, 38.92 in the 3x3x3 Cube, and 1:17.08 in Clock. Grey Liedman also made their tournament debut here, notching a first official 3x3x3 Cube time of 20.75 seconds. Will Gray took on three events, logging a first Clock mark of 38.92, a first Skewb result of 19.12, and an 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 26.29. Meanwhile, Troy Driggers recorded their first Skewb attempt of 18.56 seconds across two entered events.

The shared successes throughout the tournament highlighted the supportive culture driving regional speedcubing forward in New England. Whether competitors were achieving breakthrough personal bests or testing new events under official timers, the encouragement across the room made each milestone meaningful. Winchester Weeknights III 2023 wrapped up leaving solvers energized by their progress and looking ahead to reuniting across the solving mats in the next season of local competition.