Xi'an Open 2023

Ninety-seven competitors gathered at Wenjing West Community on December 24, 2023, for a high-stakes day of speedcubing in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. Across 11 rounds spanning six diverse puzzles, every podium was fiercely contested, but none proved tighter than the big-cube battles. In the 5x5x5 Cube final, the outcome rested entirely on the final turns of the decisive solve. Zhiyuan Ma held his composure under immense pressure to secure victory with a winning average of 51.02, edged out only fractions of a second ahead of runner-up Xuming Wang who posted 51.84, while Yu Feng claimed third place with 53.80. Ma also delivered the event best single solve at 48.19 during the 69-competitor contest.

The 7x7x7 Cube final was another masterclass in clutch solving where the title came down to the wire. Zhangshuai Zhou took top honours with an average of 2:08.14, having delivered the single best mark of the day at 1:58.99 across two demanding rounds featuring 54 entrants. Yu Feng applied intense pressure through every phase, finishing a narrow second with an average of 2:09.38, while Tianzuo Du took third place with 2:14.33. Zhou showed incredible consistency across the largest puzzles, completing a big-cube double by capturing the 6x6x6 Cube title as well.

In that 6x6x6 Cube event, which featured 60 competitors, Zhangshuai Zhou commanded the field with an average of 1:27.52 and a tournament-best single of 1:22.85. Chongkui Chen followed in second place with an average of 1:33.55, and Tianzuo Du picked up another podium spot with 1:37.98. The technical discipline required across these larger variants tested stamina and accuracy all afternoon, demanding flawless execution across multi-layer alignments while racing against the clock in this WCA competition.

Beyond the traditional layers of the classic Rubik's Cube style events, the side puzzles produced extraordinary individual displays. Ruiyin Chen dominated Clock, capturing first place with an average of 4.51 after posting a blistering 3.80 single across two rounds of 53 competitors. Junqi Feng finished as the runner-up with an average of 6.23, followed by Yang Cheng in third at 7.12. In Square-1, An Li put on an exceptional performance to win with a 9.29 average and a best single of 7.11 against 39 competitors. Zhiyuan Ma took second place with 11.50, and Junqi Feng secured third with 13.64.

The 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest proved to be a clinic in analytical problem-solving for the 40 contenders looking beyond typical 3x3 results. Jibo Zhao claimed the gold medal with a winning average of 26.33, helped by a tournament-best single of 24 moves. Yifan Wang followed closely in second place with an average of 26.67 and a single of 26, while Kun Zhu secured the bronze with an average of 27.33 alongside a standout single of 22 moves. The single-round challenge tested pure efficiency, rewarding those who spent their hour dissecting cube states with surgical precision.

Away from the top of the podiums, the spirit of speed cubing shone through competitors taking on major personal challenges across multiple disciplines. Xinyu Wang took on six events, achieving a best finish of 17th in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves while logging a first ever attempt in Clock with 8.65, a first attempt in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves of 40, and a first 6x6x6 Cube mark of 2:09.20. Zhijie He tackled five events, setting a first ever attempt in 7x7x7 Cube at 3:29.53, a first Clock attempt at 16.01, and an initial 5x5x5 Cube mark of 1:04.91. Shaojie Liu also entered five events, recording first attempts in 6x6x6 Cube with 3:42.85, 7x7x7 Cube with 5:30.92, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:05.72.

More competitors broadened their horizons across the schedule by stepping up to unfamiliar events. Hongyu Zhu entered six events, claiming a 10th-place finish in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves and recording first attempts in Clock with 16.44, 6x6x6 Cube with 1:59.36, and 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 36. Zhaohe Wang completed four events, securing 19th in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves alongside first attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:26.33, 5x5x5 Cube at 1:34.33, and 3x3x3 Fewest Moves at 47. Jiahao Liang took on four events, setting debut attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:41.48, 6x6x6 Cube at 3:22.22, and 7x7x7 Cube at 4:50.33. Haoran He rounded out a busy five-event slate by logging debut attempts in Clock with 11.55, 7x7x7 Cube with 6:45.54, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:01.49.

The single-day cubing competition showcased exceptional breadth, from fast-turning side puzzles to grueling marathon sessions on big cubes. With all 18 podium positions claimed by competitors representing China, Xi'an Open 2023 served as an ideal showcase of domestic mastery and deep personal growth across all experience levels as the 2023 calendar drew toward its close.

97名魔方高手于2023年12月24日齐聚Wenjing West Community，共同拉开Xi'an Open 2023的争夺序幕。在这场包含6个项目的WCA魔方赛事中，考验选手极致稳定性的三阶最少步和高阶魔方项目成为了全场关注的核心焦点。在三轮均值计算模式下，任何一次哪怕极其微小的失误都无法被剔除，每一步策略与转动都直接决定了最终的名次归属。

在三阶最少步（333fm）项目的单轮角逐中，共有40名选手同台竞技。Jibo Zhao (赵吉波)展现了精湛的解法构建能力，凭借单次24步以及26.33步的均值成绩夺得冠军。Yifan Wang (王逸帆)紧随其后，以单次26步、均值26.67步的发挥收获亚军。Kun Zhu (朱坤)则凭借单次22步的亮眼表现和27.33步的均值荣登领奖台第三名。Jiashun Wu (吴嘉顺)同样做出了27.33步的均值并取得单次23步。

高阶大魔方的争夺同样没有给选手留下犯错的余地。在五阶魔方决赛中，Zhiyuan Ma (马之元)在69名参赛选手构成的两轮比拼中脱颖而出，以51.02秒的平均成绩摘得桂冠，其个人最佳单次达到48.19秒。Xuming Wang (王旭明)以51.84秒的平均成绩屈居亚军，Yu Feng (冯煜)则以53.80秒的平均成绩位列第三。

六阶魔方与七阶魔方赛场迎来了Zhangshuai Zhou (周章率)的双冠时刻。在60人参与的六阶魔方项目中，Zhangshuai Zhou (周章率)以1:27.52的平均成绩和1:22.85的单次登顶，Chongkui Chen (陈崇魁)以1:33.55获得亚军，Tianzuo Du (杜天佐)以1:37.98位居季军。随后在54名选手角逐的七阶魔方项目中，Zhangshuai Zhou (周章率)再度凭借2:08.14的均值和1:58.99的单次夺冠，Yu Feng (冯煜)以2:09.38获得亚军，Tianzuo Du (杜天佐)以2:14.33收获第三。

不仅是传统高阶魔方项目精彩纷呈，魔表与Square-1的较量同样引人瞩目。在53人出战的两轮魔表项目中，Ruiyin Chen (陈睿尹)以4.51秒的平均成绩及3.80秒的单次强势夺金，Junqi Feng (冯骏骐)与Yang Cheng (程阳)分别以6.23秒和7.12秒登上领奖台。Square-1项目中，An Li (李安)以9.29秒的均值及7.11秒的单次获得第一名，Zhiyuan Ma (马之元)以11.50秒位列第二，Junqi Feng (冯骏骐)以13.64秒位列第三。

除了领奖台上的激烈比拼，赛场深处还记录着众多选手的个人突破。Zhuoheng Li (李卓恒)在五阶魔方上发挥出色，1:19.31的成绩较以往个人最佳提升了29.2%，同时还首次尝试了六阶魔方的2:40.60与七阶魔方的3:58.42。Yunhui Zhao (赵云晖)在Square-1项目以13.26秒大幅刷新个人纪录达26.5%，并首度挑战了六阶的2:21.21与七阶的3:19.37。Jingxiang Zhou (周靖翔)报名了3个项目，完成了五阶1:24.10、六阶2:38.14以及七阶3:43.74的首次官方尝试。

Han Wang (汪涵)在此次赛事中一人兼顾6个项目，不仅在三阶最少步获得第18名，还首次完成了该项目的43步，以及六阶魔方的2:25.63和七阶魔方的3:10.99。Yueqi Bai (白悦琦)首次迎战魔表交出10.09秒，并在五阶魔方与最少步分别留下1:56.36和57步的首次官方尝试。迎来WCA魔方赛事首秀的Feng Shi (石峰)参加了5个项目，取得魔表15.17秒、六阶3:13.44与Square-1的20.43秒；同样迎来赛事首秀的Yang Tong (佟杨)报名5个项目，完成了魔表20.79秒、五阶1:29.86以及最少步49步的初次尝试。

11个轮次的较量在古城西安圆满收官，本场赛事共决出18个领奖台席位，展现了中国魔方运动深厚的选手储备。无论是以零失误标准衡量的最少步与高阶魔方决胜，还是赛场上不断涌现的个人突破，这场在Xi'an, Shaanxi, China举办的盛会都为2023年的魔方竞速赛季画下了扎实而充满活力的一笔。