Zhengzhou Open 2024

Eighteen podium positions were on the line across six events, and competitors representing China secured every single one of them. The Zhengzhou Open 2024 brought a massive gathering of puzzle solvers to the Zhengzhou Hotel on December 8, 2024. Staged in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, the single-day WCA competition hosted 173 competitors across 11 fast-paced rounds. The dominance of the home contingent remained absolute from the standard Rubik's Cube to specialized twisters, creating an unforgettable showcase of regional speedcubing depth in 2024.

The 3x3x3 Cube headlined the schedule with 165 competitors battling through three rounds of speed cubing action. Yiheng Wang delivered an exceptional masterclass to take the title, finishing the final round with a winning average of 4.05 seconds along with a best single solve of 3.84. In earlier tournament rounds, Wang also notched personal marks of 3.75 single and 4.21 average. Xuanyi Geng secured the runner-up spot with a 4.79 average after logging earlier marks of 4.32 single and 5.03 average, while Yufang Du took third place with a 5.22 average, having posted a 4.52 single and 5.43 average earlier in the bracket.

The 3x3 results further down the standings also reflected remarkable individual achievements across the rounds. Zixuan Xu delivered a single of 5.00 and a 6.34 average, while Kaichen Huang produced a 5.59 single and 6.67 average. Ziyu Wu recorded marks of 5.57 single and 6.94 average, followed closely by Heyu Fu with a 6.61 single and 7.00 average. Xiaole Zhang marked a 6.01 single and 7.03 average, Jiayu Wang turned in a 6.39 single and 7.13 average, and Kaicheng Jin posted an impressive 4.66 single alongside a 7.19 average.

Ziyu Wu proved to be one of the most prolific performers at Zhengzhou Open 2024, claiming two gold medals in a single afternoon. In the 4x4x4 Cube, which featured 115 competitors over two rounds, Wu topped the field with a 24.19 winning average and a blisteringly quick 19.88 best single. Xuyi Wang claimed second place with a 26.87 average, and Yinzhi Sha finished third with a 27.08 average. Wu returned to the spotlight in Megaminx, navigating the 47-competitor field to win with a 28.77 average and a 27.39 single, outpacing Yunliang Zhang at 33.77 and Jiahao Chen at 37.67.

Beyond the championship podiums, individual breakthroughs highlighted the depth of the weekend. Moxuan Sun entered three events and delivered the largest single improvement of the tournament, dropping their personal best in Clock to 6.44 seconds, an astonishing 79.9 percent faster than their previous mark of 32.04, while also taking their 3x3x3 Cube best down 17.6 percent to 10.83. Pengyu Zhang tackled three events, slicing their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 50.5 percent from 22.26 down to 11.01 seconds, alongside first ever tournament attempts of 1:02.21 in 4x4x4 Cube and 1:27.76 in 5x5x5 Cube, finishing 64th in the big cube.

The progress continued across a variety of disciplines as competitors took on new challenges. Harney Liu took on four events, setting a 32.4 percent personal best improvement in Square-1 with a time of 13.91 seconds to earn 14th place, alongside a 14.8 percent reduction on 4x4x4 Cube to 52.21 and a debut Clock solve of 13.52. Yukun Liu contested four events, earning a 5th-place finish in Square-1 on a debut solve of 11.08 seconds, making a first Megaminx attempt of 56.98 seconds, and improving their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 16.4 percent to 9.20 seconds. Chang Wu tackled four events, making tournament debuts in 5x5x5 Cube in 1:13.46 for 54th place, Clock in 9.38 seconds, and 4x4x4 Cube in 34.43 seconds. Weisen Zhao entered all six events on the schedule, achieving a 13.9 percent personal best improvement in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:40.55 while making first career attempts in Megaminx at 2:05.60 and Square-1 at 45.18 for 37th place.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, an 80-person field produced a dramatic single-round battle for supremacy. Chen Chen captured the victory with a 45.13 winning average and a 43.52 single solve, edging out 4x4x4 champion Ziyu Wu, who took second with a 45.36 average. Zhiyuan Ma completed the podium in third place with a 47.61 average. The high-level big cube showdown demonstrated sharp focus across every stage of the large-layer solves.

The side events rounded out the day with rapid-fire sequences on the tables. Wuouran Liu clinched top honors in Clock, posting a 5.25 average and a 4.55 single across two rounds against 58 entrants, finishing ahead of Yening Liu at 5.93 and Ziye Zhang at 6.50. In Square-1, Zhiquan Li took first place with an 8.60 average and a 7.12 single solve among 38 competitors, holding off Yening Liu at 8.88 and An Li at 9.85.

From the opening rounds to the final solves, the Zhengzhou Open 2024 stood as a testament to the remarkable standard of speedcubing talent in Henan. With all 18 podium positions claimed by Chinese competitors across six distinct disciplines, the event provided an extraordinary collection of milestones. As the cubing competition schedule moves toward the next season, the standards established in Zhengzhou set a thrilling baseline for the puzzle-solving community.

4.05秒的三阶魔方决赛平均成绩，为2024年12月8日在郑州大酒店举行的Zhengzhou Open 2024定下了极高水准的基调。这场在Zhengzhou, Henan, China上演的WCA比赛共吸引了173名魔方选手参与，展开了涵盖6个项目、共计11轮次的激烈角逐。从第一把拧动到最后一记拍表，现场选手们在各个组别中展现了极具冲击力的竞速水准。

在三阶魔方决赛的巅峰对决中，Yiheng Wang (王艺衡)凭借稳定的发挥以4.05秒的平均成绩登顶夺冠，他在该项目中的最快单次成绩达到了3.84秒。Xuanyi Geng (耿暄一)以4.79秒的平均成绩紧随其后夺得亚军，Yufang Du (杜昱方)则以5.22秒的平均成绩收获季军。这场高水平的较量展现了国内顶级魔方速拧项目的深厚实力。

除了主项目的激烈拼杀，高阶赛场的竞争同样扣人心弦。Ziyu Wu (吴子钰)在四阶魔方项目中展现了统治力，以24.19秒的平均成绩和19.88秒的最快单次摘得桂冠。Xuyi Wang (汪绪奕)与Yinzhi Sha (沙印志)分别以26.87秒和27.08秒的微弱差距位列四阶魔方第二、三名。五阶魔方决赛则迎来了白热化争夺，Chen Chen (陈晨)以45.13秒的平均成绩险胜Ziyu Wu (吴子钰)的45.36秒夺金，Zhiyuan Ma (马之元)以47.61秒获得第三。

在异形魔方项目中，Ziyu Wu (吴子钰)延续了绝佳状态，在五魔方项目中以28.77秒的平均成绩收获个人第二冠，Yunliang Zhang (张赟量)以33.77秒获得亚军，Jiahao Chen (陈嘉豪)以37.67秒拿到季军。魔表项目决赛中，Wuouran Liu (刘巫偶然)以5.25秒的平均成绩夺冠，Yening Liu (刘烨宁)和Ziye Zhang (张子烨)分获二三名。Square-1项目金牌由Zhiquan Li (李志权)以8.60秒拿下，Yening Liu (刘烨宁)和An Li (李安)分列其后。

在耀眼的领奖台之外，许多选手的自我突破构成了本次魔方比赛最动人的篇章。Ling Yan (严铃)在魔表项目中大幅提升个人最好成绩，以6.92秒完赛，相比以往成绩提速了68.2%。Junhui Zhang (张峻辉)在五魔方中跑出1:01.92，较以往提升了49.7%，同时在四阶上也交出42.82秒的个人新高。Yifan Cheng (程依凡)报名参加了6个项目，不仅在魔表上以6.50秒提速29.3%并取得第9名，还迎来了五阶的首次尝试58.01秒以及五魔方的首秀1:05.72。

赛场上的突破步伐从未停歇。Zihong Huang (黄子泓)首次挑战魔表项目即录得14.14秒，并在四阶魔方中以47.13秒提速26.9%，三阶亦刷新至11.00秒。Yuyang Ding (丁雨阳)迎来了魔表项目的首次登场并拿下11.12秒，其四阶魔方跑出56.88秒提速24.4%，五魔方也以1:27.06刷新个人纪录。出战3个项目的Yisen Cao (曹轶森)不仅首次完成五阶项目且取得1:12.15，还在三阶中以9.63秒提速27.2%，四阶成绩也提升至41.05秒。

纵观整个Zhengzhou Open 2024，中国选手包揽了全部6个项目的18个领奖台席位。无论是多阶速拧项目的秒级攻防，还是特殊异形项目的精准还原，每位选手都在方寸魔方之间释放出极致的专注与速度，生动诠释了这项智力运动的魅力所在。

随着全部11个轮次赛程的顺利结束，Zhengzhou Open 2024在掌声与喝彩中圆满收官。选手们在这场单日紧凑的赛事中不断挑战自我极限，用汗水与专注书写了属于自己的竞速篇章，也为接下来的新赛季征程积累了宝贵经验与前行动力。