Zibo Open 2024

A blistering 4.00 single and a sub-five average of 4.91 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube final marked the most astonishing performance of the weekend. Yiheng Wang stood out across three tense rounds at the Newland Hotel in Zibo, Shandong, China. The single-day WCA competition on May 19, 2024, brought together 135 competitors across 10 rounds of high-intensity action, pushing the limits of modern speedcubing.

While high-end endurance puzzles like 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7 tests require grueling concentration and stamina over prolonged solves, Zibo Open 2024 took an entirely different tactical route by stripping the schedule down to pure, unadulterated sprint events. Without the grinding marathons of the largest layers, competitors channeled their absolute dexterity and rapid decision-making into five explosive disciplines, demanding flawless precision where a single hesitation costs an entire round.

The 3x3 results proved Yiheng Wang unmatched over the 132-person field, finishing ahead of Yufang Du who secured second with a 5.53 average and Xuanyi Geng in third at 5.64. The classic Rubik's Cube battle unfolded through three full elimination rounds, demonstrating remarkable consistency at the top table. Every turn had to be calculated instantly, reflecting the unrelenting pace of this fast-moving cubing competition.

Yiheng Wang doubled his gold count by controlling the 2x2x2 Cube event, capturing the title with an exceptional 1.16 winning average and a lightning single of 0.77. The 2x2 field featured 102 competitors, where Huining Huang took the runner-up spot on the podium with a 1.77 average and Jiate Xie claimed third position with 2.07.

In the Pyraminx division, Huining Huang topped the podium among 79 entrants with a winning average of 1.95 and a best single of 1.62. Kaixi Guo followed closely in second place with a 2.10 average, while Lingkun Jiang earned third with 2.18. Kaixi Guo bounced back immediately in the Skewb final, winning the event outright with an average of 2.26 and a 1.98 single against 55 competitors, finishing above Yunchu Wang and Zizhen Li, who both logged 3.27 averages.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors achieved striking personal breakthroughs across multiple disciplines. Zhanhao Cui took on four events, making a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 15.02 and a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 6.56, while cutting their Pyraminx personal best to 5.36, which was 46.1 percent faster than their previous mark. Yucheng Huo also tackled four events, recording a first ever attempt at Skewb of 6.92, improving their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.12 by 44.7 percent, and taking their 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 14.53, a 4.2 percent improvement. Hang Yu delivered a first ever attempt at Skewb of 11.32, a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 6.33, and trimmed their 2x2x2 Cube best by 11.8 percent down to 4.03 across four events.

The progress continued across the venue as Gong Chen entered four disciplines, posting an 11.32 in a first ever attempt at Skewb alongside a Pyraminx personal best of 7.61, which was 36.2 percent faster, and a 3x3x3 Cube best of 26.18, representing a 16.8 percent drop. Jinqing Gong completed three events, charting a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube of 5.27, a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 10.35, and a 7.2 percent improvement on their 3x3x3 Cube best with 20.67. Xinjie Ma contested two events, registering a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with 3.91 and dropping their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 28.1 percent to 8.77.

The mental marathon of the gathering came in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded competition, where Yifan Wang mastered the memorization and blind execution to claim victory with a 17.30 winning average and a 15.48 best single. Hongyu Jiang took second place with an average of 36.55, followed by Mingxuan Wu who posted a 32.50 average in third among the 14 specialists.

Altogether, all 15 podium places at Zibo Open 2024 were captured by competitors from China, wrapping up an intense showcase of speed cubing excellence in Shandong. With five disciplines settled across 10 packed rounds, the competition delivered an exhilarating display of high-speed solving before the season moves forward.

135名魔方选手齐聚一堂，在组织者、WCA代表和志愿者的严密组织与辛勤付出下，各项赛程在一天之内高效运转。裁判团队与幕后工作人员通力协作，确保了全部5个项目共计10轮比拼的无缝衔接。在位于Zibo, Shandong, China的Newland Hotel赛场内，工作人员的高效调度为整场魔方赛事的平稳运行提供了坚实保障。

在2024年5月19日进行的这场WCA competition中，三阶魔方项目汇聚了132名选手的激烈竞争。王艺衡（Yiheng Wang）展现出极佳的竞技水准，在三轮较量中脱颖而出，以4.91秒的优异决赛平均成绩问鼎冠军，并创造了该项目全场最快单次成绩4.00秒。杜昱方（Yufang Du）以5.53秒的平均成绩获得亚军，耿暄一（Xuanyi Geng）则以5.64秒位列季军。

在二阶魔方项目中，共有102名选手参与两轮争夺。王艺衡（Yiheng Wang）延续了火热状态，以1.16秒的决赛平均成绩夺冠，同时在该项目刷出了0.77秒的全场最快单次成绩。黄徽宁（Huining Huang）以1.77秒获得该项目第二名，谢佳特（Jiate Xie）以2.07秒的平均成绩登上领奖台第三位。

金字塔魔方赛场迎来了79名选手的参与，两轮比拼悬念丛生。黄徽宁（Huining Huang）发挥稳定，以1.95秒的平均成绩和1.62秒的最快单次摘得桂冠。郭铠希（Kaixi Guo）以2.10秒屈居亚军，姜凌坤（Lingkun Jiang）以2.18秒位列第三，前三名之间的微小差距展现了高水平对决的紧张节奏。

斜转魔方共有55位选手进入赛道，经过两轮较量，郭铠希（Kaixi Guo）以2.26秒的平均成绩和1.98秒的单次成绩夺得冠军。王云楚（Yunchu Wang）和李子贞（Zizhen Li）的决赛平均成绩同为3.27秒，分别收获亚军与季军。三阶盲拧项目则有14名选手报名，王逸帆（Yifan Wang）以17.30秒的平均成绩和15.48秒的最快单次拿下头名，姜宏禹（Hongyu Jiang）以36.55秒位列第二，吴明轩（Mingxuan Wu）以32.50秒获得第三。

在耀眼的领奖台成绩之外，赛场更记录了多位选手的突破与跨越。杨浩宇（Haoyu Yang）出战2个项目并在二阶魔方取得第20名，其二阶个人最好成绩提升至1.97秒，较以往快了45.7%，三阶也提升26.2%至10.96秒。杨善闳（Shanhong Yang）在三阶获得第11名，其金字塔魔方单次大幅提升43.6%达到2.57秒，二阶也提升8.4%至2.18秒。刘文泰（Wentai Liu）参加了4个项目并在斜转取得第15名，他的二阶成绩提升38.7%至2.87秒，斜转提升35.4%至3.98秒，金字塔提升32.2%至4.68秒。

首度尝试新项目的选手同样交出了令人瞩目的答卷。吴钦为（Qinwei Wu）参加了3个项目，不仅首次尝试三阶盲拧并录得2:05.11获得第9名，二阶与三阶成绩也分别提升19.3%和13.1%至2.96秒与9.24秒。袁书豪（Shuhao Yuan）迎来二阶首秀并斩获4.08秒，三阶成绩提升22.3%达到10.68秒。李锦钰（Jinyu Li）在斜转项目迎来首次尝试录得9.83秒，并在金字塔项目提升18.6%达到4.63秒。

随着全部5个项目的奖牌归属揭晓，所有15个领奖台席位均由中国选手包揽。志愿者的回收打乱、裁判的精准记录以及组织人员的全程护航，共同筑就了这场高水准的speedcubing聚会。在严密有序的组织运作下，Zibo Open 2024为选手们提供了展现手速与专注力的舞台，也为本赛季的竞逐留下了浓墨重彩的一笔。