Ben Madilynn
As Rubiks cubes rose in popularity over the past decade or so, it left a lasting mark on Filipinos across the country. To many, it might not hold significance, but to some, it is a sport that has forged paths to different lengths.
In a preview event for the Speedcubing Philippine Championship 2024, World Champions joined competitors at SM Seaside City Cebu on June 29, 2024. Usually held in Luzon, the organizers chose Cebu City to host the 2024 speedcubing championship, a first for the province.
The warm up event, organized by the Cebu Speedcubers Organizing Committee, called for a limit of 80 competitors with eight World Cube Association (WCA) events: 3x3x3 Cube (three rounds), 2x2x2 Cube (two rounds), 4x4x4 Cube (one round), 5x5x5 Cube (one round), 3x3x3 Blindfolded (one round), 3x3x3 One-Handed (two rounds), Pyraminnx (one round) and Skewb (one round).
Set to run on July 5 to 7 at the SM Seaside City Cebu, a preview event was deemed essential to allow the competitors to warm up. Head Organizer and WCA Delegate Brian Acuña said that the event was a “chance for the competitors to get settled [and] get a feel of the competition so that next week, they can perform at their best.”
With a total of 200 competitors, aged six to 45 years old, 14 regions will be coming to compete in the championships: Philippines, China, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States.
Seven of the competitors from the Philippines also hold world champion titles and are included in the top 100 speedcubers in the Philippines, as well as the whole world: Sean patrick Villanueva, Leo Borromeo, Toby Litiatco, Brenton Angelo Lo Wong, Crimson Arradaza, Karl Matthew Angeles and Neo Cuares.
Internationally, top asian speedcubers Seung Huyk Nahm, Yheng Wang, and Anyu Zhang will also be competing in the championship.
Divulging the reasons for the championship being held in Cebu, Acuña said that they want to give more diversity in the range of competitions within the Philippines, alluding to Luzon being the constant venue.
“We want to branch out because we had a competitor last year. He was a newcomer who got a 6.22 average—which was the world record for the fastest first timer. So [we know] there are people there who are extremely fast, so we want to branch out because we want to discover talents,” he added. Recognizing the constraints of talents from outside Luzon to join the competitions, he also noted issues such as time and money to travel to such events.
While the 2024 championship is in partnership with SM Seaside City Cebu, the organization hopes to partner with a constant venue to host future events consistently. / Tyrashelvy Villamil, Silliman University Intern / Writer
