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The Middle Three
Competitions → Japan → Nishinomiya Open 2019

Competitions · Japan

Nishinomiya Open 2019

Nishinomiya, Hyogo · 20 July 2019 · 6 events · 56 competitors · 35 personal bests

Matty Hiroto Inaba won three of the six events (3×3, 4×4, 5×5) and the closest final was the 3×3, won by Matty Hiroto Inaba by 0.19 seconds. 56 competitors produced 35 personal bests, 14 of which still stand today, and 16 people held a competitor card for the first time.

The moment

The day's biggest improvement

Sho Nishino (西野翔) took a 4×4 single of 1:48.53 down to 53.83, 50 percent better in one day.

Three wins
Matty Hiroto Inaba — 3×3, 4×4, 5×5
0.19s
closest final — 3×3, Matty Hiroto Inaba over Makoto Takaoka (高岡誠)
35
personal bests set on the day

Winners & podiums

EventWinnerSingleAverage
3×3Matty Hiroto Inaba6.248.43
2×2Evan Mann2.572.80
4×4Matty Hiroto Inaba27.2529.36
5×5Matty Hiroto Inaba46.8454.69
6×6Yu Sajima (佐島優)1:51.391:54.06
7×7Yu Sajima (佐島優)2:34.922:39.52

The PB harvest

35 set · 14 still standing

First-timers

16 people competed for the first time at this competition, joining the 27,871 people who made their debut in 2019. Start here explains what a first competition is like.

Records watch

No national, continental or world records were set at this competition. That is true of most competitions.

The field

56 competitors · 188 results · 6 events.

Solve this final yourself

how this works →

The 3×3 final here ran on one scramble group, so these five sequences are exactly what the finalists faced. Matty Hiroto Inaba won it with a 8.43 average. Hold your cube white centre up, green centre facing you, follow each sequence, and check against the pictures.

  1. 1F2 U' D2 B' R' D' L U' L' U R2 F L2 F U2 F2 B2 U2 F L2
  2. 2R2 F2 D2 R2 F L2 F L2 D' F2 D2 R' D2 U2 F2 L' F D' U
  3. 3U' F' B' L' U2 B' U' F2 D' R2 B' D2 F' L2 U2 D2 F' L2 U2 F2
  4. 4R' L2 F U R F D' F B D2 L' U' B2 R2 B2 U' L2 U' B2 D'
  5. 5R2 U2 B2 D2 R B2 L F2 L D' B L2 R' D2 R' D' B' R D2 B2

solve 1

solve 2

solve 3

solve 4

solve 5

Race this final

Everyone who competed

56 competitors

Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a final is a competition's last round; its order decides the podium · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · every solve starts from a computer-generated scramble, the same for every competitor in a round.