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Competitions → United States → Princeton Winter 2016

Competitions · United States

Princeton Winter 2016

Princeton, New Jersey · 6 February 2016 · 6 events · 79 competitors · 100 personal bests

Patrick Ponce won two of the six events (3×3, 4×4) and the closest final was the 3×3 one-handed, won by Keaton Ellis by 0.01 seconds. 79 competitors produced 100 personal bests, 35 of which still stand today, and seven people held a competitor card for the first time.

The moment

The day's biggest improvement

Soham Shashikumar took a 3×3 one-handed single of 53.77 down to 23.93, 55 percent better in one day.

Two wins
Patrick Ponce — 3×3, 4×4
0.01s
closest final — 3×3 one-handed, Keaton Ellis over Collin Burns
100
personal bests set on the day

Winners & podiums

EventWinnerSingleAverage
3×3Patrick Ponce7.538.75
2×2Daniel Karnaukh1.562.44
4×4Patrick Ponce30.1032.94
5×5Keaton Ellis1:06.031:09.34
3×3 blindfoldedTim Wong48.63
3×3 one-handedKeaton Ellis11.3312.89

The PB harvest

100 set · 35 still standing
  • Steve Baek — 2×2 single 2.30: into the top 7.0% of the event's history.
  • Soham Shashikumar — 2×2 single 2.48: into the top 8.7% of the event's history.
  • Jay Cumming — 3×3 one-handed single 15.44: into the top 9.0% of the event's history.
  • Nat Baylon — 3×3 one-handed single 16.38: into the top 11.1% of the event's history.
  • Jay Cumming — 4×4 single 39.69: into the top 11.8% of the event's history.
  • Zachary Nikolaus — 3×3 single 11.64: into the top 12.6% of the event's history.
  • Steve Baek — 4×4 single 41.74: into the top 14.2% of the event's history.
  • Umar Areeb — 2×2 single 3.16: into the top 16.1% of the event's history.

First-timers

Seven people competed for the first time at this competition, joining the 17,946 people who made their debut in 2016. 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

79 competitors · 336 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. Patrick Ponce won it with a 8.75 average. Hold your cube white centre up, green centre facing you, follow each sequence, and check against the pictures.

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

solve 1

solve 2

solve 3

solve 4

solve 5

Race this final

Everyone who competed

79 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.