The Hague Open 2008

[Cerberus]

Another very impressive thing about Mats Valk is that his 3 best competition time before the finals were 11.96 12.00 and 12.46 and he got to an average below his third best competition time till that date, also he got an 17.09 average first round, 15.86 second round... that's just awesome...
Also another great 1:27 5x5 average from erik..
And another sub-20 OH average from Rama, with a great worst time of 20.46

 

[qqwref]

6b)
Competitors should attend the winner's ceremony to be eligible for awards/prizes/honours.

6c)
Winners of awards, prizes or honours should be prepared to talk to journalists or any media covering the competition.

I think the "should" here means that it is in the competitors' best interest to do it, but that it is not absolutely necessary to follow the rule (which explains why there are no penalties listed).

 

[Sebastien]

Thanks again to the organizers for that well organized competition and that great atmosphere. I enjoyed seeing most of you again and others for the first time and I look forward to The Hague Open 2009

 

[martijn_cube]

I liked it too, i almost reached all of my goals. The biggest was sub30 avg on 3x3, so i'm very happy.
It was very well organised.
i also liked to judge, never done that before. so in total it was a very succesfull and fun day for me.

 

[TMOY]

I really enjoyed that competition too, thanks to everybody.
I am happy with my 2:45 single at 5^3 The other solves were crap, though.
I missed stackmat time at 7^3 but it was close (got 10:13, and this includes a pop and 3 seconds lost because the judge forgot to stop the timer).
And I must definitively stop doing stupid writing mistakes at FMC

 

[Ton]

Is Mats Valk the youngest competitor to win at a competition?

I think that is Bernett Orlando who won the Indian Open 2008 in feb , who was 11 years at that time

 

[guusrs]

Mats average in the final was amazing. His best average so far was a low 14, now it is a low 12 (He just skipped 13!), making him the NL-number-3 after Erik and Rama, but before Joël and Ron.

FMC: B2 R2 U' F2 D' R2 D2 U B' R2 U' L2 B U2 L' F' L2 B R' F2

my "backup" solve, done on the inverse scramble using premove U
X-Cross: F L U F R'
2nd pair: U2 F' D' F U2
3rd pair: L D2 L' D' L D2 L'
4th pair: D L' D' (L
OLL: L) B' L' B D B D' B'
PLL/insertable 3 cycle: L' F L' B2 L F' L' B2 L2 D2 (U)

and Erik didn't compete in the finals because he had to go celibrate a friends 18th birthday

Thanx for the scramble Arnaud, My try:
U' R U' B' U L' F U F' U L' F L2 F2 L' F2 D' L' D L D' F U' F' D F U2 B (28)

exlanation
turn pre-scramble move U B to understand:
2x2x2: U' R U' B' (4)
2x2x3: (U) L' F U2 (8), is an extra inserted move
F2L : U' F' U L' F L2 F2 L' F' (16)
LL edges: F' D' L' D L F (21)
prescramble move correction: U B (23)
at dot insert F' D' F U' F' D F U, 3 moves cancel

Used 40 minutes.

Gus