3x3x3 un Nekas Cits Rīgā 2026

Inside NVO nams on May 16, 2026, the quiet hum of turning layers filled the hall as competitors settled into their stations in Rīga, Latvia. Solvers made their journeys from across Latvia and crossed borders from Lithuania to take their places at the tables. The single-day tournament brought together a dedicated field of 18 competitors who travelled for a pure celebration of the classic puzzle format. Long journeys converged onto the timing mats where hours of road travel translated immediately into focused solve sessions across nine rounds of intense action.

The 3x3x3 un Nekas Cits Rīgā 2026 meeting strictly honoured its namesake, presenting five distinct disciplines centered entirely on the standard 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube. From lightning-fast two-handed solving to the immense mental stamina required for solving blindfolded, the lineup tested every imaginable skill set. Participants who journeyed to the capital faced a demanding timetable packed into a single Saturday, pushing their turning accuracy and pattern recall to the absolute limit under official tournament conditions.

Mikus Lembergs emerged as the central figure of the weekend, capturing four gold medals in an extraordinary display of versatility. In the primary 3x3x3 Cube event, Lembergs topped the field of 18 solvers across three rounds, securing victory with an 8.44 winning average and an event-best single of 7.08. Lithuania's Vilius Ribinskas, who travelled to challenge the Latvian contingent, secured second place with a 9.04 average, while Latvia's Aleksejs Oglobļins claimed third on the podium with a 9.46 average in the final 3x3 results.

Lembergs continued his winning run in 3x3x3 One-Handed, navigating through two rounds among 13 competitors to claim the title with a 17.17 average, narrowly edging out Roberts Dreijers who posted a 17.22 average. Vladislavs Baranovs earned third place with a 17.82 average. Dreijers took his own moment at the top of the podium in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, solving the puzzle in just 29 moves to claim victory over Ribinskas who finished on 30 moves and Lembergs who placed third with 35 moves.

The memory disciplines saw Lembergs take total control of the standings. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, which demands meticulous memorisation before the blindfold comes down, Lembergs earned top honours with a winning average of 1:24.50 and a fastest single solve of 38.75 across two rounds. Ribinskas took second place with a single of 58.27, and Jānis Zirnis followed in third at 58.69. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Lembergs solved 12 out of 15 cubes in 52:01, finishing ahead of Ribinskas with 9 out of 11 in 51:34 and Zirnis with 10 out of 14 in 55:48.

Beyond the championship podiums, the competition floor witnessed remarkable individual breakthroughs from competitors making significant personal progress. Andrejs Gavrilovs delivered a massive leap forward, cutting his personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube to 16.16, an improvement of 30.4 percent compared to his prior best of 23.22. Ernests Melderis achieved a personal best of 20.01 in the 3x3x3 Cube, which was 27.9 percent faster than his previous mark of 27.76, while also taking on two events and finishing ninth in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Mikus Grasis logged a 17.37 personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube, improving by 27.4 percent over 23.94, and completed his first ever official attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 36.84.

Tomass Kozlovskis also expanded his repertoire at this speedcubing event, recording his first ever attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 32.90 while dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best by 25 percent to 14.05. Kha Thien Y Do undertook three events, registering a first ever attempt in 3x3x3 Blindfolded of 2:44.70 alongside a 24.99 personal best in 3x3x3 One-Handed, which was 23.6 percent faster than before, and a 10.88 single in the 3x3x3 Cube. Matīss Maksis Podinskis took on four events, earning a 3:34.33 personal best in 3x3x3 Blindfolded that was 18.7 percent faster than his previous 4:23.62, while Emanuels Stupelis secured fifth in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a 38-move personal best, a 9.5 percent improvement. Daniils Smirnovs stepped up for his first WCA competition, recording his first official 3x3x3 Cube attempt at 33.70.

The overall medal tally reflected Latvia's strong defense on home soil, with domestic solvers taking 11 podium places while Lithuania collected four podium spots across the five events. The tight schedule of this WCA competition tested the focus of every participant who made the trip to Rīga. Each discipline offered unique tactical challenges, rewarding the solvers who managed their time and mental stamina over nine intense rounds of speed cubing.

When the final timers stopped at 3x3x3 un Nekas Cits Rīgā 2026, the gathering closed having showcased the full range of classic cube solving. The dedicated community of competitors demonstrated both elite mastery and personal milestone achievements across every round. As solvers packed their puzzles for the return journey home, the accomplishments in Rīga set a high benchmark for the competitive season ahead.