Amherst Winter Challenge 2025

Inside the historic Amherst Woman's Club, the familiar click of turning plastic filled the quiet rooms as solvers gathered around wooden tables. Between rounds, competitors shared notation sheets, compared reconstruction notes, and discussed complex blindfolded memorisation routes. The gathering in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA on January 25 and January 26 felt more like an intensive workshop than a standard high-pressure tournament, offering an inviting space where seasoned veterans and curious problem solvers could spend hours dissecting the most intricate corners of competitive twisting puzzles.

The Amherst Winter Challenge 2025 brought together a dedicated field of 12 competitors for two days focused entirely on specialised non-standard disciplines. Across 7 rounds in 5 events, the cubing competition celebrated the mental stamina required for long-form solving. With a program focused purely on blindfolded disciplines and optimal pathfinding, the WCA competition allowed participants to step away from traditional speed cubing formats and immerse themselves in the deep technical craft of the community.

Rowe Hessler delivered a commanding performance across the blindfolded categories, capturing first place in four different events over the weekend. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, which featured 10 competitors across 2 rounds, Hessler claimed victory with an average of 22.32 seconds and a best single time of 19.62 seconds. Thiago Han of Brazil took the second spot on the podium with a 23.54 average, while Brandon Villadolid placed third with an average of 53.67 seconds to complete the podium.

The multi-blind challenge demanded extraordinary endurance, requiring solvers to memorise dozens of scrambled puzzles before donning a blindfold for an hour of continuous execution. Rowe Hessler took first place in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by successfully solving 50 out of 70 puzzles within the strict 1:00:00 time limit. Thiago Han finished as runner-up with 21 out of 27 cubes in 58:48, while Chris Chi earned third place with a remarkably accurate 14 out of 15 cubes in 50:59.

Hessler continued his sweep into the big blind categories, navigating the added complexity of center and edge commutators on larger mechanisms. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Hessler earned first place with a single solve of 3:04.76, ahead of second-place Chris Chi who logged a successful 5:19.58 single. Moving up to the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event, Hessler once again topped the podium with a winning single time of 5:00.40, while Will Russo secured second place with a time of 26:28.00.

Beyond the podium battles, the weekend provided dedicated solvers with a supportive space to pursue challenging personal benchmarks away from the standard tournament spotlight. Jackson Warley entered 1 event during the tournament, earning an 8th-place finish in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves to add another solid entry to a career spanning 64 competitions. Meanwhile, Elliot Wiecek took on the demanding blindfolded format, logging a successful 48.46 single and a 53.98 average in 3x3x3 Blindfolded alongside his main slate of events.

Efficiency took center stage in the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest, where 11 competitors sat with pencils and blank paper over 2 rounds to discover the shortest path to solve a standard Rubik's Cube. Elliot Wiecek earned the top spot on the podium with an outstanding winning average of 21.67 moves, bolstered by a best single solution of just 20 moves. Levi Gibson claimed second place with a 22.67 move average, and Chris Chi followed closely in third with an average of 23.00 moves.

The overall medal count reflected a dominant showing for competitors representing the USA with 19 total podium finishes, while Brazil secured 4 podium placements during the international meet. The relaxed schedule allowed participants plenty of time to discuss nuanced 3x3 results, exchange algorithmic theory, and reflect on the distinct mental demands of blindfolded solving. As the 2025 season continues across the region, speedcubing enthusiasts will look back on the camaraderie and shared expertise cultivated at the Amherst Winter Challenge 2025.