Amman Side Events 2026

The Idea Chamber in Amman, Jordan provided an intimate, focused setting on July 3, 2026, as competitive puzzle solving returned to the capital. Tables lined the competition hall with stopwatches, display mats, and an assortment of non-standard twisting puzzles ready for action. Across the venue, 17 competitors gathered to test their skills over eight events and eight total rounds, shifting the focus away from standard solves and onto specialty disciplines. The quiet concentration typical of a dedicated speedcubing meet settled early over the room, giving the gathering a distinctly technical and energetic feel.

The single-day WCA competition brought together athletes from across the region to showcase their versatility in classic specialty challenges. With official standings tracking everything from massive big-cube configurations to memory-intensive disciplines, Amman Side Events 2026 offered a unique stage. The 2026 calendar rarely sees such an intense grouping of side disciplines packed into a single venue, making each round vital. Participants and spectators tracked the running boards attentively as competitors worked through the morning program at The Idea Chamber.

Zakarya Otair established absolute command across multiple categories throughout the day, claiming victory in five of the eight events. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Otair delivered a tournament-best single of 2:35.06 alongside an unbeatable winning average of 2:39.75 across the seven-person field. Saleh Janem took second with a 4:20.72 average, while Othman Saleh completed the podium at 4:50.68. Otair maintained that exact momentum at the Clock tables, posting a winning average of 5.60 and a single of 5.15 to top Saleh Janem, who averaged 9.31, and David Samuel Surls of the United States, who averaged 9.72.

Otair pushed his dominance further into the blindfolded disciplines, which demand flawless recall under pressure. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, his winning single of 21.83 gave him the title ahead of Saleh Janem at 1:30.52 and Waddah Nabulsi at 3:12.04. He proved to be the sole finisher in the marathon blindfolded categories, registering a single of 6:43.53 to take the 4x4x4 Blindfolded crown and a 12:00.00 single for the 5x5x5 Blindfolded win. Janem took second place in both extended events, while Ahmad Al-Masalmeh tied for second in 4x4x4 Blindfolded after matching DNF results.

Away from the top steps of the podium, significant progress unfolded through personal milestones across the puzzle tables. Mahmoud Muhaisen entered three events, cutting his 6x6x6 Cube personal best by 21.7 percent down to 7:36.82 from 9:43.13, finishing sixth, while logging his first official attempts at Megaminx in 2:35.84 and 3x3x3 One-Handed in 47.37. Karam Mohammad Salem Dardas dropped his Skewb best by 20.4 percent to 15.08 from 18.94 to earn ninth place, alongside debuts in Megaminx at 5:47.25 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:07.19. Mutaz Mahmoud Alsalkhi improved his 6x6x6 Cube mark by 19.4 percent to 4:44.78 to place fifth, lowered his Megaminx best by 7.4 percent to 2:31.51, and posted a Clock debut of 42.90 across five events. Khalid Yazeed secured a fourth-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed, his sole focus of the event.

Several newcomers and versatile competitors also stamped their mark on the scoresheets beyond the standard Rubik's Cube categories. Amaan Shams contested their first WCA competition, tackling five separate events to earn a weekend-best fourth place in 6x6x6 Cube, complemented by initial attempts in Skewb at 9.29, Clock at 19.59, and Megaminx at 2:20.29. Fellow debutant Yousef Al-Safadi took on five events, earning sixth place in Clock with an opening 30.17 average while posting debuts in Megaminx at 2:30.28 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:02.60. Taim Darabkeh completed their first WCA competition with a 16th-place debut of 2:51.31 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Omar Hijazi entered a single event, locking in fourth place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed discipline drew the largest field of the day with 16 competitors vying for the title. Othman Saleh claimed first place with a crisp winning average of 17.37 and the round's best single of 15.66. Abdelrahman Yaghi took the runner-up spot with an average of 19.36, while Adam Zeidan finished third at 22.68. That one-handed precision set the tone for the remaining specialty finals, as speed cubing specialists showed that exceptional manual control extends well past standard two-handed 3x3 results.

In Megaminx, Adam Zeidan delivered an exceptional showing to win the 12-competitor bracket with a 54.09 average and a sharp 47.37 single. Zakarya Otair added to his medal haul by finishing second with a 58.58 average, while David Samuel Surls secured third for the United States at 1:20.83. Skewb action rounded out the schedule, where Albaraa Moqbel took gold with an average of 4.09 and a single of 3.62. Moqbel finished ahead of Othman Saleh at 5.79 and Surls at 6.38, giving Jordan 20 total podium placements to three for the United States.

As operations wrapped up inside The Idea Chamber, the successful execution of Amman Side Events 2026 underscored the strength of the regional community. With eight distinct puzzle events resolved efficiently in a single day, the cubing competition demonstrated the high level of technical variety present among local solvers. The competitors packed away their timers and puzzles with plenty of personal records to celebrate as the circuit looks ahead toward the next season of play in Amman, Jordan.