Aqaba Summer 2025

Sixteen competitors assembled at My Hotel on July 16, 2025, confronting an intense single-day schedule of seven events across eight total rounds. Taking on larger puzzles demands focus, physical stamina, and extensive fingerturn endurance, as turning layers across dozens of steps requires sustained precision. At Aqaba Summer 2025, that challenge took center stage in Aqaba, Jordan, where solvers tested their depth on complex mechanisms alongside classic events.

The 4x4x4 Cube headlined the heavier hardware at this cubing competition, where managing parity errors and edge pairing across four layers presents a serious technical test. Zakarya Otair of Jordan mastered the format, delivering the fastest single of the category at 33.49 seconds on his way to an unmatched winning average of 35.62 seconds. Kamel Hammouri secured second place with an average of 39.17 seconds, while Mohamad Abd Alkarim Haj Mohamad of Palestine locked down third place with a 1:01.63 mark.

Otair continued his dominant showing by taking on the dodecahedral geometry of the Megaminx, another discipline celebrated for its endurance requirements. Navigating twelve faces and fifty movable pieces, Otair secured the victory with an average of 58.91 seconds, bolstered by a 53.82 single solve. Jana Ahmad Abu Hussein finished in second place with an average of 2:32.24, and Kinan Saleem claimed third place with a 2:55.77 result in the seven-person field.

The traditional 3x3x3 Cube contest delivered sharp speedcubing at the highest level across two complete rounds. Kamel Hammouri captured the main title, posting a round-winning 9.02 average in the finals along with a crisp 8.53 single solve. Mohamad Abd Alkarim Haj Mohamad earned the runner-up position with an 11.12 average, while Zakarya Otair completed the podium in 11.68 seconds. These standout 3x3 results reinforced Hammouri and Otair as the pace-setters of the tournament.

Hammouri also collected victories across the shorter formats, demonstrating agility on both standard and specialized setups. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Hammouri posted a winning average of 4.29 seconds with a 2.66 best single, finishing ahead of Mohamad Abd Alkarim Haj Mohamad at 4.89 and Otair at 5.20. Hammouri added another gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed, solving the Rubik's Cube with a single hand to record a 20.82 average and a 17.44 single, edging Otair at 21.32 and Mohamad at 24.59.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several solvers logged exceptional personal milestones across the schedule. Omar Ashour tackled three events, making a first career attempt in Skewb with a 10.30 solve on the way to fourth place, while cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 4.52 seconds, a 50.5 percent improvement over his previous best. Jood Saleem entered six events, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 41.7 percent to 14.25 seconds and dropping their 3x3x3 time to 38.91 seconds. Majd Abu Hussein took on five events, logging a first Megaminx attempt at 2:31.24 to finish fourth, a first 3x3x3 One-Handed solve of 44.51, and an 18.9 percent personal best drop in Pyraminx to 6.85 seconds.

Mukhlis Mokhles entered five disciplines, securing fourth place in Pyraminx with a first ever attempt of 10.22 seconds, completing a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:41.68, and trimming his 3x3x3 mark by 32.3 percent to 13.08 seconds. Nadia Asad Qoraan took on five events and posted a personal best of 22.16 seconds on the 3x3x3, cutting 25.5 percent from her prior mark, alongside an eighth-place finish in Skewb. Sham Saleem lowered their 3x3x3 mark by 26.2 percent down to 43.29 seconds, while Omar Hijazi reached fourth place in the 3x3x3 Cube. First-time WCA competition entrant Osama Altahat took on three events, posting initial official marks of 14.03 in 2x2x2, 26.85 in Pyraminx, and 34.43 in 3x3x3.

Otair rounded out his gold medal tally by sweeping both Skewb and Pyraminx. In Skewb, Otair took the title with an average of 9.11 seconds, followed by Kinan Saleem in 10.25 and Ahmad Abu Hussein in 16.44. In Pyraminx, Otair secured first place with an average of 6.18 seconds and a single of 3.98, leading Hammouri at 6.99 and Kinan Saleem at 10.99.

Across the entire day, the delegation from Jordan earned twelve podium finishes, while Palestinian competitors collected nine podium spots. This successful gathering for speed cubing in the port city concluded an action-packed Aqaba Summer 2025, highlighting the technical range, personal milestones, and puzzle endurance that define the region as solvers look ahead to the next season of competition.