Astana Non-Cube 2026

A winning mark of 2.24 seconds set the tempo for an extraordinary day of side-event mastery in Central Asia. At Astana Non-Cube 2026, held on September 12, 2026, the focus shifted away from traditional 3x3 results to the specialised world of alternative puzzles. Hosted at the American Corner inside the ENU library in Astana, Kazakhstan, the cubing competition brought together dedicated specialists for five non-standard disciplines. Throughout the single-day schedule, the tournament delivered high-calibre speedcubing across every setup, demonstrating the depth of international and regional talent.

Spain's Jaime Calzado Gomez established complete command over the gathering, securing a podium finish in all five disciplines contested. Calzado Gomez collected three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in a masterclass of multi-discipline speed cubing. His campaign opened with a blistering 2.24 winning effort in Skewb, where he held off Kazakhstan's Alisher Kurmash at 3.93 and Abzal Amirgali at 5.75. The Spanish standout maintained that blistering pace across diverse mechanisms, demonstrating exceptional adaptability regardless of puzzle geometry.

The Pyraminx final proved to be another showcase for Calzado Gomez, who captured the title with a mark of 4.10 seconds. Kurmash took second place with a close 4.29, while Damir Zhanataev of Kazakhstan earned third place with a 4.36. In Square-1, Calzado Gomez once again took the top spot on the podium with a winning time of 15.99. Kurmash followed in second at 17.43, and Singapore's Ramanujan Srinivasan claimed third place with a time of 17.94, bringing an international presence to the podium.

Kazakhstan's competitors mounted formidable challenges of their own, securing nine total podium spots on home turf throughout the WCA competition. In Clock, Aidar Nadir delivered an outstanding winning performance of 4.75 seconds to capture the gold medal for the host nation. Calzado Gomez took silver with 5.92, while Timur Beksultan completed the podium in third with an 8.77. The event highlighted the rapid progression of local solving talent against seasoned international competitors across non-twisty and gear-based mechanisms.

The Megaminx event provided the defining record of the meet, courtesy of Alisher Kurmash. Kurmash won the event outright with an average time of 41.72 seconds, while also setting a new Kazakhstan national record single of 35.58 seconds during the round. Abzal Amirgali secured second place with a time of 59.90, and Calzado Gomez added a bronze medal to his haul with 1:07.37. Kurmash's record-breaking single stood out as one of the sharpest milestones seen in the region during the 2026 season.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors produced massive individual breakthroughs that standard scoreboards often mask. Erasyl Beisenov entered five events and achieved an enormous Megaminx personal best of 1:57.63, cutting 50.9 percent off his former 3:59.61 mark, while also setting new personal bests of 5.86 in Skewb (22.4 percent faster) and 5.98 in Pyraminx. Aisultan Turganbay tackled three events, making his first ever official Megaminx attempt with a time of 1:45.10, cutting his Skewb personal best by 36 percent down to 12.45, and finishing fourth in Pyraminx. Maksat Amantaev completed four events, posting a first attempt of 2:45.66 in Megaminx, a first attempt of 1:55.21 in Square-1, and a Pyraminx personal best of 5.44, which improved on his previous 6.81 by 20.1 percent. Dias Toregeldin contested five events, taking fourth in Square-1 and setting personal bests of 4.20 in Skewb, an improvement of 32.9 percent, and 1:18.80 in Megaminx.

The depth of progress continued across the rest of the field in Astana. Bahtiyar Karabalin focused exclusively on Megaminx, taking fourth place with a personal best of 58.46 seconds, cutting 26 percent from his previous best of 1:18.98. Nayl Maksut took on five events, earning fourth place in Skewb and setting a Megaminx personal best of 3:07.72, which was 4.3 percent faster than his earlier 3:16.24. Alibi Nauken entered two events, finishing ninth in Clock and logging a first official Pyraminx attempt of 9.14 seconds. Singapore's Ang An-Sel took on a full five-event slate, earning a weekend-best finish of eighth place in Clock to round out a prolific individual campaign.

While enthusiasts often track standard Rubik's Cube proceedings, this competition put alternative disciplines squarely in the spotlight. In total, Kazakhstan collected nine podium positions, Spain gathered five, and Singapore took home one. The varied schedule tested dexterity, spatial orientation, and technical execution across every format. With five events settled in rapid succession, Astana Non-Cube 2026 proved that non-cube puzzle solving continues to thrive with remarkable speed and growing depth across Central Asia.