Auckland Autumn 2025

Inside the Whitford Community Hall, timers beeped against a steady backdrop of tumbling plastic layers as competitors settled into their stations for a full day of action. Hand warmers rested beside inspection mats while judges checked stopwatches and score sheets across thirteen total rounds of play. The April 12 gathering brought together 46 competitors in Auckland, New Zealand, for an intense one-day fixture packed with regional pride and international challenges across six distinct disciplines.

This edition of Auckland Autumn 2025 quickly developed into a fierce contest between local standouts and overseas contenders. New Zealand secured 15 podium places throughout the day, while visitors from Korea and Malaysia claimed two and one respectively. The clash of styles and regional training camps gave the cubing competition an edge, as local favourites fought to defend their home turf against sharp international touring talent across classic puzzles and complex memory disciplines.

The premier Rubik's Cube category served up a masterclass from local ace Chris Mills. Across three rounds featuring the entire 46-competitor field, Mills controlled the pace, delivering the best single of the day at 6.05 seconds and taking the title with a winning average of 6.79 seconds. Elyas Eyou claimed second place with an average of 8.35, while Carol Chai completed the all-Kiwi podium in third at 8.60. The 3x3 results demonstrated New Zealand's depth in standard speedcubing.

The regional rivalry intensified dramatically in the blindfolded disciplines, where Korea's Jinsol Hong went toe-to-toe with New Zealand's Xavier Courteau-Laing. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Hong struck gold for Korea, securing victory with a winning single time of 5:56.95, while Jerry Jiang took silver in 11:10.00 and Courteau-Laing finished third in 20:35.00. The discipline requires intense memorisation before solving without sight, making Hong's sub-six-minute performance a standout highlight of the WCA competition.

Courteau-Laing answered right back in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, taking top honours with a swift 1:00.29 single, edging out Hong who finished runner-up in 1:10.45, with Kalvin Lum taking third in 1:30.12. Courteau-Laing then doubled his gold tally at Auckland Autumn 2025 by claiming first place in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, successfully resolving 7 out of 8 cubes in 56:14. Lum followed in second with 2 out of 2 in 9:09, while Malaysia's Camerone Chin rounded out the podium with 3 out of 5 in 26:55.

Away from the top of the standings, several competitors delivered massive personal breakthroughs that defined the spirit of the weekend. Elvis Chung took on three events and slashed 74 percent off his previous Clock personal best down to 5.10 seconds, also recording a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 5.04. Lawrence Alvarez entered three events, cutting his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 42 percent to 35.81 seconds, while logging his first ever attempts at Clock with 25.21 and Skewb with 12.76. Jasmine Kane brought her Skewb best down by 37.2 percent to 6.27 seconds.

The progress continued across the venue as Noah Tutt improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 32.7 percent down to 37.06 seconds and logged debut attempts in Skewb at 11.76 and Clock at 36.20. Jacob Coring lowered his Skewb mark by 31.4 percent to 5.18 seconds while posting a 7.89 in Clock. Jason Chen reduced his Skewb personal best by 31 percent to 11.03 seconds. Apollo McVey dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 28.9 percent to 11.76 seconds, and Max Clark trimmed his 3x3x3 Cube time by 27.2 percent down to 23.30 seconds.

In the remaining rotational events, local talent maintained a strong grip on the podiums. Oscar McEvoy captured the Skewb crown with an average of 3.21 seconds, holding off Chris Mills at 3.60 and Carol Chai at 4.27. Meanwhile, Lachlan Gibson delivered a dominant display in Clock, taking first place with an average of 2.38 seconds ahead of Edwin Shen with 4.43 and Elyas Eyou with 4.84, highlighting the speed cubing versatility present throughout the venue.

As the equipment was packed away at Whitford Community Hall, Auckland Autumn 2025 concluded having delivered high-calibre match-ups and memorable individual milestones. With 46 competitors pushing each other across 13 rounds of spirited competition, the local scene proved ready to match global benchmarks as preparations turn toward the next stops on the 2025 calendar.