Bay Area Speedcubin' 68 - Belmont 2025

Inside the halls of Crystal Springs Upland School Middle School, the rhythmic click of turning plastic filled the air across thirteen rounds of action. Solvers hovered over their timers, testing alignments and inspecting scrambles before launching into rapid sequences. While deliberate, thoughtful problem-solving defines the theoretical side of the Rubik's Cube, this arena was dedicated entirely to pure tempo and lightning execution as 123 competitors gathered in Belmont, California, USA for a full day of head-to-head racing on December 13, 2025.

The 3x3 results formed the centerpiece of the program at Bay Area Speedcubin' 68 - Belmont 2025, drawing 121 entrants into a three-round battle. Zerui Cheng (程泽睿) emerged on top of the premier event, stringing together a winning average of 6.72 seconds in the final and posting the weekend's best single solve of 5.95 seconds. Sebastian Stone followed closely in second place with a 7.15 average, while Trevor Mendelson earned the third step on the podium with a mark of 7.16 seconds in an exceptionally tight finish.

Trevor Mendelson stood out across the schedule, securing a major victory in the 2x2x2 Cube alongside his podium finish in the main event. In a field of 99 competitors, Mendelson took first place with a blistering average of 1.72 seconds and a best single solve of 1.52 seconds. Stanley Tran claimed the runner-up position with an average of 2.04, and Isaac Modrow rounded out the podium at 2.29 seconds.

Specialized events delivered dynamic matchups throughout the afternoon. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Micah Yeo captured the title among 70 entrants, delivering a 10.25 winning average and an 8.51 single. Anto Kam (甘浩東) finished in second place with a 10.82 average, followed by Jason Ostdiek in third at 12.58. Over at the Clock station, Sebastian Stone conquered the 52-player bracket by recording a winning average of 3.18 seconds and a single of 2.84, besting Ethan Mendelson at 3.95 and Julia Shi at 5.41.

The larger puzzles and shape-shifting events brought further variety to this cubing competition. Paul Mahvi proved untouchable in the 4x4x4 Cube, winning with an average of 29.77 seconds and a fast single of 24.66 against 58 other competitors. Dan Pastushkov took second place at 31.29 seconds, while Mitchell Lane secured third at 32.84. In Square-1, Matt Mao claimed the title across two rounds with an average of 9.23 seconds, topping Trevor Mendelson who recorded a 9.90 average and Alessandro Diomampo who posted 12.61.

Away from the podium battles, significant milestones highlighted the weekend for solvers making substantial breakthroughs in their official careers. Zoe Wu entered three events and saw remarkable growth, cutting her 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 17.24 seconds, which was 65.1 percent faster than her prior mark of 49.42, while also posting her first official attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 29.77 and Clock at 41.69. Joshua Loh achieved major time drops, taking his 2x2x2 Cube best down to 4.10 seconds for a 64.6 percent improvement and his 3x3x3 Cube best to 18.50 seconds, an improvement of 52.2 percent. Leo Remi Fyffe improved his 3x3x3 Cube record by 32.9 percent to 19.21 seconds and registered initial official attempts of 1:05.71 in 3x3x3 One-Handed and 30.92 in Clock.

Other competitors took on fresh challenges across the six-event roster at this WCA competition. Wyatt Hou dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 33.3 percent down to 4.03 seconds while recording his first marks in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:17.71 and Clock at 42.59. Joseph Silver tackled six events, logging his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 51.58, his first Square-1 attempt at 18.41, and cutting his 3x3x3 Cube best by 26.9 percent to 9.06 seconds. Alan Hu posted his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt at 3.56 seconds and improved his 4x4x4 Cube time by 23.7 percent to 1:24.12. Lionel Ip logged six events including maiden attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 17.79, Clock at 13.20, and Square-1 at 40.11, while Liam Yip completed his first attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 7.81, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 38.95, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:28.64.

The single-day meet demonstrated the vibrant energy of speed cubing in Northern California, closing out an intense schedule of six events and thirteen rounds. Competitors from the United States earned fifteen podium positions alongside two for China and one for Hong Kong. As Bay Area Speedcubin' 68 - Belmont 2025 concluded, the gathering showed how both seasoned title winners and emerging speedcubing talents continue to push their standards forward on the official stage.