Beginner & Blind Johannesburg 2025

Eleven minutes and forty seconds stands as the ultimate test of stamina, memory, and concentration from a memorable weekend in South Africa. At Beginner & Blind Johannesburg 2025, held from May 17 to May 18 at Waverley Girls High School, Marike Faught conquered the immense challenge of the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event with a winning single of 11:40.00. Tackling big cubes without sight demands unwavering focus across hundreds of piece orientations, and Faught delivered under pressure to capture first place in a field of two intrepid solvers.

The test of heavy puzzles and memory continued in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, where Marike Faught again demonstrated absolute mastery across multiple layers. Faught claimed top honors with a decisive single of 4:15.00, finishing ahead of Brendan James Gray and Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim. In the standard 4x4x4 Cube, Osman Badroodin set the standard for speedcubing on larger mechanisms, posting a commanding 33.91 average alongside a best single of 31.79 to take the title over Ian Luies with 43.20 and Faught with 43.69.

Across the two-day WCA competition, 55 competitors gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, taking on 10 events and 14 rounds of rigorous play. The classic 3x3x3 Cube drew 53 competitors through three intense rounds of turning. In the final, Amahle Nyembe produced the weekend's best 3x3 results, capturing victory with a 9.20 average and an 8.87 best single. Osman Badroodin secured the runner-up spot with a 9.74 average, while Juandré Jacobs earned third on the podium with 10.83.

Short-format speed cubing brought razor-thin margins and breathless pacing to the tables at Waverley Girls High School. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Rhynard Steyn clinched first place with a 3.61 average and a 3.06 single, edging Juandré Jacobs who took second with 3.63, while Amahle Nyembe finished third with 3.85. Noah Levin proved unbeatable in the alternate hardware categories, capturing first place in Pyraminx with a 4.88 average and doubling his gold tally by winning Skewb with a 4.77 average.

Beyond the podium battles, Beginner & Blind Johannesburg 2025 served as an incredible stage for personal breakthroughs across the scorecards. Muhammed Trajia delivered some of the most staggering progress of the weekend, slicing his 4x4x4 Cube personal best down to 1:46.03 from an earlier 7:19.21 to gain a massive 75.9 percent improvement, while also carving 39.9 percent off his Skewb mark with 21.32. Ibrahim Shakeel dropped his 4x4x4 Cube best by 29.5 percent to 1:27.41 and logged a first ever attempt at Skewb in 9.81 on the way to an 11th-place finish. Martin du Plooy improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 30.9 percent to 6.20 and registered a first attempt in Pyraminx with 19.61, while Pieter Cornelius Horne sharpened his 2x2x2 Cube standard by 33.5 percent to 8.55.

First-time events and competition debuts brought fresh energy across the floor throughout both days. Tobias Lochner tackled six separate events, achieving a best finish of 7th in Clock while logging a first ever attempt at Skewb in 14.67 and a debut 4x4x4 Cube time of 2:06.79. Ruben van Niekerk secured 4th in 4x4x4 Cube and registered his first official Clock solve at 30.17 alongside a 2.54 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube. Making their very first appearances at a cubing competition, Keegan Horn tackled four events including an 18.41 Skewb debut, while Lucca Franco entered three disciplines and achieved a 15th-place finish in Pyraminx with a 10.32 opening effort.

The blindfolded program also featured tremendous versatility across multi-cube solving and the traditional Rubik's Cube. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Marike Faught solved an astonishing 16 out of 19 cubes in 50:28 to lead the standings, followed by Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim who registered 8 out of 9 cubes in 52:41, and Bethanie Botha who went a perfect 2 for 2 in 15:04. In the single 3x3x3 Blindfolded round, Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim took the top step with an impressive 42.52 single, ahead of Faught's 1:08.86 and Gray's 2:45.34.

Mechanical precision returned to the spotlight during Clock, where Marike Faught earned yet another gold medal with a steady 12.86 winning average, joined on the podium by Brendan James Gray at 14.48 and Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim at 19.81. South African competitors secured all 29 awarded podium spots across the competition, demonstrating remarkable depth across sprints and multi-layer endurance.

With 14 completed rounds and a wide array of specialized events, Beginner & Blind Johannesburg 2025 concluded as a showcase of endurance, patience, and technical skill. From the monumental concentration demanded by the big blindfolded cubes to the lightning-fast turns of the short-format finals, the 2025 gathering highlighted the dedication required to push personal limits as competitors set their sights on the next season of play.