Bellevue Squan Fest January 2025

The competition floor inside the Bellevue Church of Christ buzzed with focused energy as 43 competitors took their seats across 11 rounds of scheduled action. Bellevue Squan Fest January 2025 brought solvers from across the Pacific Northwest to Bellevue, Washington, USA on January 25, 2025. Spectators gathered closely around the timing stations as the final rounds unfolded, watching every stop of the timer determine podium placements across five distinct puzzle categories.

The showcase 3x3x3 Cube final went down to the decisive final turns of the third round to settle the top spots on the podium. Sameer Aggarwal delivered under intense pressure, capturing first place with a winning average of 6.72 seconds, complemented by a sharp single solve of 6.18. Ron G. Arama pushed the pace throughout the round to claim second place with a 7.16 average, while Lucas Libed rounded out the top tier in third place with a 7.51 mark.

Aggarwal built an exceptional overall campaign across the single-day schedule, sweeping four out of the five events contested. In the Square-1 event, he posted an untouchable 5.22 winning average alongside the best single of the day at 4.59. Greyson James followed in second place with a 9.82 average, and Ron G. Arama picked up third with a 10.64. The event, which gave Bellevue Squan Fest January 2025 its name, demonstrated the precision required on the shapeshifting puzzle.

Moving onto the bigger NxN cubes, Aggarwal maintained his commanding form. In 5x5x5 Cube, he logged a 54.66 average and a best single of 45.51 to capture first place ahead of Jonathan Truchot at 56.98 and Ron G. Arama at 1:03.04. The 7x7x7 Cube final, decided in a single round, went to Aggarwal as well with an average of 2:38.97 and a single of 2:30.94. Vikram Haldar placed second in 2:57.03 and Jonathan Truchot took third in 3:05.54.

The lone victory that escaped Aggarwal came in the Clock event, where Mihir A. Rai posted lightning-fast solutions across two rounds. Rai secured the title with a 4.34 winning average and the best single of the competition at 3.85 seconds. Ron G. Arama finished as runner-up with a 4.55 average, while Anishk Arora took third with 4.72. United States competitors secured all fifteen available podium positions across the five events in this WCA competition.

Behind the top podium spots, personal milestones and breakthroughs defined the day for numerous participants throughout the venue. Elijah Shin produced major strides, cutting their Square-1 personal best to 12.74, an improvement of 37.5 percent, and dropping their Clock personal best by 26.5 percent to 11.07, while also notching a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 1:52.04 across four events. Charlie Rogers knocked 28.4 percent off their 5x5x5 Cube mark down to 2:58.76 and lowered their Clock best by 20.9 percent to 7.01, in addition to securing a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 12.69.

The roster of fresh attempts and personal records continued across the scorecards. Kellan Corley stepped up to four events, achieving a best finish of 12th in Clock alongside a first attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:21.08 and an opening Square-1 mark of 25.66. Eshan Arora tackled Clock for the first time, earning an 8.21 to place 8th, while cutting 17.5 percent off their 5x5x5 Cube best down to 1:35.37. Rex Gilmore registered a first Clock solve of 15.56 and lowered their Square-1 record by 28.8 percent to 27.51. Josh Lo dropped their Square-1 mark by 27 percent to 35.19, Justin Chew improved their 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 23.6 percent to 2:24.85, and Kharma Tsognyi logged an official 26.20 in their first Rubik's Cube attempt.

The 3x3 results throughout the weekend highlighted the depth of the field, with Caiden Lee, Greyson James, Jack Desloge, Walter Lee Wilson, Ishaan Bansal, and others executing fast solutions through multiple rounds. Whether solving the traditional Rubik's Cube or managing the gear turns of Clock, speedcubing competitors pushed their boundaries across all 11 rounds. Bellevue Squan Fest January 2025 demonstrated the competitive vitality of Pacific Northwest speed cubing in 2025.

As timers were packed away at Bellevue Church of Christ, participants looked ahead to future regional gatherings in the cubing competition calendar. Bellevue Squan Fest January 2025 concluded as a high-standard display of focus and dexterity, providing both seasoned champions and emerging solvers an ideal platform to test their skills.