Berkeley Favorites 2026

A blistering 15.70-second single solve in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event set an unmatched benchmark at Pauley Ballroom on March 1, 2026. Anto Kam of Hong Kong delivered that standout mark in blindfolded solving, where memorisation and flawless execution collide, securing top spot in the event before translating that sharp focus into another victory. Kam dominated the 3x3x3 One-Handed final as well, logging a 10.87 average and a 10.59 single to capture two titles in a single day at Berkeley Favorites 2026 in Berkeley, California, USA.

The one-day WCA competition brought together 166 competitors across 13 events and 18 rounds of intense action. Kam led an international presence on the podiums, standing out alongside performers from the United States, Israel, India, and Taiwan. The overall medal count reflected heavy regional representation, with competitors representing the USA collecting 33 podium places. Behind the multi-event mastery of Kam, the tournament showcased a demanding schedule that spanned traditional speedcubing staples, specialized big cubes, and dexterity puzzles.

The main event spotlight fell on the classic Rubik's Cube, which drew the largest field of the day with 146 entrants battling through three full rounds. Ethan Jan emerged on top to claim the 3x3x3 Cube title, putting together a winning average of 6.78 seconds alongside a best single of 5.82. The 3x3 results remained extremely tight right through the final round, as Zerui Cheng pushed closely behind with a 6.95 average to take second place, while Micah Yeo rounded out the podium in third with an average of 7.58.

Shorter puzzles delivered equally rapid finishes across the hall. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Benjamin Schaham captured first place with a 1.74 average, holding off Zane Qureshi at 1.91 and Stanley Tran at 2.31 over two rounds among 79 competitors. Schaham went on to collect a second gold medal of the day in Clock, finishing with a 3.65 winning average and a 2.78 single. Meanwhile, Dean Jacob Adamo Susskind topped the Skewb standings with a 2.13 average, followed by Sid Shivnath at 2.71 and Yuto Konno at 3.03.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors produced massive personal breakthroughs and embraced new challenges across the tournament schedule. Emmett Quintana took on four events, securing a 15th-place finish in Megaminx while making his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 1:25.65, a first attempt at Megaminx in 1:37.88, and improving his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 3.55, which was 58.1% faster than his previous mark. Keisai Miyaji lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best to 25.99, an improvement of 56.6%, while also logging a first attempt at Pyraminx in 9.22 seconds. Brandon Chou registered a 21.36 in 3x3x3 One-Handed to go 56.2% faster than before, alongside an 11.12 Clock best that improved by 50.6%. Alejandro Buendia dropped his Clock mark by 52% to 11.61 and completed his first Skewb attempt in 10.70.

The surge of new event milestones continued through the rest of the roster at this cubing competition. Takashi Toy shaved 42.8% off his previous mark to log a 12.72 in 3x3x3 Cube while recording a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:34.57. Herbert Gu dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 36.7% to 6.08 and took first-ever competition attempts in Pyraminx at 11.04 and 4x4x4 Cube at 3:04.39. Silas Lao registered a 2.94 in his first attempt at 2x2x2 Cube and brought his 3x3x3 Cube best down to 12.73, an improvement of 32.3%. Henry Weber Gross locked in a 12th-place Skewb result with a 9.03 first attempt, tried Pyraminx for the first time in 8.44, and posted a 4.22 in 2x2x2 Cube to go 30.7% faster.

The technical side of the speed cubing roster saw Dan Pastushkov power through a single round of 57 entrants to take the 4x4x4 Cube title with a 28.24 average and a 26.29 single. In 5x5x5 Cube, An Le topped the 32-person field with a 54.11 average and a 50.51 best single. Nolan Yiu won the Megaminx event in 34.91, ahead of Varenya Jyotiraditya at 38.40 and Jonathan Rutenberg at 40.43, while Calvin Nielson took Square-1 honors with a 6.73 average over Joseph Ong and James Chea.

Large cubes and quick pyramids wrapped up the extensive schedule. Paul Mahvi achieved a commanding sweep of the heaviest puzzles, winning 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:33.34 average and 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:21.16 average. In Pyraminx, Hrishikesh Kakati led the 39-competitor field with a sub-two average of 1.96 seconds, leading Stephen Zhu and Sid Shivnath onto the podium. Concluding a packed day of competition at Berkeley Favorites 2026, the performances established high standards across every category heading forward into the 2026 calendar.