Berkeley Winter 2025

A total of 167 competitors stepped up to the tables in Pauley Ballroom on February 8, 2025, each looking to claim gold across 11 high-stakes rounds. Hosted in Berkeley, California, USA, the gathering brought together competitors from multiple nations for an intense single-day test of speed and precision. Every round mattered in the bid for titles across five distinct puzzles, testing whether months of practice could withstand the pressure of knockout progression. With places in the finals tightly contested from morning to evening, the atmosphere inside the venue demanded absolute consistency from the very first turn.

The premier event of the cubing competition saw 164 entrants battle through three exhaustive rounds of the classic 3x3x3 Cube. Ethan Jan emerged on top of the standings, securing the title with a tournament-best winning average of 6.21 seconds and a blistering best single of 5.80 seconds. Zerui Cheng earned second place with a solid 6.80 average, while Heidi Chan completed the podium in third at 6.89. The official 3x3 results underlined just how razor-thin the margins were among the final group, where sub-seven execution was mandatory to secure a top-three finish.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw 118 entrants face off across two fast-paced rounds, where any slight slip could ruin an average. Benjamin Schaham took the championship with a winning average of 2.65 seconds alongside a 1.63 single. Varun Mohanraj claimed the silver medal with an average of 2.89, while Ethan Jan locked in another podium finish by taking bronze at 2.94 seconds. In an event resolved in fractions of a second, the finalists executed their solutions with surgical control under intense tournament scrutiny.

Big cube mastery was on full display in the 4x4x4 Cube, where Varun Mohanraj returned to the top step by winning the event with a 26.91 average and an impressive single of 23.02 seconds. Yuki Nomura took second place with an average of 28.72 seconds, while Gurshan Singh reached third with a 31.58 mark. Managing the higher layer count and alignment hurdles across two rounds tested both stamina and lookahead, giving Mohanraj a decisive victory in the 89-competitor field.

Specialist puzzles brought further excitement to the schedule, beginning with the 3x3x3 One-Handed division. Anto Kam delivered an exceptional performance to win the event with an average of 10.51 seconds and a single of 9.88, leading Henry Helmuth who finished second at 11.41 and Ethan Jan who placed third at 11.54. Meanwhile, Calvin Nielson commanded the Square-1 event, topping a 40-competitor field with a winning average of 7.13 seconds and a 6.46 single. James Chea placed second with 8.28, and Matt Mao took third at 9.73.

Beyond the championship podiums, several competitors delivered massive leaps forward across the schedule. Cameron Caro dropped their 4x4x4 Cube personal best to 1:28.23 from 3:28.09, an improvement of 57.6 percent, while also improving in 3x3x3 to 19.61 and 2x2x2 to 8.60 across three entered events. Charles McElvany produced a remarkable 54.1 percent drop in Square-1 with a personal best of 26.09 down from 56.80, alongside a 2.35 personal best in 2x2x2 and a 57.70 in 4x4x4. Andrew Dey lowered their 3x3x3 mark by 48.4 percent to 24.64 and logged a first ever attempt in 2x2x2 of 4.38. Ryan Willey entered four events, cutting their one-handed mark by 42.4 percent to 26.07 and their Square-1 time by 23.7 percent to 24.99 while posting a 1:30.42 in their first 4x4x4 attempt.

Other athletes embraced fresh challenges across multiple disciplines at this WCA competition. Juan Garcia Aguirre competed in five events, securing a 35.5 percent improvement in 2x2x2 with 3.45, an 18.4 percent drop in one-handed to 28.27, and a first attempt at 4x4x4 with 1:10.41. Thomson Chen improved by 33.1 percent in 3x3x3 to 19.71 while making initial event attempts in one-handed at 46.54 and 4x4x4 at 2:17.20. Jude Rodriguez took on four events, setting a 29.2 percent personal best in 2x2x2 of 4.79, an 18.59 mark in 3x3x3, and a debut 1:27.45 in 4x4x4. Jacob Maez tackled five events, slicing 26.5 percent off their one-handed time to 39.04 while recording debut marks in Square-1 at 57.10 and 4x4x4 at 1:37.73.

The global appeal of speedcubing was reflected in the international breakdown of podium finishes, with the United States collecting 12 medals, alongside one each for Hong Kong, Japan, and China. Across the board, participants pushed the standard of competitive speed cubing on both traditional Rubik's Cube categories and complex alternate puzzles. Berkeley Winter 2025 delivered exceptional competitive intensity from its opening rounds through to the finals.

As the equipment was packed away in Pauley Ballroom, the accomplishments from Berkeley Winter 2025 set a strong baseline for the competitors ahead of upcoming tournaments. From Ethan Jan collecting multiple top finishes to dozens of entrants conquering personal milestones and debut formats, the day captured the true competitive spirit of the circuit. The achievements in Northern California will serve as powerful momentum as the 2025 season continues to unfold.