Bilbao Urte Berri Off 2025

Inside La Perrera, the solving stations offered an uncommon sight as the competition got underway. Instead of the familiar standard shapes lining every table, the venue was packed with the intricate dodecahedrons of the Megaminx, the dense geometric layers of massive big cubes, and the shifting silhouettes of the Square-1. Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain served as the backdrop on December 29, 2025, bringing together 32 competitors for a specialized gathering focused entirely on non-traditional disciplines. Over the course of 13 rounds across five events, the cubing competition delivered a pure celebration of mechanical complexity and problem-solving skill.

While traditional 3x3 results usually draw the immediate attention of casual observers, this WCA competition put alternative formats center stage. The schedule rewarded competitors who possessed the adaptability to switch from managing the heavy hardware of massive layers to navigating the delicate slice turns of shape-shifting challenges. Across the single-day schedule, every participant had to balance precision, stamina, and deep algorithmic knowledge. The variety tested speedcubing versatility at every level, as the tournament pushed competitors to demonstrate mastery over an expansive range of official events that rarely share the marquee together.

Antonio López delivered a dominant masterclass across the big cubes, sweeping all three multi-layer events on the schedule. In the 5x5x5 Cube, where 27 competitors fought through three full rounds, López captured first place with an average of 55.58 and the fastest single of the event at 52.83. José Miguel Beguiristain took second place with an average of 59.15, while Pablo Amoraga Velasco secured third on the podium with a mark of 1:03.09. López set a formidable pace, demonstrating exceptional edge pairing and lookahead through every stage of the bracket.

The dominance of Antonio López continued as the puzzles grew larger and the turn counts mounted. In the 6x6x6 Cube, López earned the title with a winning average of 1:36.20 and a best single of 1:31.29, finishing ahead of Mikel Manterola Zarraga who logged a 1:58.15 average and José Miguel Beguiristain with a 2:00.74. Moving to the 7x7x7 Cube, López once again claimed top honors, producing a winning average of 2:10.22 alongside a best single of 2:05.04. Beguiristain finished second with a 2:55.03 average, closely followed by Amoraga Velasco in third place at 2:55.33.

The non-cubic categories produced thrilling finishes of their own. Pablo Amoraga Velasco took victory in the Megaminx, navigating two rounds among 27 competitors to post a winning average of 33.73 and a best single of 28.36. Alex Rosado Saez de Langarica secured second place with an average of 42.29, and Jose Sánchez García claimed third with 53.17. Rosado Saez de Langarica then claimed the top step in Square-1, winning the event with an average of 8.70 and a best single of 7.88, finishing clear of Rubén López de Juan with 11.60 and Alejandro Nicolay with 13.21.

Away from the top steps of the podium, personal milestones and breakthroughs unfolded across every station. Ander Rodríguez Martín delivered a massive improvement in the 5x5x5 Cube, setting a personal best of 2:02.01 to beat his previous mark by 26.9 percent, while also establishing a new personal best of 2:35.66 in Megaminx and reaching a best finish of 12th in Square-1 across four events. Aimar Morán del Campo focused on a single discipline and made it count, cutting his Megaminx personal best by 26.1 percent to 2:40.77 and securing a 19th place finish. Peio López de Biñaspre Jaureguibeitia took on five events, dropping his Square-1 personal best to 50.40, an improvement of 23.3 percent, while also lowering his 6x6x6 Cube best by 9.7 percent to 3:54.01 and his 5x5x5 Cube best by 9.3 percent to 1:59.78.

Other competitors embraced the challenge of testing themselves in entirely new disciplines. Irene Fraile Menéndez entered four events, logging her first ever attempt at Square-1 with a mark of 59.88 while cutting her 6x6x6 Cube personal best by 12.5 percent to 4:01.18 and her 7x7x7 Cube best by 12.4 percent to 6:38.01. Ekain Bengoetxea Olano tackled four events, making his first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with a time of 4:28.34, his first ever attempt at Megaminx with 1:54.35 on the way to a 17th place finish, and his first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube with 5:55.56. Martina López de Biñaspre Jaureguibeitia also stepped into unfamiliar territory across three events, recording her first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 6:53.42 and her first ever attempt at Megaminx in 4:21.47.

The action in Bilbao showed the remarkable depth of the regional speed cubing community, where every podium spot went to Spanish competitors, totaling 15 podium finishes across all five events. By giving side disciplines and large puzzles the spotlight, Bilbao Urte Berri Off 2025 proved how exciting specialized events can be when given dedicated space on the calendar. As the community looks toward the next season of competition, the performances in Bizkaia showed that mastery of the Rubik's Cube family extends well beyond standard formats into every corner of the puzzle world.

32 participantes se dieron cita en el espacio La Perrera para disputar las 13 rondas programadas en el certamen Bilbao Urte Berri Off 2025. Celebrada el 29 de diciembre de 2025 en Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain, esta jornada de speedcubing reunió a competidores experimentados y a numerosos participantes que expandieron sus horizontes en pruebas complejas dentro del circuito oficial de la World Cube Association.

El gran protagonista de esta competición de cubos fue Antonio López, quien completó una actuación memorable al conquistar tres de las cinco modalidades del programa. En el 5x5x5 Cube, López se llevó el primer puesto con un promedio ganador de 55.58 y un mejor intento individual de 52.83 tras medirse a 27 inscritos en tres rondas clasificatorias. En esa misma final, José Miguel Beguiristain logró la segunda posición con una media de 59.15, mientras que Pablo Amoraga Velasco completó el podio con 1:03.09.

El dominio de Antonio López se extendió con claridad a los cubos de mayores dimensiones. En la prueba de 6x6x6 Cube, López aseguró la victoria con una media de 1:36.20 y un mejor tiempo de 1:31.29 frente a 24 contrincantes. Mikel Manterola Zarraga se adjudicó el segundo lugar con un registro de 1:58.15 y José Miguel Beguiristain repitió en el podio con un tiempo de 2:00.74 para cerrar el cuadro de honor.

La tercera victoria de López llegó en el 7x7x7 Cube, donde volvió a marcar el ritmo sobre el tapete con una marca media ganadora de 2:10.22 y un tiempo individual de 2:05.04. La batalla por las siguientes plazas fue sumamente disputada, con José Miguel Beguiristain logrando la segunda plaza con 2:55.03, superando por una diferencia mínima a Pablo Amoraga Velasco, quien firmó un tiempo de 2:55.33.

Más allá de las coronaciones en los cubos grandes, el torneo deparó grandes momentos en puzzles alternativos del universo del cubo de Rubik. En Megaminx, Pablo Amoraga Velasco se impuso con autoridad gracias a una media triunfal de 33.73 y un registro individual de 28.36, escoltado por Alex Rosado Saez de Langarica con 42.29 y Jose Sánchez García con 53.17. Poco después, en Square-1, Alex Rosado Saez de Langarica se colgó la medalla dorada con un tiempo medio de 8.70, seguido por Rubén López de Juan con 11.60 y Alejandro Nicolay con 13.21.

El progreso individual y el estreno en categorías exigentes definieron la esencia de Bilbao Urte Berri Off 2025. Peio Calonge Aurtenetxe aprovechó sus cuatro eventos para firmar tres mejoras personales notables: rebajó un 14.3% su marca en 7x7x7 Cube al cronometrar 5:21.70, mejoró un 12% en 6x6x6 Cube con 3:32.00 y recortó un 6.3% en 5x5x5 Cube con un tiempo de 1:43.57. En Square-1, Raúl Fernández de Cos redujo su registro previo un 15.6% con una marca de 53.19, a la que sumó una mejora del 6.4% en 5x5x5 Cube con 2:24.82.

Ese espíritu de superación también motivó a varios competidores a lanzarse a nuevos desafíos en una competición de la WCA. Lorenzo Meneguz realizó su primer intento oficial en 7x7x7 Cube parando el cronómetro en 12:45.00 tras participar en dos eventos. Por su parte, la prueba de Megaminx vio tres debuts destacados: Cecilia Rábago Bagüés completó su primera resolución oficial con un tiempo de 4:27.82, Jaione Bengoetxea Azurmendi firmó 4:54.23 en su estreno y Adrián Goncalves Romero registró 7:26.00 en su única participación del torneo.

El balance final de Bilbao Urte Berri Off 2025 confirmó la solidez técnica de los competidores locales, concentrando España los 15 lugares de podio posibles a lo largo de la jornada. Con 13 rondas de alta exigencia técnica en La Perrera, el evento despidió el año 2025 consolidando a figuras destacadas del speedcubing y dejando un camino prometedor para todos los participantes de cara a los retos de la próxima temporada.