Central Washington Fall 2026

A blistering 5.43 winning mark in Square-1 set the tone for an extraordinary display of versatility as Sameer Aggarwal seized command in Ellensburg, Washington, USA. The single-day tournament brought together solvers across the Pacific Northwest for a fast-paced series of events, but Aggarwal emerged as the central figure of the day. His dominant performance at the tables established a high bar that resonated through every bracket, underscoring his complete mastery across varied twisty puzzle disciplines.

Central Washington Fall 2026 delivered intense action on September 26, 2026, at the Kittitas Valley Event Center. Competitors gathered to test their skills across five distinct official disciplines, making the 2026 cubing competition a focal point of regional speedcubing talent. From big cubes to specialized hardware, the tournament schedule offered a rigorous test of speed, precision, and consistency across each stage of the meet.

Aggarwal cemented his commanding weekend by capturing first place in the premier 3x3x3 Cube event with a swift 7.50 result, narrowly topping Ishaan Bansal who finished runner-up with a 7.55 effort. Adhiyan Kumaresan earned third place with a time of 8.47. In Square-1, Aggarwal finished far ahead of the pack with his 5.43 winning time, leading Miles Goodman in second at 11.24 and Ethan George Hayes in third at 14.66. Aggarwal also added a second-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 11.84, completing a remarkable haul of honors.

In the 3x3x3 One-Handed competition, Ethan George Hayes claimed the top step of the podium with a winning mark of 10.46, leading Aggarwal and third-place finisher Donovan Ho who posted a 13.26. The single-handed event provided some of the most technical speed cubing of the day, demanding flawless ergonomics and lookahead. Solvers tackled the classic Rubik's Cube with unmatched dexterity, making the event a showcase of intricate finger tricks and steady pacing.

The 5x5x5 Cube brought out the big-cube specialists, where Kevin Hays secured a clear victory with a winning effort of 46.60. Hays stood atop the podium ahead of Ash Black, who took second place in 58.46, and Ethan Davis, who took third with a 1:04.78. Black was not done for the day, returning to the competition stage to claim outright victory in Skewb with a winning time of 2.31, outpacing Eli Kirk with 3.75 and Wilson Xie with 3.94 in a tightly contested final.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Rowan Schurig made massive leaps forward, setting a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:48.33 to drop 56.9 percent from an earlier 4:11.47, alongside a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 33.24 that was 54.1 percent faster. Harrison Hyatt delivered significant drops across three events, lowering his Skewb personal best by 40.8 percent to 6.20 and taking his 3x3x3 Cube best to 9.97, an improvement of 27.3 percent. Tanner Ledeboer took on five events, improving his 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.28 by 19.4 percent while logging first ever attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed with 42.97 and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:11.04. Oren Kraus notched a 14.34 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube, an improvement of 19.3 percent, while recording first attempts in Skewb at 10.16 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 34.83.

Broadening their competition repertoire, Quinten Ledeboer tackled five events, completing a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 27.59, a first Square-1 attempt in 26.28, and a first 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 1:48.23. Quintin Nathanael Knutson likewise handled five events, logging first attempts in Square-1 with 1:22.67, 3x3x3 One-Handed with 30.73, and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:32.24. Avery Mellinger recorded a first ever attempt at Square-1 with 42.49 alongside a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 24.68. Benjamin Lu claimed a 6th place finish in 5x5x5 Cube with a personal best of 1:14.03, improving by 9.2 percent while also completing a first Square-1 attempt in 27.24.

The official WCA competition concluded with the United States sweeping all 15 available podium positions across the five scheduled events. The event standings provided a clear record of athletic precision and technical growth for everyone in attendance, from seasoned champions to ambitious newcomers. As another vibrant chapter of Northwest cubing wrapped up, Central Washington Fall 2026 demonstrated the depth and drive shaping the upcoming competitive cycle.