Championnat Québécois 2026

Nothing in competitive speedcubing tests mental endurance quite like blindfolded solving, where athletes must memorize intricate piece placements before donning a blindfold and executing complex turn sequences from pure recollection. At Championnat Québécois 2026, held in Québec, Quebec, Canada from May 8 to May 10, 2026, Alvin Hiu Yeung Cheng delivered a masterclass in spatial memory. Cheng swept all three memory-based disciplines, claiming top honors in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded, 4x4x4 Blindfolded, and 5x5x5 Blindfolded events at the Pavillon Alphonse-Desjardins.

Cheng began his blindfolded sweep by capturing the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a winning average of 32.74 seconds, holding off Canada's Hiêu Thành Pham who logged a single of 31.99, and France's Wilfrid Py with 42.70. As the puzzle size scaled up and the memory requirements multiplied, Cheng only tightened his grip on the podium. He took the 4x4x4 Blindfolded crown with a decisive single of 2:19.09, outpacing Bilal El Rawas of Lebanon at 3:04.11 and Cary Huang of the United States at 3:47.62.

The ultimate memory test of the weekend arrived in the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event, where tracking dozens of center, wing, and corner pieces pushes human concentration to the absolute limit. Alvin Hiu Yeung Cheng mastered the grueling task to record a winning single of 4:49.69. Wilfrid Py secured the runner-up spot in 14:06.00, while Canadian solver Cyrille Beauchesne completed the podium with a time of 19:03.00, capping an extraordinary showcase of blind solving.

Beyond the blindfolded arena, Burno Li Chak Kwan mounted an astounding multi-discipline campaign, capturing eight event victories during Championnat Québécois 2026. Kwan set a new national record average of 32.82 seconds in the Megaminx, also posting the single best solve at 30.48. In the premier 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube category, Kwan led the 99-competitor field across three rounds, securing the title with a 7.08 winning average and a 6.22 single to highlight the official 3x3 results.

Kwan expanded his collection of titles across various puzzle styles and formats throughout the cubing competition. In the big cube categories, he won the 4x4x4 Cube with a 25.63 average, the 5x5x5 Cube in 46.70, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:22.85, and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:18.77. He added victories in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 13.51 seconds and Square-1 with an 11.09 average, showing unmatched versatility across the 27 total rounds staged over the weekend.

The official results sheet captures only a fraction of the progress made at this WCA competition, where many solvers reached critical milestones. Benjamin Holmes achieved massive gains, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 74.8 percent down to 2.98 seconds and dropping his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 49.5 percent to 24.51, alongside a first ever attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube in 2:26.96. Henri Lariviere improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 66.4 percent to 3.00 seconds while posting a first attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 2:49.67. Maxime Fillion dropped his 4x4x4 Cube best by 53.5 percent to 1:42.47 and logged a first 5x5x5 Cube result of 5:31.21. Louis-Félix Sirois shaved 38.9 percent from his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 14.65 single and made a first 2x2x2 Cube attempt of 2.80.

Other competitors took on ambitious multi-event schedules to expand their tournament experience. Cassidy Côté entered 13 disciplines across the schedule, achieving a 13th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, logging a first 6x6x6 Cube attempt in 5:56.18, and improving their 4x4x4 Cube mark by 26 percent to 1:10.37. Samuel Chapdelaine took on 12 events, securing 18th in 7x7x7 Cube while posting first official attempts in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:03.00 and 6x6x6 Cube at 5:06.02. Derek Arias Vitela tackled 9 events, finishing 18th in 7x7x7 Cube and trying Megaminx for the first time in 2:33.92. Yvan Rancourt took part in their first tournament, recording an opening Pyraminx mark of 3.79 seconds.

Local athletes also earned top honors in several fast-paced side disciplines during Championnat Québécois 2026. William Lavoie won the 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.89 average and took the Skewb final with a 2.70 mark, beating Emery McFeeter and Rémi Chrétien. Ash Chen captured the Pyraminx title in 2.60 seconds ahead of Lavoie, while Jack Chicoine won Clock with a 5.15 average. Across 15 events, host nation Canada earned 16 podium places, Hong Kong captured 14, and the United States claimed 10.

With 106 participants gathering at the Pavillon Alphonse-Desjardins, this gathering highlighted the depth of speed cubing talent across Eastern Canada and international delegations alike. From high-speed rotational puzzles to the profound stillness of blindfolded solving, the competition provided a memorable showcase of technical precision and athletic concentration across three days of intense tournament play.