Chicagoland Newcomers 2025

A winning average of 10.90 seconds in 3x3x3 One-Handed set the tone for an intense day of solving in Hobart, Indiana, USA. The discipline places unique physical demands on speedcubing specialists, requiring flawless ergonomic table turns, index flicks, and pinky-assisted regrips. Handling the puzzle with a single hand exposes any inefficiency in lookahead or turn execution. At the County Line Orchard venue on March 9, 2025, Luke Garrett proved completely equal to the task, pairing that 10.90 final average with a 9.15 best single to lead the 62-competitor field across two demanding rounds.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed podium showcased exceptional control across the board at Chicagoland Newcomers 2025. Jack Pfeifer secured second place with a 12.56 average, while Nate Abeleda earned the third step with a mark of 13.98. The technical precision displayed in the one-handed event highlighted how modern solvers adapt standard algorithm sets into specialized fingerings that keep rotation counts minimal. Navigating the classic Rubik's Cube with only one hand remains one of the sharpest tests of raw turning efficiency on the circuit.

Garrett extended his mastery well beyond one-handed solving throughout the 11 rounds of the tournament. In the main 3x3x3 Cube event, which brought together 103 competitors, Garrett topped the standings with a winning average of 6.08 and recorded a best single of 5.54. Jack Pfeifer again mounted a strong challenge, taking the second step on the podium with a 7.06 average, while Nate Abeleda took third place with an average of 8.22. The 3x3 results confirmed the trio as the dominant force across standard two-handed and single-handed solving alike.

The larger puzzles brought more success for Garrett in the 4x4x4 Cube competition. Facing a 62-person field, he captured the title with a winning average of 27.19 seconds and the round's best single of 23.54. Jack Pfeifer claimed his third runner-up placement of the gathering by turning in a 28.08 average, and Sebastian Carrillo completed the podium in third place with a 34.28 mark. The event tested center building speed and edge pairing accuracy in a single, high-stakes round of speed cubing.

Sprint events delivered rapid-fire turnarounds as the 2x2x2 Cube unfolded across three rounds with 96 entrants. Sujan Feist claimed the top step with a blazing 1.34 winning average and a best single of 0.90 seconds. Jack Pfeifer secured second place with a 2.16 average, while Luke Garrett took third place with 2.28. The Skewb event brought a victory for Jory Hullin, who averaged 2.88 across two rounds to edge out Garrett with a 3.47 average and Sebastian Carrillo with a 4.08 average among 66 participants.

Beyond the podium battles, Chicagoland Newcomers 2025 gave dozens of competitors an arena to expand their repertoires and shatter personal benchmarks. Elliott Truesdell took on four events, dropping his Skewb personal best down to 12.58 seconds, an improvement of 62.8 percent over his previous 33.82 mark, while also logging a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 2:01.30 and shaving 7.4 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube time to reach 30.12. Everett Maresh improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 52.5 percent down to 34.29 seconds, cut his 2x2x2 Cube personal record by 44.8 percent to 3.11, and posted a first attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 2:02.90.

Max Nguyen trimmed his Skewb standard by 53.7 percent to 11.75 seconds alongside a 41.7 percent drop in 2x2x2 Cube to 4.03 and a first official 4x4x4 Cube time of 1:42.18. Jacob Paoletti dropped his 2x2x2 Cube best by 47.2 percent to 3.53 seconds while trying both 4x4x4 Cube with 1:43.03 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 56.80 for the first time. Megan Liechty lowered her Skewb best by 41.5 percent to 8.51 seconds and recorded her first 4x4x4 Cube result at 2:03.55. Julien Huante-Garcia cut his Skewb best by 35.1 percent to 8.71 while making initial entries into 3x3x3 One-Handed at 54.96 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:45.41. Jaxson Byczynski tackled all five events in a debut WCA competition, recording a 2.71 on 2x2x2 Cube, 10.68 on Skewb, and 1:32.22 on 4x4x4 Cube to finish 40th. Hudson Weaver also made a tournament debut across five events, logging official first marks of 13.48 in 2x2x2 Cube, 26.04 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 3:45.89 in 4x4x4 Cube.

The 104 competitors who gathered in Hobart made the single-day gathering an energetic showcase of local talent and multi-event endurance. With 15 podium places earned by United States competitors across five events, the cubing competition celebrated milestone breakthroughs for first-timers alongside elite standard setting. The mix of high-speed turning and calculated problem solving proved that the region remains a vital stop on the competitive calendar as solvers look ahead to the next season of play.