Conta Cubes Cartago 2025

Seven rounds across six distinct events formed the high-stakes competitive gauntlet in Cartago, Costa Rica, where 34 competitors took their marks at the Consejo Regional Cartago on April 12, 2025. With most events running as direct, single-round shootouts, every solver had to perform without the luxury of preliminary buffer rounds. The format demanded immediate focus and left no margin for early mistakes, placing severe pressure on every turn of the puzzle. From traditional twisty challenges to side disciplines, the one-day schedule delivered intense action for all involved.

The 3x3x3 Cube served as the sole event featuring multiple rounds, giving a field of 33 competitors a chance to settle into the tournament rhythm. Across the two stages of the Rubik's Cube classic, the standard of turning remained exceptionally sharp. In the final, Christian Rodríguez secured the premier title of the cubing competition with a composed 8.69 average and an event-best single of 8.08 seconds. Sebastián Herrera Pomares pushed hard to take second place with an 8.93 average, while Carlos Andres Gonzaga rounded out the 3x3 results on the podium with a mark of 10.21.

Outside the main event, the unforgiving single-round structure defined the afternoon. In the 2x2x2 Cube, 31 competitors went straight into battle where every split-second hesitation risked a tumble down the rankings. Carlos Andres Gonzaga seized victory with a sharp 3.08 winning average, highlighted by a 2.14 best single. Andres Sanchez Ponce followed in the runner-up spot with a 3.48 average, while Fabián Alonso Madriz Chaves claimed third place averaging 3.71 in a rapid contest that saw little separation among the front-runners.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event produced the tightest finish of the entire WCA competition, testing single-hand dexterity over a grueling one-round schedule. Carlos Andres Gonzaga captured his second gold of the day, averaging 15.07 with a 13.12 best single to edge out Christian Rodríguez by a razor-thin margin of one hundredth of a second at 15.08. Gabriel Cerdas Zúñiga stood close behind to take the third spot on the podium with an average of 15.49, capping a dramatic single-round clash.

Big cubes and specialty puzzles rounded out the program at Conta Cubes Cartago 2025, continuing the swift pace of direct finals. Kyle McDonald Trejos commanded the 4x4x4 Cube, winning with an average of 30.20 and a rapid 26.99 single to finish ahead of Sebastián Herrera Pomares at 31.53 and Christian Rodríguez at 38.70. In the Pyraminx, Fabricio Guerrero Villalobos locked down first place with a 4.54 average, while Brandon Alejandro Carpio Garita took top honors on Skewb with a 4.69 average, keeping Christian Rodríguez to second at 4.82.

Beyond the top steps, the weekend highlighted significant individual breakthroughs across the regional speedcubing community. Emanuel Salazar Masis posted a dramatic leap forward, recording a 2x2x2 Cube single personal best of 6.29 seconds to eclipse his previous mark of 16.46 by 61.8 percent, alongside a 25.4 percent reduction on 3x3x3 to 27.61. Adonis José Valle Vega took on all six events on the schedule, delivering a career-best 2x2x2 Cube single of 3.11 that trimmed his prior record by 43 percent, while also logging his first official attempts at both Skewb with a 9.53 and 4x4x4 Cube with a 1:09.73.

The progress continued across a variety of disciplines as solvers expanded their competitive repertoires. Jordan Obando Chacón cut his 2x2x2 Cube single to 2.92 for a 42.2 percent improvement and made his first official attempt at the 4x4x4 Cube in 1:11.43. Bruno Franz Lill Leitón sliced 39.1 percent off his Pyraminx personal best down to 14.30, while Edward Orozco Morales achieved a 38.8 percent improvement in Skewb with a 13.65 single. Matías José Elizondo Chinchilla recorded his first 4x4x4 Cube solve in 47.50 and cut his 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 37.8 percent to 23.67. José Emiliano Chacón Montero notched his first official Skewb mark in 7.47, and Maximiliano López Mora dropped his Pyraminx best by 34.2 percent to 6.83.

Newcomers also made their presence felt on the stage, adding fresh energy to the local speed cubing landscape. Engell Paniagua Brown took on their first WCA competition, successfully completing their first attempts in three separate events: 3x3x3 Cube in 27.48, Pyraminx in 11.22, and 2x2x2 Cube in 6.06. Gael Villalobos Miranda completed his first official 3x3x3 solve in 47.74, while Luis Eduardo Aguilar Chaves marked his debut tournament appearance by registering an 18.26 in the main event.

With eighteen podium positions earned entirely by domestic competitors, Conta Cubes Cartago 2025 demonstrated the competitive depth flourishing in Cartago. The streamlined schedule proved that single-round formats can produce just as much drama and excellence as drawn-out brackets, testing composure under strict time constraints. As the 2025 competitive calendar moves ahead, the sharp times and extensive personal milestones recorded here provide a solid benchmark for the next wave of regional tournaments.