Cork Spring 2025

Twenty-four competitors set aside the frantic pace of turning speed to sit with pencil and paper during 3x3x3 Fewest Moves at Cork Spring 2025. Held across February 22 and February 23 at Devere Hall in Cork, Ireland, the meeting offered a distinct contrast between quiet calculation and explosive quickness. While speedcubing often focuses on fractions of a second, the strategic pursuit of efficiency rewarded Nikita Grytsenko, representing Ukraine, who solved the puzzle in just 28 moves. Oscar Green claimed second with 33 moves, while Cillian Hainbach and Ronan Finke tied for third on 34 moves.

The broader cubing competition brought together 91 competitors across 12 events and 19 rounds of intense action. Away from the slow-burning deliberation of the efficiency contest, the main 3x3 results delivered blistering speeds on the standard Rubik's Cube. Ciarán Beahan captured the flagship 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 7.11 seconds, supported by a best single solve of 6.73 seconds across three competitive rounds, standing atop a field of 86 solvers.

Beahan proved to be a dominant force throughout the entire 2025 gathering, sweeping every larger puzzle category on the schedule. He claimed the 4x4x4 Cube victory with a 25.28 average and secured the 5x5x5 Cube title averaging 43.39 seconds. Moving up to the big cubes, Beahan took the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:21.60 average and the 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 1:58.68, edging out Cillian Hainbach's 2:40.10 and Ronan Finke's 3:09.63. He rounded out his impressive haul by taking the twelve-sided Megaminx in 57.12 seconds, finishing ahead of Tadhg Keating at 59.44 and Jane Kelly at 59.72.

The shorter events yielded tight margins and technical precision on the tables. Cillian Hainbach topped the 2x2x2 Cube final with a winning average of 2.64 seconds, besting Lucas Patrick Dowling at 2.72 and Chris O'Shea at 2.80. In Pyraminx, William Carey produced a 2.95 average to capture first place over Vladyslav Hordiienko's 3.10 and Oisín Olwill's 3.44. Hordiienko then claimed a victory of his own in Skewb, matching the 2.95 winning mark to finish ahead of Ronan Finke and Hugo McGrath, who both finished with averages of 3.47 seconds.

Beyond the podiums, individual journeys defined the depth of this WCA competition. Ayden O'Driscoll delivered massive strides, trimming 66.5 percent off an existing 2x2x2 Cube mark with a new personal best of 6.00 seconds, alongside a 23.15 in the 3x3x3 Cube that was 42.4 percent faster than previous marks. Edward Budzan cut 59.8 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark to hit 5.31 seconds, while tackling his first ever attempts at Skewb in 18.66 seconds and 4x4x4 Cube in 3:22.58 across five events. Richard Ellis Gbessia dropped his 2x2x2 Cube best by 54.7 percent to 4.81 seconds, improved his 3x3x3 Cube best to 15.62, and logged a first ever attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:41.64. Reuben Kiernan achieved an eighth-place finish in Megaminx behind a 1:04.55 personal best that was 48 percent faster, while taking on a full slate of nine events including a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 7:17.04.

The progress continued with Tom Rice cutting his 2x2x2 Cube best by 47.4 percent to 4.93 seconds across seven events, finishing 14th in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves and making a first ever attempt at Skewb in 10.95 seconds. Daniel O'Neill shaved 32.7 percent off his 5x5x5 Cube mark down to 2:00.81, while improving his Skewb mark to 10.57 and 4x4x4 Cube to 57.76. Odhran D'Arcy took on ten events, achieving a fourth-place finish in the 3x3x3 Cube and registering first attempts at both the 7x7x7 Cube in 5:40.40 and the 6x6x6 Cube in 3:23.03. Matthew Horan tackled 11 events, taking seventh in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a first ever attempt of 43 moves and improving his Pyraminx best by 24.3 percent to 6.45 seconds.

The blindfolded categories showcased tremendous memory control and spatial awareness, demanding absolute focus in the arena. Simon Kelly led both memory events, securing the 3x3x3 Blindfolded win with a fast single time of 27.49 seconds, clear of Colm McCarthy's 37.37 and Ben Timmons's 1:19.44. Kelly followed that up with a strong display in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, correctly solving 17 out of 24 cubes in a time of 52:15. McCarthy claimed second place with 12 out of 18 cubes solved in 54:58, while Tadhg Beckett finished third with 4 of 5 cubes in 42:28.

With Ireland collecting 34 podium places and Ukraine earning three, Cork Spring 2025 proved how vibrant speed cubing remains across all disciplines. Whether calculating deliberate turns in Fewest Moves, handling complex puzzles without sight, or tearing through rapid solves on standard cubes, the weekend at Devere Hall highlighted the variety and dedication driving the sport forward.