Corning Winter 2026

Evan Liu produced the defining performance of the weekend in Upstate New York, capturing three separate titles capped by an 8.03-second winning average in the main event. Corning Winter 2026 brought 21 competitors together at SUNY Corning Community College across February 14 and 15 for two days of intense speedcubing. Liu set the tone across multiple disciplines, holding off elite regional challengers to secure top honors in 3x3x3 Cube, 5x5x5 Cube, and 7x7x7 Cube during an action-packed winter meet.

The 3x3 results saw Liu claim first place with his 8.03 average across three rounds, narrowly edging Milan Vincent Andric, who finished second at 8.08 seconds. Chris Chi took third on the podium with an 8.63 average, while Liu also secured the single fastest solve of the event at 7.35 seconds. The classic 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube drew 19 competitors, making it the most heavily contested event on the schedule at this WCA competition.

Big cubes proved to be another stronghold for Liu in Corning, New York, USA. In the 5x5x5 Cube final, Liu took first place with a 58.01 average and a best single of 55.45, leading Chris Chi at 59.55 and Louis Truong at 1:02.97. The 7x7x7 Cube final saw Liu win decisively with an average of 2:31.15, accompanied by a 2:27.50 single, while Truong earned silver at 2:56.38 and Chi picked up bronze at 3:00.12.

Chris Chi matched Liu's versatility with triumphs in both mid-sized and specialty puzzles during the 2026 gathering. Chi claimed the 4x4x4 Cube victory with a 33.15 average, holding off Liu's 33.94 and Truong's 34.01 in a remarkably tight podium battle. Chi also conquered the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where solving without sight demands complete memorisation, registering a winning single of 23.64 seconds to finish ahead of Eli Rogers at 1:05.00 and Liu at 1:11.75.

Short-format events delivered rapid-fire action at Corning Winter 2026, where Eli Rogers secured the 2x2x2 Cube title. Rogers recorded an outstanding 1.43 winning average and a 1.02 single, finishing ahead of Andric at 1.67 and Liu at 2.04. Meanwhile, Clem Tucker earned a double victory, capturing the Pyraminx title with a 2.01 average over Andric's 2.29 and Rogers's 3.15, before topping the Clock event with a 4.26 average ahead of Liu at 4.95 and Adelynn Neal at 5.85.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the tournament schedule. Yili Yi delivered one of the weekend's largest leaps, taking 5th place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a personal best of 1:29.22, cutting 40.4 percent off a previous mark of 2:29.81 while also recording a 46.94 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube. Christopher Kai Tindall entered four events and improved across three of them, logging a 16.15 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube to improve by 15.4 percent, a 12.60 in Clock, and a 5.90 in Pyraminx on the way to an 8th-place finish. Edward Sun improved his 3x3x3 Cube best to 42.98 by 14.8 percent while logging first-ever official attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 12.93 and Pyraminx at 11.26. Annabelle Sun recorded a 32.92 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube, an improvement of 9.4 percent, alongside initial official attempts of 9.20 in Pyraminx and 8.52 in 2x2x2 Cube.

The progress continued across the field as Justin Xiao tackled four events, setting a 40.69 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube that was 8.3 percent faster than before, while posting debut marks of 13.37 in Pyraminx and 48.21 in Clock. David Tennyson stepped up for a career first WCA competition, competing in three events and establishing initial marks of 5.23 in 2x2x2 Cube, 30.64 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 9.47 in Pyraminx. Alexis Xiao achieved an 8th-place finish in Clock with a first attempt of 14.18 while managing four events overall. Mark John took on five disciplines, placing 4th in 4x4x4 Cube with a 29.66 personal best and dropping his 3x3x3 Cube mark to 6.97, an improvement of 6.9 percent.

Across eight events and 17 rounds of speed cubing, Corning Winter 2026 showcased the full range of modern puzzle solving in the Southern Tier. All 24 podium spots were secured by competitors from the United States, reflecting a deep pool of regional talent. With standout multievent dominance and personal milestones achieved across the board, the tournament served as an emphatic showcase for competitive speedcubing as the season moves forward.