Cubing in the 'Cuse 2026

A blistering 7.81 winning average in the 3x3x3 Cube final by Alexei Sinyavin set the tone for an intense weekend of head-to-head racing in upstate New York. Held on March 14 and 15 at Le Moyne College, Cubing in the 'Cuse 2026 brought together 29 speedcubing contenders across 11 disciplines and 23 rounds. Across two days of high-stakes duels, regional frontrunners repeatedly traded top podium steps, turning the tables on one another from short sprints to marathon puzzles.

The battle between Sinyavin, Evan Waters, and Evan Liu defined the weekend's marquee events. While Sinyavin captured the prestigious 3x3 results title with his sub-8 average and a 6.05 single, Waters kept the pressure high by taking second place with an 8.73 mark, leaving Liu in third at 9.02. The classic Rubik's Cube showdown proved to be only the opening chapter in a broad, event-spanning rivalry that saw each competitor stake claim to different puzzle categories.

Waters struck back decisively in the shorter formats, asserting absolute control in the 2x2x2 Cube. He secured the event victory with a 1.54 final average after posting a lightning 0.88 single, besting Sinyavin's second-place 2.14 average and Chris Chi's 2.87. Waters carried that dominant momentum directly into Skewb, where he claimed first place with a 3.13 average, ahead of Chi at 5.11 and Sinyavin at 5.70. Waters also conquered Clock, topping the standings with a 3.59 average over Brandon Brazill at 5.27.

Liu carved out his own domain in the specialized events, claiming a commanding victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 13.15 average to top Sinyavin's 14.01 and Chi's 14.93. The blindfolded divisions also belonged entirely to Liu. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, he took first place with a 3:38.25 average and a 3:04.96 single across six competitors. Liu then went on to secure the 5x5x5 Blindfolded title, navigating the complex memory challenge to post a winning single of 10:43.00.

The big-cube events ignited a direct rematch between Sinyavin and Liu. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Sinyavin managed to edge out Liu by less than two seconds, winning with an average of 1:34.30 to Liu's 1:35.95, while Chi finished third at 1:50.11. The 7x7x7 Cube final was even tighter, as Sinyavin's 2:24.10 winning average narrowly held off Liu's 2:25.31, with Louis Truong taking third at 2:56.20. Sinyavin added a fourth gold in Megaminx, capturing first place with a 31.27 average.

Beyond the fight for top hardware, the tournament floor highlighted massive personal breakthroughs across the roster. Joshua Logue cut his Skewb personal best down by 52.3 percent to 4.07 and trimmed his one-handed mark by 24.8 percent to 31.42. Maxim Bokman shaved 48.6 percent off his Skewb best with a 2.25 single and took 7th in Clock, while Nicholas D. Burlarley improved his Skewb standard by 43.1 percent to 2.92 and posted a 16.48 Square-1 best to finish 6th. Sanjam Dash Mohanty lowered his Skewb personal record by 38.3 percent to 2.16 on his way to an 8th-place one-handed finish.

First-time event entries and new tournament journeys added further energy to the floor. Xavier Head slashed his Megaminx mark by 36.4 percent to 1:38.79, and Hayden Dowling dropped his Clock best by 45.7 percent to 16.68 across a heavy nine-event schedule. Aidan Fraser stepped up for five events, logging his first official attempts in Clock at 13.65, one-handed at 50.00, and Skewb at 5.45. Aksaran Arunkumar also debuted in two events, recording a 2:58.33 one-handed time and a 4.60 in 2x2x2 Cube.

The specialty events also saw Chris Chi make his mark by capturing the Square-1 crown with a 7.86 average, besting the 18-competitor field with a quick 6.07 single. The broad mix of disciplines tested every dimension of speed cubing, from the fast mechanical turns of side events to the intense spatial concentration demanded by big blindfolded solves.

When the final timers stopped in Syracuse, New York, USA, the 2026 edition closed having showcased exceptional depth and relentless head-to-head racing. With multi-gold tallies split across rival standouts, Cubing in the 'Cuse 2026 proved how a compact field at a dedicated WCA competition can produce some of the most spirited matchups on the calendar.