Davis Fall 2025

Eleven rounds of structured elimination stood between seventy-one competitors and their respective titles at Davis Fall 2025. Held on October 25, 2025, inside California Hall at UC Davis in Davis, California, USA, the one-day gathering tested puzzle mastery under unforgiving qualification phases. Across five distinct disciplines, the pressure of progressing through preliminary heats defined the pace of play. Solvers in every bracket navigated strict phase cutoffs where a single dropped turn or slight hesitation meant the difference between making the finals and watching from the venue seating.

The flagship 3x3x3 Cube contest gathered a massive sixty-nine competitors across three separate rounds, serving as the ultimate test of stamina and consistency. Gurshan Singh navigated the bracket with supreme command, posting the round-winning average of 7.20 seconds in the final alongside a best single of 6.06 seconds to claim first place. Kenji Gipson-Nahman secured the runner-up spot with an average of 8.22 seconds, having earlier registered a sharp single of 7.60 and an average of 8.08. Paul Mahvi rounded out the podium in third place with an 8.25 average in a showcase of premier speedcubing talent.

The traditional Rubik's Cube was not the only event featuring high-intensity round advancement. In the 4x4x4 Cube, thirty-nine entrants battled through two rounds to establish supremacy on the larger puzzle. Paul Mahvi delivered the decisive performance in the final round, locking down the victory with an average of 29.44 seconds and a top single of 26.34 seconds. Rahul Bollini followed in second position with a 30.73 average, while Mitchell Lane captured third on a mark of 31.85 seconds, demonstrating how tight the margins remained when handling complex parity stages under tournament constraints.

Isaac Modrow set the standard in Pyraminx, leading a field of thirty-six competitors across two rounds with a championship average of 4.17 seconds and a lightning-fast 2.97 single. Sebastian Stone pressed the pace closely to earn second place with a 4.26 average, while Sabir Dhillon completed the podium in third at 4.97 seconds. The mechanical challenges of Clock also demanded split-second accuracy from thirty-one participants over two rounds, where Alessandro Diomampo emerged victorious behind a 3.14 winning average and a 2.09 single, ahead of Naomi Solnick with 4.68 and Rahul Bollini with 4.88.

Specialized memory and spatial recall took center stage in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, which featured thirteen entrants over two rounds. Naomi Solnick captured the gold with a stunning single of 43.03 seconds, mastering the memorization and blind execution required by the format despite concluding the round without an official average. Dewei Tan representing Hong Kong claimed the silver medal with a time of 1:35.73, and Kenji Gipson-Nahman earned bronze with a solve of 2:13.89. The podium places reflected an impressive international presence, with the United States collecting fourteen top-three spots alongside Hong Kong's single entry.

Beyond the championship finals, the preliminary stages provided unforgettable milestones for rising competitors throughout the cubing competition. Grayson Jacobe took on three separate events, recording a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 13.40 seconds while logging a massive personal best of 15.68 seconds in Clock, which was 51.3 percent faster than their previous mark. Shorya Chauhan also showed dramatic progress, delivering a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:17.26 that improved on their previous record by 40.8 percent, alongside a debut Pyraminx solve of 9.60 seconds. Caspar Wong slashed 33.9 percent off their previous best in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 1:00.02, while Sam Love achieved a 29.1 percent improvement in Pyraminx with a time of 9.54 seconds.

The weekend also served as an exciting launchpad for newcomers entering their very first WCA competition. Alejandro Buendia tackled three separate disciplines in their official debut, logging maiden results of 22.90 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube, 24.17 seconds in Clock, and 8.63 seconds in Pyraminx. Francis Grande made a strong initial impression across two events, establishing marks of 13.35 seconds on the 3x3x3 Cube and 57.89 seconds on the 4x4x4 Cube. Blake Tiongco introduced themselves with an impressive 9.64 single on the 3x3x3 Cube and a 1:13.75 in the 4x4x4 Cube, while Matthew Ketroser secured a tournament-best seventh-place finish in Pyraminx with a personal best of 4.10 seconds, cutting 28.8 percent off their previous best time.

The depth of performance in Northern California was evident through the complete slate of 3x3 results logged throughout the afternoon. Rashad Kadado representing Lebanon registered an outstanding 12.43 single and a 14.18 average, while Elijah Gabriel Ret posted a 12.90 single and a 16.23 average. Salvador Pipino Tardivo of Argentina achieved marks of 32.97 and 43.49, Chance Tokubo delivered a 10.65 single and a 12.08 average, and Alessandro Diomampo logged an 8.15 single and a 9.17 average. Harrison Zuo and Tobias Lin also set strong marks of 14.78 and 14.91 seconds respectively, highlighting the wide spectrum of skill present across every heat.

As the final timers stopped inside California Hall, Davis Fall 2025 concluded having demonstrated the true appeal of competitive speed cubing. From the intense multi-round cutoffs that tested seasoned front-runners to the breakthrough personal milestones recorded across every bracket, the gathering celebrated both elite execution and foundational progress. With eleven full rounds successfully completed across five distinct puzzles, the participants left Davis with newly minted official times, setting a high standard for the upcoming season of regional competition.