Don't Inverloch Up 2026

A single hundredth of a second decided the premier event of the weekend as Feliks Zemdegs secured victory in the 3x3x3 Cube final with a 6.76 average, edging out Roman Rudakov's 6.77. The razor-thin margin set the tone for Don't Inverloch Up 2026, held at the Inverloch Community Hub from February 7 to February 8, 2026. Across 11 events and 20 rounds of action, 49 competitors gathered in Inverloch, Victoria, Australia for a packed two days of speedcubing. The tournament bridged the gap between world-renowned veterans and an influx of newcomers trying their hand at official puzzles for the first time.

The presence of so many debutants and rising solvers gave this WCA competition a distinct energy. While the headline matchups drew significant focus, nearly every round featured competitors testing themselves in new formats. A total of four athletes entered their first official tournament, joining an eager field of solvers who took on everything from the traditional Rubik's Cube to specialized blindfolded disciplines. For a regional speed cubing fixture, the diversity of events gave the growing roster plenty of opportunities to gain official experience.

Zemdegs delivered an authoritative showing across the classic twisty puzzles. Beyond his narrow win in the main event, he collected victories in the 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Zemdegs posted a winning average of 23.44 alongside a best single of 19.82, finishing ahead of Firstian Fushada with 27.29 and Phoenix Patterson with 30.75. He then closed out the 5x5x5 Cube with a 41.80 average and a single of 36.86, again leading Fushada and Patterson on the podium.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw Roman Rudakov produce blisteringly fast times across three rounds. Rudakov captured the title with a 1.14 average and a 1.02 single, finishing ahead of Patterson at 1.46 and Jacob Joshi at 1.70. Rudakov added a second title to his weekend in the Megaminx, taking first place in the single-round contest with an average of 32.58 and a best single of 27.94. Joshi took top honors in Pyraminx, winning the two-round bracket with an average of 2.71 and a best single of 1.61.

Beyond the podium battles, Don't Inverloch Up 2026 showcased immense progress from competitors navigating the wider schedule. Liam Gittos delivered massive time drops, cutting his Pyraminx personal best by 56.9 percent down to 8.62, while shaving 25.2 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube mark to 1:27.16 and 11.6 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube time to 7.70 across five events. Kiyaan Ajjan also achieved substantial breakthroughs, improving his Skewb mark by 38.8 percent to 10.86 and his 2x2x2 Cube result by 5.1 percent to 11.49 across four events. Oliver Thomas took on seven events and lowered his Clock best by 35.3 percent to 16.62 and his 3x3x3 Cube time by 31.2 percent to 10.34. Andreas Lukic tackled eight events, setting a Clock personal best of 6.60, a 19.5 percent improvement, on the way to an eighth-place finish.

The weekend also served as an entry point for several new solvers and new event attempts. Jack Mannix entered seven events, securing his first official Clock mark of 21.21, a first Megaminx result of 3:40.01 to place 30th, and a 33.5 percent improvement in Skewb to 11.87. Timothy O'Hanlon recorded his first official 5x5x5 Cube solve at 2:07.06 and his first Megaminx attempt at 2:22.49. Felix Nagel stepped onto the official floor for the first time, logging a 20.59 single in 2x2x2 Cube, 53.31 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 10.86 in Pyraminx. Aryan Das Sukesh also made an official debut, recording 20.76 in 3x3x3 Cube, 5.65 in 2x2x2 Cube, and 2:03.59 in 4x4x4 Cube.

In the blindfolded events, Firstian Fushada proved to be the standout performer. Fushada claimed the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a 24.53 average and an 18.90 single, finishing ahead of Michael Tripodi and Swami Srinivasan. Fushada also took first place in the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event with a single of 7:08.55, leading Srinivasan and Harry Forbes. Tripodi reversed the order in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded final, posting a winning single of 1:24.28 to beat Fushada and Zayd Chaudhry.

Short-format rotation puzzles rounded out the schedule, where Alex Butera took first in Clock with an average of 3.72 and a best single of 3.25, finishing ahead of Tripodi and Fushada. Fushada earned another victory in Skewb, topping the two-round contest with a 2.94 average and a 2.42 single. In the overall medal count, competitors representing Australia secured 25 podium spots while Indonesia captured eight across the weekend.

The competition concluded with the final 3x3 results affirming the tight competition seen from start to finish. With dozens of individual personal bests registered and several new solvers getting their initial taste of tournament solving, Don't Inverloch Up 2026 proved to be an eventful stop on the Victorian cubing calendar. As the community looks ahead to future meets, the progress logged in Inverloch highlights the sport's steady local growth.