Edinburgh Winter 2026

124 competitors gathered at the Meadowbank Sports Centre across January 24 and 25 for Edinburgh Winter 2026, navigating a demanding schedule of 18 rounds across nine distinct disciplines. The competition structure tested stamina and adaptability throughout the weekend in Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. With multi-round brackets trimming large fields down to high-pressure finals, competitors in every event had to balance early consistency with the aggressive pacing required to survive each successive cut.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube tournament demanded precision through four separate stages, narrowing an initial field of 114 solvers down to the top contenders. Johnny Morello Kerlaff of the United Kingdom captured the main title, delivering a commanding 6.29 winning average and posting a weekend-best single of 5.64. The final 3x3 results saw Pakistan competitor Muhammad Ibrahim Khokhar take the second podium position with an average of 7.80, while Macau standout Max Kwok U Sam secured third place with a mark of 8.92 on the classic Rubik's Cube.

Kerlaff matched his success in the three-round 2x2x2 Cube event, which featured 103 entrants. Navigating the short formats, Kerlaff earned victory with a rapid 1.57 average alongside a single of 1.26. The United Kingdom swept the 2x2 podium as Ryan McIlree placed second with a 2.19 average and Thomas Allinson claimed third with 2.70. The depth of the British field was evident throughout the rounds, with fast singles logged across the board in the high-turnover sprint format of the smaller puzzle.

Big cube specialists faced two-round brackets that rewarded both endurance and raw turning speed. Max Kwok U Sam took control of the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 31.10 and a top single of 27.84 to finish ahead of Kerlaff, who took second at 32.86, and Sam Jones in third with 35.87. Max Kwok U Sam followed up by securing first place in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 51.13 average and a 45.05 single, while Muhammad Ibrahim Khokhar finished second with 56.78 and Adam Black took third in 58.33.

The single-round events placed maximum weight on immediate execution, where Ryan Eckersley emerged as a major force at this WCA competition. In the Square-1 event, Eckersley topped 43 competitors with an 8.87 average, leading Eleanor Sinnott at 10.86 and Marcus Siu at 12.09. Eckersley then dominated the blindfolded disciplines, winning the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event with a single of 1:37.89 ahead of Hong Kong solver Michael Ngan at 2:20.96 and Adam Black at 7:30.72, before also taking the 5x5x5 Blindfolded victory with a 3:17.27 single.

Beyond the finals and podium celebrations, Edinburgh Winter 2026 showcased impressive personal breakthroughs across every skill level. Carsen Fleming took on six events and delivered a standout 2x2x2 Cube single of 2.08, shaving 60.7 percent off a previous best of 5.29, while also notching a 35.9 percent drop in Pyraminx to 4.42 and logging a first ever 5x5x5 Cube attempt of 2:26.86. Hemalatha Rajmohan Kanish entered seven disciplines, dropping a Clock personal best by 58.5 percent to 9.69, taking 57.6 percent off a 2x2x2 single down to 2.01, and marking a first Square-1 attempt of 15.92 on the way to a tenth-place finish. Hugo Yannoulis posted a 51.6 percent improvement on 2x2x2 to hit 2.01, while logging first career attempts in 5x5x5 with 4:52.99 and Square-1 with 1:48.64.

The trend of major personal milestones continued as Alex Buchanan cut 51.7 percent from a 2x2x2 mark to register 5.81, reduced a 3x3x3 best by 34.1 percent to 17.21, and recorded an initial Pyraminx effort of 16.46. Leonardo Booth improved on 2x2x2 by 51 percent with a 6.93 single while taking first attempts in 5x5x5 at 3:34.65 and Clock at 21.67. Alan Lacki lowered a Pyraminx standard by 45 percent to 5.10 and logged a first 5x5x5 mark of 3:34.78. Noah Bly saw a 43.9 percent cut to Pyraminx with a 2.82 single, alongside first attempts in Square-1 at 28.28 and 5x5x5 at 2:08.04, while Filip Nowak achieved a 42.7 percent Pyraminx improvement to 5.44 and posted a first 2x2x2 attempt of 5.15.

Side events brought tightly contested battles across two-round structures. In Pyraminx, Poland competitor Liam Stuart Ferreira took the title with a 3.64 average, edging Adam Black at 3.65 and Rylan Cheng-Brown at 3.81. Clock featured a winning mark from Thomas Allinson, whose 3.95 average held off Sam Jones at 4.20 and Cheng-Brown at 4.61. The high level of precision shown across different puzzle mechanics demonstrated the versatile speed cubing talent present throughout the arena.

As the 2026 calendar gets underway, the action at Edinburgh Winter 2026 reinforced the strength of the regional community. With 20 podium positions claimed by United Kingdom competitors alongside international representation from Macau, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and Poland, the cubing competition delivered competitive drama from the opening heats to the final podium presentations. The diverse format roster set a high benchmark for the upcoming season of speedcubing across the country.