Elmsford Evening III 2026

Inside TheCubicle Annex, the atmosphere remained intensely focused as competitors warmed up their hands and inspected their puzzles under the bright venue lights. Solvers stood side by side over the timer mats, exchanging quiet glances before launching into their solve sequences. The single-day gathering brought 19 competitors together in Elmsford, New York, USA for Elmsford Evening III 2026 on April 23, 2026. While the event schedule featured specialized non-standard puzzles rather than standard 3x3 results, the dedication to precision speedcubing was visible at every station across five rounds of scheduled tournament play.

The most riveting battle of the entire meet unfolded during the Megaminx final, where the gap between first and second place narrowed to just over a single second. Brandon Villadolid took the title with a winning average of 50.27 seconds, staying barely a step ahead of Shaun Mack, who locked in an average of 51.92. Villadolid secured his victory with a blistering 43.69 single, which stood as the fastest solve of the event across both rounds. Mack pushed the pace with his own 47.24 single and 50.17 average earlier in the day, turning the 18-competitor event into a dramatic race against the clock.

Jalen Shareef rounded out the Megaminx podium in third place, recording a steady 59.44 final average along with a 57.92 single during the tournament rounds. Chris Chi placed high in the standings after putting up a 53.45 single and a 54.54 average. Further down the ranks, Samuel Fang logged a single of 1:10.04 and an average of 1:24.16, while Nathan Evan Sherman registered a 1:14.59 single and a 1:21.15 average. Canada representative James Wang also completed the double-round format, delivering a single of 1:36.07 and an average of 1:49.81 on the twelve-sided puzzle.

Over at the Square-1 tables, Hassan Khanani put on an overwhelming display of turning speed across three full rounds of action. Khanani captured first place with an impressive winning average of 5.91 seconds, highlighted by the quickest single solve of the competition at 4.18 seconds. Samuel Fang earned the runner-up spot with an average of 6.83, maintaining a strong pace ahead of Chris Chi, who claimed third place with an average of 7.54. The 17-player event showcased rapid slice turns and shape-shifting transitions that tested the versatility of every entrant.

Away from the top of the standings, the heart of the speed cubing tournament emerged through several remarkable individual breakthroughs. Nathan Evan Sherman took on two events and achieved a massive personal best of 24.32 seconds in Square-1, trimming his previous mark of 26.67 by an impressive 8.8 percent across his 42 career tournaments. Zachary Van De Water tackled two events and recorded a new personal best in Megaminx of 1:00.88, dropping 5 percent from his prior standard of 1:04.09 in his 34th career tournament appearance.

The depth of the roster continued to shine through other experienced and debut competitors navigating the tight evening schedule. Avery Bayani took on their very first WCA competition by entering Megaminx at Elmsford Evening III 2026. Longtime competitor Eli Rogers participated in two disciplines during his 143rd career tournament, earning a 6th-place finish in Square-1 alongside a 58.97 Megaminx single and a 1:02.97 average. Elliott Perkins entered two events in his 136th career tournament, locking down a 5th-place finish in Square-1 and registering a Megaminx personal best of 51.28 seconds.

The broader Megaminx roster also saw steady contributions from Steven Wintringham, who completed his attempts with a 1:35.59 single and a 1:48.26 average. Every solve demanded immense mental endurance, as the dodecahedron puzzle requires solving twelve distinct colored faces compared to the six faces found on a standard Rubik's Cube. Across both featured disciplines, competitors balanced risk and consistency, showing how diverse competitive solving can be even outside traditional events.

All six podium positions across both events were claimed by competitors representing the USA, concluding a productive evening of high-stakes play. The successful run of Elmsford Evening III 2026 demonstrated the vitality of local evening meets, offering seasoned veterans and new solvers alike a dedicated cubing competition stage to test their practice under official regulations before turning their sights toward the next challenges on the 2026 calendar.