Evanston Fall Favorites A 2025

The winter air outside the Technological Institute at Northwestern University set a crisp backdrop for the intense solving inside. Tables were arranged with precision timers, display mats, and stacks of varied puzzles as thirty competitors settled in for a packed schedule of speedcubing. The atmosphere throughout the venue was focused and energetic on December 6, 2025, as solvers prepared their hardware for a demanding test across seven different disciplines.

Max Walaszek made Evanston Fall Favorites A 2025 his personal showcase, capturing four separate titles during the one-day competition. The American standout proved unbeatable across both sprinting events and the largest big cubes on the schedule. In the 3x3x3 Cube, Walaszek delivered the weekend top standard, leading the final round with a 7.70 winning average and posting the best single of the competition at 7.17 to secure the premier crown.

The 3x3 results confirmed Walaszek top form as he led a 25-person field through two rounds of competition. Wonder Dygico of the Philippines took second place on the podium with an 8.97 average, while Sebastian Carrillo finished third with an average of 9.80. Walaszek quickly carried that momentum over to the 2x2x2 Cube, where he took his second gold medal behind a 2.12 average and a 1.61 single, leading Romania Daniel Tartar at 3.12 and Simon Poldi at 3.38.

The larger puzzles showcased Walaszek versatility just as clearly. In the 6x6x6 Cube, he took first place with a 1:39.28 average and a best single of 1:33.17, holding off Lucy Grace Bryson who finished runner-up at 1:41.09, while David Liu took third at 2:30.63. Walaszek then sealed his fourth victory at Evanston Fall Favorites A 2025 in the 7x7x7 Cube, posting an average of 2:11.68 and a 2:07.74 single to finish ahead of Bryson at 2:43.96 and Carrillo at 2:51.14.

Bryson carved out her own dominant share of the hardware in the intermediate big cubes. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Bryson topped the 17-competitor field with a winning average of 31.24 and a blazing 25.33 single, placing ahead of Dygico at 32.87 and Maggie Jordan at 35.94. Bryson doubled her title tally in the 5x5x5 Cube, where she was the only competitor to break the minute barrier, winning with a 59.00 average and a 50.97 single over Carrillo at 1:03.33 and Jordan at 1:17.58.

The remaining event on the schedule went to Carrillo, who claimed victory in Skewb with a 4.30 average and a 3.26 single, finishing above Poldi at 5.13 and Colin Sharpe at 7.59. Beyond the podium steps, the cubing competition saw dramatic personal milestones across all experience levels. Luca Block delivered massive drops across multiple events, cutting his 2x2x2 personal best by 52.3 percent to 2.57, his 7x7x7 best by 51.1 percent to 3:22.61, and taking fourth in 6x6x6 with a 2:37.16 mark. Tayla Justis also saw huge gains, dropping her 4x4x4 best by 40 percent down to 1:00.43, alongside a 3.94 in 2x2x2 and a fourth-place finish in Skewb.

Breakthrough performances continued with William Levine entering four events, taking eighth in Skewb with a first-ever official attempt of 16.15, logging a first 4x4x4 result of 1:57.55, and improving his 3x3x3 best by 30.3 percent to 22.53. Neil Wei Chen made his debut appearance at a WCA competition, securing tenth in 2x2x2 with a first-ever mark of 5.28 and setting an initial 3x3x3 standard of 12.05. Catherine Liu also took on her first official event, recording an opening 7x7x7 time of 9:56.14. Toby Cuna earned a fourth-place finish in 4x4x4 while cutting his 5x5x5 best by 19.7 percent to 1:10.58. Adhrit Talukdar improved his 3x3x3 mark by 26.3 percent to 21.15, and Aleo DiStasi knocked 41.1 percent off his 3x3x3 best to reach 24.93.

Across eight rounds of classic speed cubing and larger puzzles, the event highlighted the depth of talent gathering in the Midwest. Competitors from the United States, the Philippines, and Romania shared the 21 available podium spots in an efficient one-day showcase. Whether mastering the Rubik's Cube in seconds or enduring the stamina test of the largest layers, the solvers at Evanston Fall Favorites A 2025 in Evanston, Illinois, USA closed out 2025 with an exceptional exhibition of precision and speed.