Flushing Glow Open AM 2025

A blistering 6.22 winning average in the 3x3x3 Cube by Carson Widjaja anchored an action-packed morning of speedcubing in Queens. The single-day Flushing Glow Open AM 2025 brought 43 competitors to the Glow Cultural Center in Flushing, New York, USA, on February 23, 2025. Over the course of five total rounds across three official disciplines, the tournament delivered high-stakes turn speed, intricate technical execution, and plenty of drama under the tournament lights.

The morning schedule opened with early rounds of the classic Rubik's Cube alongside the specialized challenge of the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event. Speed cubing without sight demands immaculate memorisation before a single move is made, and the single round featured 13 entrants testing their mental maps. Liam Chen set the standard early, securing victory with an 18.14 average and an event-best single solve of 17.88 seconds, outpacing runner-up Parker Trager and third-place Alex Hauben.

As the schedule progressed toward the mid-morning, the focus turned to the 4x4x4 Cube, which drew 36 competitors in a direct final round. Carson Widjaja stepped up to command the larger puzzle, putting down a 27.57 winning average and a field-leading single of 24.47 seconds. Andrew Xie locked up second place with a 29.40 average, while Parker Trager earned another top-three finish by taking third place with a 30.02 average in a tightly contested field.

The 3x3 results unfolded across three progressive rounds that trimmed the field down to the sharpest hands in the room. Carson Widjaja posted a 5.93 single and a 7.37 average earlier in the rounds before capping the final with his 6.22 mark, highlighted by a 5.57 best single. Liam Chen followed in second place with a 7.87 average, and Amod Mathur took third with an 8.13 average, concluding a competitive WCA competition podium.

Behind the top podium steps, the tournament served up remarkable individual milestones for competitors building their personal records. Stratis Tsimounis generated the biggest leap of the meet, logging a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:18.12 that shaved 37.4 percent off his previous mark, alongside an 18.01 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube. Felix Zhenghao Lin followed a similar upward trajectory, taking 27.7 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube best with a new 1:31.88, while Yechen Fang cut 26.3 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by clocking 23.62.

First-time attempts and versatile entries also highlighted the morning rotation. Justin Cawley took on three events and delivered his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 2:33.28 to finish sixth, while also trimming 19.8 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube mark down to 1:22.55. Tyler Del Deo notched a 1:11.79 in his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube, Clara Peng-Ma recorded a 53.45 in 4x4x4 Cube for a 19.4 percent improvement, and Alicia Yu improved her 4x4x4 Cube best by 14.6 percent down to 38.76. Jayden Kong made his first WCA competition appearance memorable across three events, finishing seventh in blindfolded solving and posting his first ever 3x3x3 Cube attempt at 14.93.

Throughout the morning, depth across the 43-player roster was evident as multiple solvers lowered their official competition marks. Solvers such as Kavin Prince, Kymberlyn Calderon, Chanoe Park, Austin Reed, Quinn Maloney, and Matthew Rich all contributed to a deep leaderboard across the preliminary and semi-final stages of the main event.

The final round of the classic cube brought the morning to a close, cementing the event as a clean sweep for the USA delegation across all nine podium positions. With two titles claimed by Carson Widjaja and a gold medal in blindfolded solving for Liam Chen, the Flushing Glow Open AM 2025 concluded a brisk and successful slate of competition, giving solvers plenty of momentum heading into the remainder of the 2025 calendar.