Gem City Airplane Mode Special VI OH 2025

Thirteen competitors gathered on August 10, 2025, for a focused single-day slate of memory and optimization disciplines at a private residence in Springboro, Ohio, USA. The Gem City Airplane Mode Special VI OH 2025 condensed six intense rounds into five niche events, challenging every participant across 3x3x3 Fewest Moves and four distinct blindfolded variants. With an intimate field, the atmosphere demanded unwavering concentration from the opening scramble to the final solve of the afternoon.

The morning schedule opened with the deliberate analysis of 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, where competitors had an hour per attempt to discover the shortest path to solve the standard Rubik's Cube. Evan Brown delivered an exceptional performance across the single-round contest, registering a best single effort of 21 moves and locking in a winning average of 22.67 moves to claim first place. Harsha Paladugu secured second place with a 24.00 average, while Zach Baruch rounded out the podium in third with a 30.00 mark.

As the schedule progressed toward the blindfolded disciplines, the competition shifted toward sheer memorisation and high-stakes execution. In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, three solvers attempted the daunting task of solving the large puzzle entirely from memory. Rafael Sultanaliev rose to the top of the podium by securing the only successful time of the event, recording a winning single of 10:17.00. Fellow competitors Chris Nankervis and Ivan Krueger both recorded DNFs in their respective attempts.

Midday brought the large-cube memory test of 4x4x4 Blindfolded, where Elliott Perkins launched an extraordinary run across the afternoon program. Perkins paced the field of five competitors with a best single solve of 8:20.53 and recorded a gold-medal average of 9:30.15. Ivan Krueger took second place with a successful completion of 20:41.00, while Roger L. Goff, Zach Baruch, and Rafael Sultanaliev concluded their attempts tied for third place following DNFs.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several experienced solvers added meaningful achievements to their extensive careers throughout the afternoon. Kyle Yamamoto entered the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves event and secured a 7th place finish in a competitive field. Dominic Brandi tackled three separate disciplines on the schedule and earned a 4th place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind to highlight a productive outing.

The depth of the field was equally evident in the efforts of Emery McFeeter and Carson Clark (张卡森), both of whom took on three events during the busy day of speedcubing. Emery McFeeter matched the upper tier of the pack with a solid 4th place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind. Carson Clark (张卡森) delivered an identical result, earning 4th place in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind to ensure a strong showing at this specialized WCA competition.

Perkins continued his dominant momentum when the field lined up for 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, where competitors attempt to memorize and solve multiple cubes in a single sitting. Navigating a field of nine competitors, Perkins solved 9 out of 11 puzzles in 48:22 to capture his second victory of the day. Zach Baruch took second place with a flawless 6 out of 6 in 49:07, and Rafael Sultanaliev finished third with 11 out of 18 in 57:16.

The competition concluded with two rounds of standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded, capping off the day with rapid memorisation and speed cubing dexterity. Perkins completed a golden triple by securing the victory with a winning average of 59.82 seconds and a best single time of 53.87 seconds. Sultanaliev captured second place with a fast single of 57.57 seconds, and Braden Richards took third with a 2:28.48 single, putting the final 3x3 results into the books for an intense day of blindfolded mastery at Gem City Airplane Mode Special VI OH 2025.