Glasgow Favourites Evening V 2026

The Learning and Teaching Building at Strathclyde University was filled with steady turning and conversation on March 3, 2026, as 56 competitors gathered for Glasgow Favourites Evening V 2026. Across the hall, participants shared practice scrambles and compared puzzle setups between rounds in Glasgow, City of Glasgow, United Kingdom. The single-day speedcubing gathering brought together a wide variety of puzzle disciplines, turning the campus venue into a hub of shared enthusiasm where seasoned solvers and fresh faces traded tips throughout the program.

The main attraction of any WCA competition remains the traditional Rubik's Cube, and the 3x3 results in Glasgow featured intense competition across a field of 37 entrants. Johnny Morello Kerlaff of the United Kingdom took top honours in the event, putting together a winning average of 6.65 seconds alongside the fastest single solve of the event at 5.13 seconds. Pakistan's Muhammad Ibrahim Khokhar secured second place with an average of 7.83 seconds, while United Kingdom solver Daniel Schmitt took third place on the podium with an average of 11.49 seconds.

Short-format puzzles delivered rapid turnarounds and sharp times. In the 2x2x2 Cube event, Ryan McIlree earned first place representing the United Kingdom, posting a 2.19-second winning average and a single of 1.83 seconds. India's Hemalatha Rajmohan Kanish took second with an average of 3.32, and Kai McLean rounded out the podium in 3.63 seconds. In the Pyraminx event, Rylan Cheng-Brown claimed victory with an average of 3.48 seconds and a single of 1.94, while Sam Jones excelled across multiple disciplines, winning Clock in a 4.74 average and Skewb with a 3.63 average.

The schedule offered a rich spread of specialized challenges that tested different aspects of speed cubing. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Leopold Honig took the win with a 22.63-second average, leading Aida H. Sharp and Rylan Cheng-Brown. Muhammad Ibrahim Khokhar topped the 4x4x4 Cube standings with a mark of 32.88 seconds, finishing ahead of Daniel Schmitt and Bhavya Kumar. Aidan Zgolinski captured the Square-1 title in 16.55 seconds, while Ethan Guatelli solved his way to first place in Megaminx with a winning average of 1:00.34.

Big cubes and memory events expanded the scope of Glasgow Favourites Evening V 2026. Max Kwok U Sam secured a double victory, winning the 5x5x5 Cube with a 52.37 average and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:12.44 average, while Johnny Morello Kerlaff added another win by taking the 6x6x6 Cube in 2:16.01. Blindfolded solving, which demands total spatial recall without sight, saw Daniel Kidd win the 3x3x3 Blindfolded category with a single of 42.41 seconds. Ryan Eckersley won both the 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 1:38.75 and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in 4:08.21, while AJ Nicholls solved 5 of 7 cubes in 30:41 during 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, and Bella Campbell claimed 3x3x3 Fewest Moves in 33 moves.

Beyond the podium battles, personal milestones formed the heart of the action in the venue. Gordon Rigg delivered one of the weekend's biggest leaps, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 4.51 seconds, an improvement of 45.7 percent over his prior mark of 8.31, while also placing 5th in Clock. Andy Lin made a major jump by cutting his 2x2x2 Cube best by 41.1 percent down to 3.24 seconds and trimming his 3x3x3 personal best by 17.1 percent to 12.83. Fraser Weir improved his 7x7x7 Cube single by 16.9 percent to 5:27.59 and finished 4th in Skewb. Gus Robertson registered a 13.3 percent improvement in 2x2x2 Cube with a 5.15 single and an 11.5 percent drop in One-Handed to 1:12.55.

Several competitors embraced brand new events at this cubing competition, stepping up to untried formats with notable focus. Freddie Durrant took on his first ever official attempts in both the 6x6x6 Cube, finishing in 4:44.62, and the 7x7x7 Cube, recording a time of 6:26.43 to secure 6th place. Arthur Joseph Maxwell stepped into two new categories, recording an initial One-Handed time of 1:05.06 and a Clock single of 31.70. Two newcomers made their first appearances on the WCA stage: Sam Stirling entered four events, setting an initial 9.85 in Skewb and a 20.85 in 3x3x3 Cube, while Arthur Carlsen also took on four events, logging a 3.99 single in 2x2x2 Cube and a 10.97 in Skewb.

Across 17 distinct events, Glasgow Favourites Evening V 2026 showcased the full breadth of the modern puzzle community. Competitors from the United Kingdom earned 33 podium places, with additional podium honours claimed by solvers representing India, Pakistan, and Macau. As timers reset and cubes were packed away at Strathclyde University, the day concluded with solvers celebrating personal progress, shared advice, and the collective momentum that continues to propel the sport into another busy season.