Gros Jouets à Montréal 2025

At Gros Jouets à Montréal 2025, the heavy hardware took center stage as competitors tackled some of the most demanding formats in modern speedcubing. Though traditional solve formats often spotlight standard 3x3 results, big cube dexterity and one handed ergonomics share the same fundamental discipline: efficient fingertricks, immense stamina, and absolute spatial control. Across two days of high level speed cubing, 42 competitors gathered at the École de Technologie Supérieure in Montréal, Quebec, Canada on April 19 to April 20, 2025. Over 16 intense rounds and seven events, the field demonstrated exceptional command over complex mechanisms and high layered puzzles.

Burno Li Chak Kwan delivered a standout performance across multiple disciplines, claiming victory in three separate categories. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Li secured first place with an impressive winning average of 24.20 and a best single of 22.46, leading a competitive field of 37 entrants across three rounds. Omar Ellabban took the second step on the podium with an average of 26.77, while Albert Sanhueza Theriault locked down third place with a 33.16 average. Li continued his sharp form into the 5x5x5 Cube, topping 33 competitors over three rounds with a winning average of 45.24 and a 42.99 single, outlasting Ellabban who recorded a 47.35 average.

The larger dimensions brought out the best in Omar Ellabban, who dominated the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube events. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Ellabban secured first place with a 1:19.32 winning average and a single of 1:11.53, finishing ahead of Burno Li Chak Kwan who registered 1:33.53 and Albert Sanhueza Theriault with 1:41.99. Ellabban maintained his rhythm on the massive 7x7x7 Cube, posting a winning average of 2:04.49 alongside a best single of 1:59.79. Li took second with a 2:30.93 average, while Sanhueza Theriault completed the podium trio with a 2:39.18 mark across three rounds of play.

The twelve-sided Megaminx provided another display of precise turning, where Burno Li Chak Kwan captured his third title of the weekend. Facing 19 competitors across two rounds, Li recorded a winning average of 37.48 and a best single of 33.67. Albert Sanhueza Theriault earned the runner up position with an average of 45.75, while Darshan Bhavanasi claimed third place with a 48.56 mark. The event highlighted the sheer variety of mechanics featured throughout Gros Jouets à Montréal 2025, which gave competitors a comprehensive test of endurance beyond standard Rubik's Cube solving.

Blindfolded solving presented a distinct technical challenge, demanding profound memory systems alongside turning precision. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Alvin Hiu Yeung Cheng earned top honors with a winning average of 1:59.50 and a 1:42.06 single, finishing well ahead of Marco Yang with 12:17.00 and Félix Gaudet with 13:59.00. Cheng repeated his success in the 5x5x5 Blindfolded event, registering the only successful single of the final with a 5:12.06 solve. Gaudet took second with a time of 35:53.00, while Marcel Martel completed the podium with a 47:00.00 single.

Away from the championship hardware, several competitors posted monumental personal bests and expanded their repertoires at this WCA competition. Adèle Senécal executed massive time drops across three events, lowering her Megaminx personal best to 1:30.22, a 45.4 percent improvement, while cutting her 4x4x4 Cube mark to 53.32, which was 34.3 percent faster. Alexandre Dion contested four events, setting a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:02.45, an 18.5 percent drop, and shaving 13.6 percent off his 5x5x5 Cube mark with 2:13.02. Julien Ratelle-Lafleur improved his 4x4x4 Cube best to 59.73, representing a 17.1 percent advance, and logged his first ever official attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:01.40.

Fresh milestones continued throughout the roster, highlighting individual growth at Gros Jouets à Montréal 2025. Philippe-Emmanuel Day Dubé shaved 21.5 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to hit 1:41.17, while registering first attempts at Megaminx in 4:23.77 and the 5x5x5 Cube in 3:46.31. Jeffrey Vertefeuille stepped up for five events, notching a 14.1 percent improvement in Megaminx at 2:10.44 and logging first attempts in the 6x6x6 Cube at 4:53.07 and the 7x7x7 Cube at 7:23.70. Esteban Arnedo improved his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 15.5 percent down to 1:31.20, while Malcom Guernon secured a 6th place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded and Antoine Riverin posted a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:51.50.

The overall medal tally reflected deep international and regional competition, with Canadian entrants capturing 13 total podium spots, Hong Kong securing 7, and India taking 1. From blindfolded marathons to high layer puzzles, the cubing competition celebrated technical mastery and individual breakthroughs across every tier of the field. As the year 2025 moves ahead into the upcoming season, the benchmarks set during Gros Jouets à Montréal 2025 illustrate the ever increasing standard of solving execution across the global community.