Invercargill Summer 2026

Four hundredths of a second decided the Pyraminx final in a showcase of razor-thin margins. Henry Eyles claimed the title with a 3.08-second average, barely holding off Australia’s Beau Brittain-Modesto, who finished at 3.12 seconds over five solves. The tight contest mirrored the intensity across the entire weekend, setting the tone for the two-day gathering. Fast turnarounds and quick hands defined the meeting, where minor adjustments separated champions from runners-up on the tables.

Held at the Invercargill City Library from January 31 to February 1, Invercargill Summer 2026 brought together 16 competitors for 17 rounds of action across nine events. The cubing competition drew solvers to Invercargill, New Zealand, testing their skills on puzzles ranging from the standard Rubik's Cube to large-layer cubes and specialty puzzles. Throughout the fixture, participants pushed through a demanding schedule, trading turns in front of the timers in both classic speed events and niche solving disciplines.

The rivalry between Eyles and Brittain-Modesto carried over to the 2x2x2 Cube, producing another dramatic showdown. Brittain-Modesto reversed the outcome from the Pyraminx table, securing the victory with a 2.04 average against a 2.15 average from Eyles, with Daniel Fraser taking third place at 3.06 seconds. Brittain-Modesto also posted the fastest single of the discipline with a sharp 1.13 solve, while Eyles answered with a best single of 2.13 during the preliminary round.

In the main event, Eyles took full command of the 3x3x3 Cube, posting a decisive winning average of 7.35 seconds and claiming the best single of the weekend at 5.87 seconds. James Dyer secured the second step on the podium with a 10.41 average, while Brittain-Modesto captured third place with 10.91 seconds. The 3x3 results solidified a commanding performance for Eyles, who used his speed in the final round to pull away from a field of 15 competitors.

Eyles swept the remaining traditional big-cube disciplines, showing remarkable endurance across the weekend. In the 4x4x4 Cube, his 32.51 average outpaced Dyer’s 34.09 and Fraser’s 37.00. The 5x5x5 Cube final saw Eyles post a winning mark of 52.18 seconds, ahead of Dyer’s 1:01.24 and Fraser’s 1:05.33. Eyles then added victories in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 15.64 average and Skewb with a 3.57 mark, taking first place in six of the nine scheduled events during the tournament.

Away from the top of the podium, several solvers achieved significant milestones. Lachlan Wenck entered five events and delivered massive personal bests across the board, dropping his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark to 54.93 seconds, an improvement of 37.8 percent, while trimming his 4x4x4 Cube best by 28.6 percent to 1:15.60 and his 5x5x5 Cube time by 18.6 percent to 3:31.73. Nicola Boutcher tackled three events, registering a 10.7 percent personal best of 17.04 seconds in the 2x2x2 Cube alongside first-time attempts in the 3x3x3 Cube at 1:24.99 and Pyraminx at 20.05 seconds. Quade Boutcher contested six disciplines and recorded a personal best of 25.83 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube, an 8.4 percent drop from his previous best.

Three competitors made their official debuts at this WCA competition, taking on demanding schedules in their first appearances. Cameron Beatson entered five events, recording opening marks of 9.00 seconds on the 2x2x2 Cube, 10.98 on Pyraminx, and 20.16 on the 3x3x3 Cube, earning a ninth-place finish in Pyraminx. Otto Bauchop took on three events, completing his initial official attempts with a 7.56 on the 2x2x2 Cube, 23.46 on the 3x3x3 Cube, and 2:17.10 on the 4x4x4 Cube. Jinwon Kim tackled three disciplines as well, registering 12.60 on the 2x2x2 Cube, 49.68 on the 3x3x3 Cube, and 15.85 on Pyraminx.

Specialty disciplines rounded out the program, testing memory and coordination. Oscar Childs captured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title by logging the lone sub-two-minute success of the event, finishing his attempt in 1:25.92, while Eyles finished second in 6:46.17. In the Clock event, Elvis Chung delivered steady accuracy to win with a 5.31 average and a tournament-best single of 3.56 seconds. The combination of classic speed cubing and specialised events gave the gathering a broad test of skill across every round.

The 2026 season opened in the southern region with 25 podium spots secured by New Zealand solvers alongside three for Australia. Invercargill Summer 2026 showcased high-level speedcubing across two full days of bracket races and personal breakthroughs. As the competitors completed their final attempts at the library venue, the close finishes at the top and the widespread personal records across the field capped a memorable weekend of competition.