Kailua Kupulau 2025

Inside the competition space at Le Jardin Academy, tables sat ready beneath bright lights as solvers inspected scrambled puzzles and timed each solve down to hundredths of a second. The gathering brought together 25 competitors in Kailua, Hawaii, USA across two days of action on May 3 and May 4, 2025. Across 10 official events and 14 distinct rounds, the tournament offered a comprehensive showcase of modern speedcubing, running from lightning sprints to extended tests of spatial memory.

The competitive schedule made the most of its structure, balancing multi-round elimination ladders in marquee events with immediate single-round finals in specialty disciplines. In the main event, the classic Rubik's Cube, three progressive rounds whittled the 25-person field down to eight finalists. Travis Dumaran delivered steady execution across the bracket to capture first place with a 9.25 winning average in the 3x3 results, backed by a best single of 7.40. Anthony Carrillo followed in second place at 10.00, while Enzo Xuan secured third with an 11.00 average.

Multi-round formats also rewarded consistency in the 2x2x2 Cube and 4x4x4 Cube, where advancing competitors had to manage pacing across separate stages. Jack Okazaki took the 2x2x2 title with a 2.52 average in the final round, having already posted a rapid 1.79 single and a 2.58 average earlier in the weekend. Travis Dumaran earned second place at 2.98, edging Anthony Carrillo who placed third with 3.02. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Carrillo navigated the two-round progression to top the podium with a 42.96 average, finishing ahead of David Lee at 43.76 and Enzo Xuan at 46.16.

By contrast, the single-round finals placed maximum pressure on every turn, giving competitors no second chances to adjust their approach. Travis Dumaran thrived in this format, taking Pyraminx with a 4.23 average over Jack Okazaki at 4.50 and Anthony Carrillo at 6.20. Dumaran also captured Clock with a 6.71 average ahead of Okazaki at 8.13 and Chris Martin at 8.40, before adding a Megaminx victory with a 46.65 mark. Carrillo answered with his own single-round triumphs, taking Skewb in 4.01 and conquering the massive 7x7x7 Cube with a 4:49.77 average, closely pursued by Enzo Xuan at 4:51.94.

Beyond the podium battles, Kailua Kupulau 2025 saw significant personal milestones from competitors tackling broad schedules across the weekend. Jared Ezekiel Flores entered four events and achieved a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 4.85, improving by 37.6 percent, along with a 7.30 Pyraminx best that was 30.8 percent faster, while also completing a first ever attempt at Skewb in 13.80. Dylan Jason Lee lowered his 3x3x3 personal best to 10.64, a 29 percent improvement, and finished seventh in Skewb. Levi Duffield took on seven events, recording a 4.35 mark in 2x2x2 that was 23.1 percent faster, alongside first ever attempts in Clock at 34.76 and Megaminx at 3:06.85. Skyler Nguyen entered seven events and trimmed his 4x4x4 best by 16.3 percent down to 1:23.14.

Other dedicated solvers embraced new challenges and recorded major leaps across the scoreboards. Jacob Endo contested six events, registering a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 3:21.08 and taking his 3x3x3 best down to 22.75, an improvement of 15.9 percent. Theo Masahiro Hirano entered six events, securing fourth in 2x2x2 and dropping his Megaminx personal best by 13.5 percent to 1:30.69. First-time appearances brought fresh energy to the floor as Leo Smith tackled four events in a first WCA competition, logging a 27.38 initial mark on the 3x3x3, an 11.85 in Pyraminx, and an 11.88 in Skewb. Ethan Bodeum Pak also debuted at this cubing competition across four events, finishing with a 14.06 single in 3x3x3 and a 19.65 in Pyraminx.

The mental demands peaked during the blindfolded disciplines, which stood out as ultimate tests of concentration. David Akamine swept both memory-based contests on the roster. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Akamine secured first place with an average of 57.26 and a best single of 53.97 against a field of five competitors. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Akamine undertook the challenge alone, successfully resolving 12 out of 20 cubes within a time of 53:27 to cap an impressive display of mental mapping.

Across every event, Kailua Kupulau 2025 demonstrated the depth of the local speed cubing community, with USA competitors claiming all 30 available podium positions across the tournament. From the fast-paced sprints of the opening rounds to the stamina required for 7x7x7 solving, the event highlighted the variety of the sport. As the equipment was packed away at Le Jardin Academy, the weekend stood as a showcase of technical skill and personal progression across all 14 rounds.