Laguna Speedcubing Open VII 2025

Inside Robinsons Galleria South, the clicking of plastic layers and the steady tap of timers signaled the start of a packed two-day schedule. Tables arranged across the venue accommodated 73 competitors gathering for the Laguna Speedcubing Open VII 2025 in San Pedro City, Laguna, Philippines. Across November 29 and 30, solvers prepared to tackle 14 distinct events spanning 22 rounds. The atmosphere reflected the focused rhythm of a major cubing competition, bringing together both seasoned national figures and dedicated community members eager to test their practice under official tournament conditions.

Saturday opened with early rounds in several core disciplines, establishing the pace for the entire weekend. The classic Rubik's Cube drew a field of 60 competitors over two rounds, while large cubes immediately tested endurance and precision. In the big cube categories, Anyu Zhang (张安宇) quickly set the benchmark, commanding the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning average of 1:22.06 and a best single of 1:14.27. In the same event, Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc claimed second place with a 1:24.39 average, followed by Richmond Mico Rigor taking third with 1:31.93. Anyu Zhang continued that momentum into the 7x7x7 Cube, posting a 1:58.85 average to secure the victory ahead of Palisoc at 2:02.77 and Rigor at 2:21.28.

Mid-cube battles intensified as the Saturday schedule progressed into the 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube brackets. Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc excelled across both events, topping the 4x4x4 Cube final with a winning average of 25.46 and a sharp 22.65 single. Leo Borromeo secured second on the 4x4x4 podium with a 28.24 average, while Psyron Eubert Catral rounded out the top three at 31.18. Palisoc replicated that gold-medal performance on the 5x5x5 Cube, clocking a 44.26 average to finish ahead of Borromeo's 52.55 and Nigeria's Ayooluwa Samuel Dada, who finished third with a 55.77 average.

Sunday shifted the focus toward side events, short puzzles, and the climactic 3x3 results. Psyron Eubert Catral produced an exceptional sequence of finishes across varied disciplines, winning Clock with a 6.02 average just ahead of Anne Gwyneth P. Villaseran's 6.59 and Yuji Yoshida's 6.68. Catral also conquered Square-1 with an 11.75 average, holding off Sean Zowie Cuaresma at 12.17 and Francis Yuel B. Merced at 13.13, before taking first place in Pyraminx with a 2.94 average. Side event triumphs also saw Merced take the Megaminx title in 48.54, Kenneth Carlos top Skewb in 3.82, Yuji Yoshida win 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 26 moves, and Earl Bien D. Celestino claim 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 1:01.31 single.

Beyond the top steps of each podium, the weekend featured remarkable personal breakthroughs from solvers tackling demanding slates. France Jagonio took on three events and delivered massive drops, improving their 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 52.9 percent to 3:07.16, trimming their 6x6x6 Cube best by 27.8 percent to 5:28.69, and posting a first ever attempt of 7:56.77 in the 7x7x7 Cube. Rachel Tatad contested 11 events, achieving an 8th-place finish in Clock, slicing 35.7 percent off her Square-1 personal best with a 24.29 single, and recording initial career marks of 2:03.13 in 5x5x5 Cube and 4:36.32 in 6x6x6 Cube. Kiefer Hernandez entered six events, finishing 5th in 2x2x2 Cube while cutting his Clock best by 47 percent to 14.01, improving his 2x2x2 mark by 27.2 percent to 2.35, and registering a 27.94 in his first official Square-1 solve.

The depth of progress across the roster continued with several competitors broadening their event portfolios. Dominic Hutalla entered seven events, securing 7th place in Megaminx, lowering his 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 14.1 percent to 1:13.46, and logging initial attempts of 2:19.74 in 6x6x6 Cube and 3:30.60 in 7x7x7 Cube. Jin Gabriel Limpin took on seven events and finished 9th in 5x5x5 Cube, setting first-time marks of 1:16.31 in Megaminx, 1:58.59 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 2:55.89 in 7x7x7 Cube. Xyruss Gatchalian reached 7th place in 3x3x3 Cube across ten events while logging inaugural attempts in 6x6x6 Cube at 3:03.30, Megaminx at 1:09.60, and 7x7x7 Cube at 5:03.79. Goddrick Maven Frias placed 4th in Clock over nine events, trying 3x3x3 One-Handed, Square-1, and Megaminx for the first time, while Kyrie Lorenzo Layco Dela Torre placed 12th in Clock during a seven-event campaign that featured first marks in Pyraminx, Clock, and 6x6x6 Cube.

The shorter events also produced high speeds, with Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes claiming the 2x2x2 Cube final in an average of 2.04 seconds, highlighted by a 1.09 single. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed final, Leo Borromeo delivered a commanding victory with an 11.90 average and an 8.67 single, besting Palisoc's 12.38 and Brenton Angelo Lo Wong's 14.33. Overall podium counts across the weekend showed host nation Philippines capturing 33 podium places, China taking 7, and Nigeria earning 2, illustrating strong regional speed cubing talent across the board.

The culminating main event brought the entire weekend to a close as Leo Borromeo captured the 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 6.47, supported by the competition's best single of 5.17 across two rounds. The successful conclusion of the Laguna Speedcubing Open VII 2025 in San Pedro City highlighted both top-tier international standard averages and immense grassroots growth across 14 events. As equipment was packed away at Robinsons Galleria South, competitors departed with fresh benchmarks and new personal milestones from a thrilling official WCA competition.

Pumuno ng sigla at tunog ng lumalagitik na mga Rubik's Cube ang Robinsons Galleria South para sa Laguna Speedcubing Open VII 2025. Sa pagtitipong ito sa San Pedro City, Laguna, Philippines noong Nobyembre 29 hanggang 30 ng taong 2025, nagtagpo ang 73 kalahok upang magpaligsahan sa bilis ng kamay at talas ng isip sa loob ng 14 na opisyal na event at 22 rounds. Naging sentro ang maluwag na bulwagan ng mall para sa bawat pag-ikot at pag-lapag ng timer.

Sa pangunahing 3x3x3 Cube event, nagpakitang-gilas si Leo Borromeo matapos sungkitin ang unang pwesto laban sa 60 kalahok sa pamamagitan ng winning average na 6.47 at pinakamabilis na single solve na 5.17 sa dalawang round. Hindi pa doon nagtapos ang dominasyon ni Borromeo dahil pinangunahan din niya ang 3x3x3 One-Handed sa average na 11.90 at single na 8.67, kung saan pumangalawa si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 12.38 habang pumangatlo si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong sa 14.33.

Nagpakitang-gilas din nang husto si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa mas malalaking puzzle. Nasungkit ni Palisoc ang kampeonato sa 4x4x4 Cube na may winning average na 25.46 at best single na 22.65, habang pumangalawa si Leo Borromeo sa 28.24 at pumangatlo si Psyron Eubert Catral sa 31.18. Pinatunayan din ni Palisoc ang kanyang husay sa 5x5x5 Cube nang magrehistro ng panalong average na 44.26 kontra kina Borromeo na may 52.55 at Ayooluwa Samuel Dada ng Nigeria na may 55.77.

Naging matagumpay ang buong cubing competition para kay Psyron Eubert Catral matapos magwagi sa tatlong magkakahiwalay na kategorya. Pinangunahan ni Catral ang Pyraminx sa average na 2.94 mula sa 31 kalahok, ang Clock sa average na 6.02 laban kina Anne Gwyneth P. Villaseran na may 6.59 at Yuji Yoshida na may 6.68, pati na ang Square-1 na may 11.75 laban kina Sean Zowie Cuaresma na may 12.17 at Francis Yuel B. Merced na may 13.13.

Para sa pinakamalalaking cube, naghari ang pambato ng China na si Anyu Zhang (张安宇). Nasungkit ni Zhang ang unang pwesto sa 6x6x6 Cube sa average na 1:22.06 at single na 1:14.27, habang pumangalawa si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 1:24.39 at Richmond Mico Rigor sa 1:31.93. Naulit ang parehong pagkakasunod sa 7x7x7 Cube matapos magtala si Zhang ng panalong average na 1:58.85 at single na 1:57.97, kasunod si Palisoc sa 2:02.77 at Rigor sa 2:21.28.

Bukod sa mga beterano sa podium, nagpakitang-gilas din ang maraming manlalaro sa Laguna Speedcubing Open VII 2025. Sa kanyang unang salang sa 2x2x2 Cube ay nagtala si Yohanne Maurice P. Camat ng 14.05, kasabay ng malaking pagpapabuti sa Pyraminx na 14.58 na 42.4 porsyentong mas mabilis kaysa kanyang dating 25.32, at 3x3x3 Cube na 49.04 mula sa 1:01.88. Sa anim na sinalihang laban, nagtala si Elyjah Andres ng 8th place finish sa 3x3x3 Blindfolded, unang subok sa 6x6x6 Cube na 3:13.08 at blindfolded na 3:39.02, pati 5x5x5 Cube na 1:38.12 mula sa 1:47.46. Pinabilis naman ni Luis Nataniel M. Salas ang kanyang 2x2x2 Cube sa 9.38 na 61.5 porsyentong bawas sa dating 24.39, at 3x3x3 Cube sa 29.86 mula 34.12. Samantala, nagrehistro si Getulio R. Repelar V ng 24th place finish sa one-handed, 2x2x2 Cube na 1.47 mula 3.11, at one-handed na 20.12 mula 23.47.

Nagpamalas din ng determinasyon ang mga bagong mukha sa kanilang pinakaunang WCA competition. Sumabak si Allen Gabriel Adolfo sa limang laban kung saan nagtala siya ng 33th place finish sa one-handed, unang subok sa 4x4x4 Cube na 1:23.16, Pyraminx na 10.91, at 2x2x2 Cube na 5.35. Apat na laban naman ang nilahukan ni Chlyde Heaven E. Rivera na nagtala ng 30th place finish sa one-handed, unang 3x3x3 One-Handed na 27.51, 2x2x2 Cube na 3.52, at 4x4x4 Cube na 1:05.83. Sumabak din sa apat na laban si John Kelly Temeña na nagtala ng 20th place finish sa one-handed, unang 3x3x3 Cube na 10.77, 5x5x5 Cube na 1:51.19, at one-handed na 17.66. Ganap ding sinimulan ni Wilfred Joshua T. Opulencia ang speedcubing sa tatlong laro na may unang subok sa 2x2x2 Cube na 8.51, 3x3x3 Cube na 19.46, at Pyraminx na 10.30.

Naiuwi naman ni Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes ang 2x2x2 Cube sa average na 2.04, habang si Francis Yuel B. Merced ang nanguna sa Megaminx sa average na 48.54. Sa Skewb, nagtagumpay si Kenneth Carlos sa average na 3.82 laban kina Miguel Gonzaga na may 4.31 at Cielo Beatriz P. Villaseran na may 4.61. Naitala ni Earl Bien D. Celestino ang solong panalo sa 3x3x3 Blindfolded sa pinakamabilis na single na 1:01.31, habang naghari si Yuji Yoshida sa 3x3x3 Fewest Moves sa pamamagitan ng 26 moves.

Naging patunay ang pagtatapos ng Laguna Speedcubing Open VII 2025 sa Robinsons Galleria South sa patuloy na pag-unlad ng komunidad sa bansa. Sa kabuuang 33 podium finishes para sa Pilipinas, 7 para sa China, at 2 para sa Nigeria, nag-iwan ang torneo ng mga bagong marka at karanasan para sa lahat ng mga nakiisa bago sumabak sa mga susunod pang yugto ng paligsahan.