Lexington Weeknights V 2025

The room inside the Lexington Knights of Columbus was filled with the rhythmic clatter of plastic pieces aligning at high speed as competitors settled into their stations. Solving mats, timers, and score sheets covered the tables in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA, where 46 participants gathered on August 11, 2025. Many travelled substantial distances across state lines and from overseas, representing nations including China, Canada, and the United States, all coming together for an intense evening of speedcubing across five hard-fought rounds.

The 2025 gathering brought an international flair to the local cubing competition scene, proving that distance is no barrier for dedicated solvers. For competitors travelling from far afield, the single-day schedule demanded sharp focus from the opening solves. Across three featured disciplines, participants pushed through qualification brackets and finals, aiming to make every journey count in the official World Cube Association records with precision and composure under the lights.

In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, Minghao Zhang of China delivered an outstanding series of solves to capture first place. Zhang posted an average of 8.62 seconds over the final round, having recorded the tournament best single of 8.31 seconds along the way. Yancheng Liu took second place on the podium with a 9.07 average, while Jason Bilgrei secured third place with an average of 9.27 seconds. The standard in the main Rubik's Cube category remained exceptionally high from start to finish among the 46 competitors.

Zhang extended his winning run into the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, sweeping his second title at Lexington Weeknights V 2025. Managing the complex fingertricks with a single hand, Zhang recorded a winning average of 10.35 seconds and posted the fastest single of the round at 8.64 seconds. Peter Ha from the United States earned the silver position with an average of 12.74 seconds, followed by Yancheng Liu in third place at 14.42 seconds, capping a competitive two-round contest featuring 26 entrants.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline challenged solvers to memorize the puzzle state before donning a blindfold to execute the solution entirely from memory. Will Russo of the United States clinched victory with a best single time of 51.10 seconds, overcoming a DNF average to take the top spot. Jason Bilgrei earned his second podium finish of the meet by taking second place with a time of 1:43.91, while Ryan Durette placed third with a mark of 1:31.32 across the 11-competitor field.

Beyond the podium finishes, the evening was defined by remarkable individual progressions and breakthroughs across the ranks. Cordelia Hu travelled from Canada to enter three disciplines, achieving a personal best of 16.60 seconds in 3x3x3 One-Handed that was 69.2 percent faster than her prior mark of 53.84, while also reaching a 9th-place finish and logging a 12.75 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube. Oliver Turkel delivered a new 3x3x3 Cube best of 16.45 seconds, improving by 13.9 percent, and took on his first official attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 1:06.69. Binesh Moghadaszadeh improved significantly in 3x3x3 One-Handed, setting a personal best of 53.60 seconds to beat a previous mark of 1:28.86 by 39.7 percent. Joshua Pincus logged his first ever attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 32.77 seconds while also securing a personal best of 15.71 seconds on the classic puzzle.

Other solvers similarly celebrated major benchmarks during their rounds. Tanner Li executed his first official 3x3x3 One-Handed solve in 1:05.29 and registered a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 19.03 seconds. Eric Chung dropped his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 27.1 percent, establishing a personal best of 45.32 seconds compared to his previous 1:02.16. Jonah Mathew entered three events and secured a 7th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded after recording his first ever attempt at 3:50.48. Jeb Strohacker improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 16.9 percent to 30.78 seconds, rounding out an impressive set of performances across the tables.

The event also served as an entry point into speed cubing for several newcomers who attended their first WCA competition. Andrew Zheng made an impressive debut with a first official single of 21.25 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube, while Mason L. Chen began his official record with a time of 23.24 seconds. Dayeon Han opened with a solve of 31.94 seconds, and Lexi Angelis marked a first tournament appearance with a solve of 55.92 seconds, underscoring the steady growth of the local community.

When the final tables were cleared, the tournament concluded with the United States collecting five podium places and China earning four. The comprehensive 3x3 results and blindfolded achievements highlighted the dedication of everyone who made the trip to Lexington Weeknights V 2025. Solvers packed away their puzzles with refreshed personal records and valuable experience, ready to carry their momentum forward into the next chapter of competitive solving.