Marrakech Open 2026

Nothing in speedcubing demands the intense mental discipline of solving blindfolded, where a competitor must commit every piece of the scrambled puzzle to memory before slipping on a blindfold to execute the solution entirely from recollection. At the Centre Culturel Hay Hassani, Simon Kelly of Ireland delivered the definitive performance of the discipline, navigating the 3x3x3 Blindfolded final with absolute clarity. Kelly secured victory with a best single time of 29.56 seconds and registered a 35.94 winning average, standing alone at the summit of an event contested by 11 specialists. Kacper Paweł Dworak of Poland took second place with a 43.19 average, while Italy's Matteo Provasi locked up third with 2:16.38.

The one-day WCA competition on January 31, 2026, gathered 54 competitors in Marrakech, Morocco, spanning seven disciplines and twelve rounds of intense play. Beyond the memory feats of the blindfold event, the Marrakech Open 2026 served up a full display of speed cubing excellence across classic and specialty formats. Fans following the 3x3 results witnessed world-class execution on the standard Rubik's Cube alongside technical showcases in one-handed solving, big cubes, and side events.

Ireland's Ciarán Beahan proved to be the weekend's most prolific champion, securing top honours across three separate disciplines. In the 3x3x3 Cube event, which brought 52 competitors through three rounds of racing, Beahan captured first place with an imposing 7.54 winning average and a lightning-quick single of 5.33 seconds. Levente Radovics of Hungary claimed the runner-up spot with an average of 10.14, narrowly edging Morocco's Lilya Lagzouli, who took third on home soil with a 10.66 mark.

Beahan extended his dominance into the larger puzzles and specialty disciplines. In the 4x4x4 Cube final, he outpaced 32 entrants to claim gold with a 23.30 average and a 22.13 single, finishing ahead of Lagzouli with 40.20 and Radovics with 43.06. Beahan also controlled the 3x3x3 One-Handed bracket, taking the victory among 31 competitors with a 13.48 average and an 11.53 single. Dworak earned his second silver of the day with an 18.66 average, while Provasi followed in third with 19.10.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors delivered massive personal breakthroughs across multiple events. Ali Salame of Lebanon produced a remarkable 71.3 percent reduction in his 2x2x2 Cube personal best, lowering his mark to 2.43 seconds, while also completing his first ever official Pyraminx attempt at 9.84. Omar Rouineb tackled five events, recording a 2.51 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube that was 65.1 percent faster than his prior record, slashing his Pyraminx best by 51.3 percent to 9.29, and completing his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 2:08.77. Youssef Taleb Benjelloun improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 56.3 percent to 1.69 seconds and set a Skewb best of 5.88 on his way to seventh place. Mohamed Kabbaj trimmed 49.6 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best with a 3.51, while taking on first-time official attempts in Pyraminx at 16.33 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:02.58.

The tournament also offered crucial milestones for competitors expanding their repertoires. Mohamed Fahd Aaquiq dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 43.5 percent down to 24.24 seconds and completed his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt in 4.83. Mohamed-Amine Lebtaini cut his Pyraminx personal best by 38.8 percent to 5.48, improved his 3x3x3 mark to 20.62, and logged a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:47.03. First-time tournament attendee Youssef El Azhari took on four events, earning a 17th-place finish in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 29.17 initial attempt, alongside first official marks of 13.73 in 3x3x3 Cube and 1:20.80 in 4x4x4 Cube. Fellow debutant Yahya Loumame stepped up across four events, setting starting times of 6.60 in 2x2x2 Cube, 22.51 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 24.53 in Pyraminx.

Short-format puzzles delivered rapid turnarounds and narrow margins throughout the afternoon. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Stefania Gabriela Mihalache of Romania earned first place with a 3.06 winning average and a 2.47 single across two rounds. Lagzouli took second with a 3.79 average, while Spain's Leny De Pablo Hosty secured third place with 4.14. De Pablo Hosty climbed to the top step in Pyraminx, taking the title with a 3.19 winning average and a 3.02 single, finishing ahead of Beahan at 5.53 and Lagzouli at 5.63.

The Skewb bracket wrapped up single-round competition with a Polish one-two finish. Maksymilian Gala captured the crown with a 4.64 average and a 3.78 single, while Dworak followed with 5.34 for second place. Mihalache added a Skewb bronze to her 2x2x2 gold with an average of 5.51. Across all seven disciplines, Irish solvers led the medal count with five podium placements, while Poland and Morocco secured four each.

As the final timers stopped, the Marrakech Open 2026 stood out as a showcase of versatility and focus. From Kelly's composure under the blindfold to Beahan's triple triumph and a surge of personal milestones across the field, this cubing competition provided an emphatic display of speedcubing talent in North Africa heading into the remainder of the 2026 season.