Melbourne Cube Days 2025

Carey Baptist Grammar School buzzed with continuous motion over the final weekend of November as 295 competitors gathered across two full days of high-intensity solving. Stacks of puzzles, stopwatches, and inspection timers filled the competition floor in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, setting the stage for an ambitious 21 rounds across 12 disciplines. The atmosphere was defined by steady hands, rapid algorithms, and the persistent pursuit of personal progression as solvers tested their preparation on the official stage.

Across the schedule at Melbourne Cube Days 2025, personal bests fell at an extraordinary rate. While top podium spots commanded plenty of attention, the true character of the weekend emerged through widespread individual progress. From newcomers tackling intricate side events for the first time to established solvers shaving huge percentages off their previous best marks, the November 29 to November 30 gathering highlighted how dedication translates into measurable leaps forward.

Nowhere was this progress more vivid than among the determined competitors pushing their limits across multi-event schedules. Dash Nguyen achieved a massive leap in the 2x2x2 Cube, recording a personal best of 2.73 seconds that was 75.9 percent faster than his prior mark of 11.31. William Marco entered four events and delivered a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 6.92 seconds, improving by 56.8 percent, alongside a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 19.82 seconds and his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:01.28. Liam Belleville also made huge strides, dropping his 2x2x2 mark by 53.6 percent to 4.55 seconds while logging first attempts in both the 4x4x4 Cube and 3x3x3 One-Handed. Hannah Coates posted a personal best of 1:31.67 in the 4x4x4 Cube, which was 53.1 percent faster than her previous best.

The surge of breakthroughs continued across a wide range of puzzles. Wilson Wang improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 51.5 percent down to 4.23 seconds and logged his first official 4x4x4 Cube solve at 1:27.50. Arvin Eshragh took on three events, posting a 49.2 percent improvement in 2x2x2 with a 3.63 single and completing his first 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt in 43.64 seconds. Owen Johansen registered a 48.7 percent drop in his 2x2x2 mark to 6.55 seconds and took on the 3x3x3 Cube for the first time with a 33.08 single. Ethan Cheang delivered a 44.5 percent cut in 3x3x3 One-Handed down to 20.77 seconds, added a 10.52 personal best in 3x3, and completed his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 1:11.23.

The standard classic Rubik's Cube brought an electric conclusion to the schedule in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Across four rounds involving 286 competitors, the premier event produced stunning speed cubing performances. Riley Dexter claimed victory with a 5.99-second final average, having earlier produced the tournament's fastest single solve of 4.78 seconds. Feliks Zemdegs followed closely behind in second place with a 6.09 average, while Ethan Stevens locked up third place averaging 6.84 seconds, anchoring the headline 3x3 results for the year 2025.

Riley Dexter also demonstrated supreme control in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, securing top honours with a winning average of 10.48 seconds and a tournament-best single of 8.20. Hamish Bassig took second place with a 10.92 average, while Firstian Fushada secured third with 11.68. Firstian Fushada enjoyed an exceptionally prolific weekend across multiple categories, winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 25.38-second average over Riley Dexter and David Epstein, while also earning the gold in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a best single of 23 moves.

Big cube mastery was on full display at Melbourne Cube Days 2025 courtesy of Feliks Zemdegs, who captured first place in both the 5x5x5 Cube, averaging 46.28 seconds, and the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:13.96 average. Feliks Zemdegs completed his sweep of the largest puzzles by winning the 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 1:53.96 and a best single of 1:49.74. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Roman Rudakov stood atop a massive field of 222 entrants, winning the final with a rapid 1.14-second average.

The blindfolded categories demanded absolute concentration and delivered remarkable outcomes. Charlie Eggins won the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a 14.87-second average and a best single of 14.21. Michael Tripodi proved unbeatable in memory endurance, claiming the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind title by successfully resolving 34 out of 41 cubes in exactly one hour, and winning 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 1:24.66 single. Firstian Fushada rounded out the memory disciplines by taking the 5x5x5 Blindfolded victory with a time of 11:19.00.

Australia led the medal tally across the weekend with 27 total podium places, while Indonesia collected 10 and Japan secured one. Across every round and bracket of this speedcubing festival, the focus remained fixed on individual execution and rapid problem solving. The successful conclusion of Melbourne Cube Days 2025 cemented another memorable chapter for the local and regional cubing competition community, leaving competitors with fresh personal benchmarks and valuable experience for future challenges on the official WCA competition circuit.