Moorhead Madness 2025

Inside North Buffalo Lutheran Church, the rhythmic clack of turning plastic echoed through the hall as timers blinked down to hundredths of a second. Competitors hovered over their mats with intense focus, inspecting scrambles and executing rapid algorithm sequences. The vibrant venue in Moorhead, Minnesota, USA set the stage for an unforgettable single-day gathering as 57 speedcubing competitors assembled to contest 14 rounds across six diverse events.

The sheer intensity of the tournament came down to fractions of a second in the Skewb final, which delivered the narrowest margin of the entire weekend. Nathan Rahn and Tyler Robinson traded blistering turns throughout the round, pushing each other to the absolute limit. When the final scores were tallied, Rahn secured the gold medal with a winning average of 3.48 seconds, edging out Robinson by an astonishing two hundredths of a second as Robinson finished at 3.50 seconds. Boyd Mayfield completed the podium in third place with a 4.61 average.

That dramatic showdown was only the beginning of a relentless duel between the top contenders. In the main Rubik's Cube event, 57 entrants battled through three intense stages of competition, but the decisive final came down to another razor-thin margin. Robinson claimed top honors with an 8.30 winning average and a best single solve of 7.28 seconds, holding off Rahn who finished just behind in second place with an 8.39 average. Canada's Raphael Fast rounded out the 3x3 results on the podium with a 9.35 average.

Rahn remained a dominant presence across the tournament schedule, collecting three championship titles. In the 2x2x2 Cube, where 50 competitors squared off over three rounds, Rahn took first place with a crisp 2.01 average and a 1.67 best single. Fast captured second place with a 2.16 average, while Walker Welch claimed third at 2.79. Rahn added a third victory in Square-1, recording a 7.12 winning average ahead of Shain Papalotl Longbehn with 12.31 and Welch with 16.36.

Beyond the fight for podium spots, the heart of the competition was defined by breakthrough performances and personal milestones across the field. Zach Hoffart tackled five events and delivered a massive leap in 2x2x2 Cube, posting a personal best of 3.44 seconds that was 50.2 percent faster than his previous mark of 6.91, alongside his first ever attempt in Clock at 19.26 seconds. Luke Otto entered six events, securing a 7th place finish in Skewb with a personal best of 4.86 seconds that improved by 45.7 percent, while also recording a Square-1 personal best of 30.40 seconds, 38.5 percent faster than his previous standard. Myka Peterson also took on six events, achieving a Skewb personal best of 5.14 seconds, which was 43.3 percent faster than before, and registering a first ever attempt in 6x6x6 Cube at 2:55.07. Samuel Schleicher achieved a personal best of 4.67 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, marking a 51.9 percent improvement over his prior 9.71 mark, in addition to logging a first ever attempt in 3x3x3 Cube at 42.31 seconds.

First-time entrants and multi-event competitors made their presence felt right away at Moorhead Madness 2025. Samuel Brand embarked on his first WCA competition by entering six events, claiming 16th place in 6x6x6 Cube with a first attempt of 6:29.81 while also recording a 25.30 in Clock and a 4.29 in 2x2x2 Cube. Jeremiah Ziegler made his debut WCA competition by contesting three events, registering a 3.10 single in 2x2x2 Cube, a 7.41 in Skewb, and a 12.72 in 3x3x3 Cube. Griffin A. Meier advanced to 10th place in 3x3x3 Cube with a personal best single of 10.02 seconds, 14.3 percent faster than his old mark, alongside a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 2.17 seconds, an improvement of 49.5 percent. Hunter Damewood took on three events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 4.71 seconds, 49.6 percent faster than his previous best, while also logging his first ever attempt at Clock in 13.63 seconds.

The remaining events at Moorhead Madness 2025 featured extraordinary mastery across mechanically complex puzzles. In Clock, Volodymyr Kapustianskyi dominated the field of 27 competitors, taking first place with an impressive winning average of 2.66 seconds and a best single solve of 2.18 seconds. Chris Van Der Brink secured second place with an average of 3.63 seconds, while Rahn took the bronze step on the podium with a 5.03 average. The speed cubing mastery on display highlighted the wide range of puzzle disciplines contested on the day.

In the 6x6x6 Cube, Walker Welch led the pack of 17 competitors over a single decisive round, taking the title with a winning average of 1:49.87 and a best single solve of 1:48.86. Van Der Brink finished as the runner-up with an average of 2:14.28, and Robinson earned third place with a 2:15.55 average. Across all six events, podium awards were distributed between USA competitors who collected 16 podium spots and Canadian competitors who claimed two.

The bustling day at North Buffalo Lutheran Church concluded on May 10, 2025, leaving competitors with a wealth of memorable finishes and personal achievements. From the two-hundredth margin in Skewb to the dozens of breakthrough solves across all six events, this cubing competition exemplified the finest spirit of community and head-to-head precision. Moorhead Madness 2025 set a high standard for speedcubers across the region as they prepare for their next season on the tournament circuit.