Nacionales Guatemala 2025

The competition hall at Colegio Caré in Guatemala City, Guatemala, buzzed with intense concentration from December 12 to 14 as 53 competitors gathered across three full days of action. Timers clicked rapidly and cube faces spun in high-speed sequences through 24 rounds across 17 official disciplines. The premier national meeting brought together the fastest solvers in the country for an exhaustive test of speedcubing dexterity, precision, and endurance.

The sprint puzzles set the tone for the weekend, led by an extraordinary campaign from Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez. In the classic 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, which featured three rounds and 50 entrants, Batz Rodríguez delivered unmatched consistency. He captured the championship title with a winning average of 7.19 seconds and logged the weekend's best single solve at 6.59 seconds. Brian Bernabé Bolaños Arreaga took the runner-up position with an average of 8.83 seconds, while Jose Pablo Morales Gomez secured third place at 8.99 seconds.

Batz Rodríguez continued his blistering pace in the 2x2x2 Cube, topping a field of 46 competitors across two intense rounds. After putting up a lightning-fast single of 2.02 seconds, he sealed the event victory with a 2.91-second average. The lightning-fast turns on the smaller puzzle highlighted the high level of speed cubing sharpness on display throughout the opening stages of the tournament.

Beyond the primary short-format disciplines, Batz Rodríguez established dominance across nearly the entire roster of events. He claimed gold in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 31.94 average and took the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with a 15.86 average. Moving into the larger big cubes, he swept the 5x5x5 Cube with a 55.70 average, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:59.23, and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 3:04.65 mark, edging out Brian Bernabé Bolaños Arreaga whose 3:06.01 secured second place ahead of José Carlos Pérez García at 3:40.49.

The versatile champion added further victories in Megaminx with a 46.48 average ahead of Juan Jose Ajcam and Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado, and conquered Skewb with a 4.86 average over Natalia Sosa and Brayan Emanuel Escobedo Mendóza. He even secured top honors in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a 34-move solution, edging out Sergio Bulux at 35 moves and both Daniel Baeza and Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado at 36 moves. Across the board, Guatemalan competitors secured all 51 podium placements available during the weekend.

Behind the top podium spots, several competitors achieved remarkable breakthroughs that highlighted the depth of progress at the event. Marco Antonio Penagos Mayorga took on five events and posted an enormous 71.4 percent personal best drop in Pyraminx down to 6.43 seconds, while also recording his first ever official attempts in Skewb with a 9.35 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 30.85. Daniel Eduardo Bardales Otzoy entered six events, securing fifth in 5x5x5 Cube, making his first attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with a 2:32.77, and slicing 35 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to hit 30.49 seconds alongside an 8.02 personal best in 3x3x3. Jose Carlos Pineda Rodas delivered a massive 49.1 percent personal best improvement in 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.95 single. Efraim Herrera Rodas tackled five events, improved his 2x2x2 personal best by 49.4 percent to 5.98 seconds, and logged maiden marks in Megaminx at 2:45.02 and One-Handed at 1:31.88.

The spirit of expanding horizons continued through Luis Hadriel López Jocón, who entered seven disciplines and recorded first-ever attempts in Square-1 at 23.50 for a fifth-place finish, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:08.42, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:15.71. Nahum Mazate took on four events, securing 11th in Megaminx with a debut 1:19.19 while making first attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 4.10 and 4x4x4 Cube at 56.16. First-time WCA competition debuts also added fresh energy, as Tin-Yi Lin took on six disciplines, earning 14th in Skewb with a debut 10.89, alongside initial marks of 12.79 in Pyraminx and 10.23 in 3x3x3. Miguel Alexander Temaj Monzón completed his first official solves in both 3x3x3 at 28.21 and 2x2x2 at 30.06.

Specialist disciplines also provided compelling moments of individual mastery away from the main track. In Pyraminx, Estheban Heredia seized the title with a 4.34 average over Daniel Baeza's 4.76 and Batz Rodríguez's 4.85. Heredia also showed remarkable multi-puzzle memory in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, securing the win by solving 5 out of 6 cubes within 50:09. In the blindfolded categories, Daniel Baeza demonstrated complete control, winning 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 52.16 single, 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 5:41.07, and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in 13:51.00.

Other rotational puzzle events saw Juan Jose Ajcam take the Clock title with an average of 10.23 seconds ahead of Brayan Emanuel Escobedo Mendóza at 11.98 and Batz Rodríguez at 12.46. Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado captured the Square-1 crown with a 24.99 average, finishing ahead of Ajcam at 29.69 and Batz Rodríguez at 32.78. From rapid sprints to complex blindfolded solves, the 2025 gathering in Guatemala City demonstrated the full spectrum of competitive puzzle solving.

When the final round concluded at Nacionales Guatemala 2025, the tournament stood as a comprehensive showcase of local talent across every tier of the sport. With dramatic 3x3 results setting a high standard and a broad contingent of competitors expanding their repertoire across seventeen events, the stage is set for continued growth in the seasons ahead.