New York Big and Quiet Championship 2026

A single counting solve of 2:01.90 secured the top step of the podium in the 7x7x7 Cube, illustrating the razor-thin margin of error that defined the New York Big and Quiet Championship 2026. Held at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York, USA, from September 5 to September 7, the tournament put big cubes and silent disciplines under the spotlight. In mean-of-three formats, competitors faced the unforgiving reality that every single turn counts, as any misstep directly damages the final mark without the safety net of dropped scores.

The precision required across these mean-based events was evident throughout the weekend. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Jeffrey Li clinched first place with a mean of 1:29.64, holding off Alexei Sinyavin who finished mere fractions behind at 1:29.97, while Ayden Dincher took third with 1:33.95. Li repeated his victory in the 7x7x7 Cube with that 2:01.90 winning result, leaving Sinyavin in second with 2:15.74 and Cameron Soulagnet in third at 2:16.05. The classic 5x5x5 Cube shifted the order slightly as Sinyavin secured victory with a mark of 46.37, ahead of Dincher at 47.82 and Li at 49.36.

Tactical discipline proved just as essential in the mental events, where solvers worked without visual feedback or had to find the most economical solution possible. The 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest brought an international breakthrough when Benjamin Kyle of Canada delivered a national record single of 19 moves. Kyle took second overall with an average of 22.67, matched by Elliot Wiecek who placed third on the same mark, while Joseph Guzman earned the title with an average of 21.67 moves. In this format, calculating efficient rotations under tight constraints rewarded those who avoided risky, lengthy sequences.

Blindfolded solving pushed the demand for perfection to its absolute limit across the eight events on the schedule. Andrew Tao produced an extraordinary double victory, capturing the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title in 20.97 seconds ahead of Chris Chi at 29.61 and Quinn Maloney at 34.12. Tao then dominated the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event by successfully resolving 58 of 64 cubes in 59:31. Chi secured second place with 21 out of 31 in 1:00:00, while Serena Meng represented Canada on the podium with 11 out of 13 in 56:34.

The larger blindfolded puzzles illustrated how costly a single error can be when memory and spatial awareness slip. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Quinn Maloney took top honours with a single time of 3:07.02, leading Evan Liu at 3:40.55 and Brandon Villadolid at 4:22.87. Liu rebounded in the grueling 5x5x5 Blindfolded discipline, winning with an 8:09.83 solve alongside Villadolid, who completed a 13:13.00 attempt. The difficulty of the challenge left Chris Chi, Eli Rogers, and Quinn Maloney sharing third place after registering non-completions on their attempts.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the board. Josh Sanderson entered six events and logged a massive personal best in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 1:40.74, which was 33.3 percent faster than his previous best, while also making his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2/2 in 8:20. Jack Lee achieved a 28.9 percent drop on his 5x5x5 Cube best down to 1:25.70, improved his 3x3x3 Blindfolded mark by 20.5 percent to 57.20, and secured a fourth-place finish in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Andy Simpson logged his first ever attempts in both the 7x7x7 Cube at 7:11.84 and 3x3x3 Blindfolded at 4:03.13, while cutting his 6x6x6 Cube best by 14.7 percent to 3:41.40.

Other participants made substantial leaps of their own on the Palisades Center floor. Can Uzun delivered a 25.1 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded to hit 57.13 and secured sixth place in the 5x5x5 Cube with a personal best of 51.85. Rafael Daniella Gabinete recorded a fifth-place finish in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 6/7 in 56:16 and improved their 3x3x3 Blindfolded best by 11.4 percent to 1:36.89. Young Jin Cho chopped 10.9 percent off their 7x7x7 Cube best to reach 3:03.70. Michael Gottlieb shaved 4.4 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube time to finish in 1:57.96, while Jalen Shareef established strong personal bests of 2:18.34 in the 6x6x6 Cube and 1:08.36 in the 5x5x5 Cube.

As another major cubing competition drew to a close, the United States accounted for 24 podium placements alongside two for Canada. Solvers who spend hours mastering large layers and memory palaces found a true test of their craft in the 2026 speedcubing calendar. The standard Rubiks Cube disciplines often capture casual attention, but the 3x3 results and big cube battles here proved that endurance and focus are central to high-level speed cubing.

The New York Big and Quiet Championship 2026 proved that when safety buffers are stripped away, consistency is the ultimate separator. From early morning blindfolded attempts to tense big-cube calculations, every competitor at this WCA competition faced the challenge of delivering under strict conditions. With new milestones reached and personal records shattered across all eight categories, the stage is set for an exciting continuation of the speedcubing season.