Newcastle upon Tyne Summer 2025

A blistering 23.04 single solve in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded final stood out as the defining performance of Newcastle upon Tyne Summer 2025. Solved entirely without sight after a period of rapid memorisation, the winning attempt from Charlie Harrison set a commanding standard across the weekend. The tournament took place on July 12 and 13 at the Newcastle University Sports Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, bringing together 83 competitors across seven distinct disciplines.

While the standard Rubik's Cube always draws focus, the non-standard puzzles took centre stage throughout the weekend programme. In the Clock event, Jimi Naysmith delivered a dominant series of solves to secure the title with an average of 3.82 seconds, backed by a quick single of 3.35. Rylan Cheng-Brown earned second place with a 6.33 average, while Daniel Schmitt rounded out the podium spots at 8.21 in a competitive single-round format featuring 47 participants.

The twelve-sided Megaminx provided another severe test of endurance and puzzle mastery over two comprehensive rounds. Christopher Kilgallon navigated the dense 37-player bracket to claim top honours with an average time of 46.25 seconds, achieving a best single mark of 41.58 along the way. Fred Lang pushed the contest close with an average of 47.19 to take second place, while Adam Black completed the Megaminx podium with an average of 54.34.

The tournament schedule also gave short, explosive formats room to shine. Skewb concluded with an exceptionally tight battle where Charlie Harrison edged the victory on an average of 4.44 seconds. Billie Hammill finished a mere hundredth of a second back in the runner-up spot at 4.45, while Nigeria's Adejuwon Adebusuyi Oluwemimo secured third place with an average of 4.75. Newcastle upon Tyne Summer 2025 celebrated speed cubing variety across all thirteen rounds of action.

Beyond the podium battles, Newcastle upon Tyne Summer 2025 served as a venue for remarkable progression among competitors making significant strides through the brackets. Zaid Al-Amiri achieved huge gains, taking 65.7 percent off a personal best in 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.34 single and lowering their 3x3x3 Cube benchmark by 53.3 percent to 20.10, alongside a first Megaminx attempt of 2:21.37. Emma Clare Rigg cut previous career marks drastically across several puzzles, trimming 59.3 percent on Skewb down to 8.72 and dropping 51.5 percent on Clock to 11.11. Finn Cuthbertson registered a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:32.63 while reducing a Skewb personal record by 55 percent to 6.95. Andrea Amatulli took on six events, generating a 43.3 percent reduction in 2x2x2 Cube with 3.12 and recording initial competition marks in Clock at 18.06 and Megaminx at 2:11.56.

First-time achievements continued down the order as participants expanded their competitive horizons. Casey Spencer tackled five events, completing a first Megaminx run in 3:15.15 while shaving 43.1 percent off their Skewb best to record 8.51. Jeffrey Li took a 43 percent drop on Skewb with a 4.66 single alongside a first Clock attempt of 25.87. First-time WCA competition entrant John-Paul David Atkinson took on five events, producing marks of 3.17 in 2x2x2 Cube, 19.09 in Clock, and 5.95 in Skewb to place 17th. Fellow debutant Ali Bashar opened their official record across five disciplines, registering 10.85 in 2x2x2 Cube and 32.35 in the standard 3x3x3 Cube.

Traditional speedcubing disciplines also produced tense conclusions as the weekend moved into the later rounds. In 4x4x4 Cube, Charlie Harrison topped the 53-player field with a winning average of 31.91 and a single of 28.36, followed by Adam Black at 33.10 and Hyunwoo Lee at 35.67. The 2x2x2 Cube final saw Oscar Bickmore capture first place with a 2.42 average and a fast 2.05 single, finishing ahead of Ryan McIlree at 2.69 and Billie Hammill at 2.73.

The 3x3 results formed the finale of the two-day cubing competition, drawing 79 competitors across three separate rounds. Charlie Harrison completed a strong weekend by capturing the main title on an 8.50 average, posting a best single of 7.41. Hyunwoo Lee took second on an 8.64 average, while Bella Campbell finished third at 9.32. Across every puzzle category, Newcastle upon Tyne Summer 2025 showcased the full breadth of the regional competitive calendar for 2025.