NSW Side State Championship 2025

Fifty-three competitors assembled at North Sydney Boys High School in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from May 31 to June 1, 2025, setting the stage for intense regional showdowns across 9 events and 16 rounds of action. The NSW Side State Championship 2025 focused entirely on specialty disciplines, pushing elite solvers to their mental and technical limits. Solvers from across the territory and beyond converged to battle for regional supremacy on the tables, testing their nerve in non-traditional formats outside standard Rubik's Cube categories.

Hans Lin emerged as the standout performer of the weekend, executing a dominant sweep across three demanding memory disciplines. Lin captured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded crown with a sharp winning single of 23.79 seconds across three rounds, outpacing fellow finalists Josh Pradhan at 43.86 and Samuel Moliver at 44.43. Pradhan also posted a standout 22.22 single during the contest. The regional rivalry in blindfolded solving deepened as Lin continued his run in the big cubes, claiming gold in 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 2:55.29 ahead of Elias Chong at 5:09.12 and Akito Koike at 5:43.07.

Lin completed his extraordinary trio of blindfolded titles by navigating the grueling 5x5x5 Blindfolded final, posting a winning time of 9:38.30. He was joined on the completed podium by Samuel Moliver, who logged a time of 19:21.00 for silver as the remaining eight finalists recorded DNFs. Moliver responded with a commanding performance of his own in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, securing the gold medal by solving 18 out of 19 puzzles in 55:05, edging Lin who placed second with 15 out of 20 in 51:32 and Chong in third with 15 out of 21 in 52:01.

The big cube battles featured razor-thin margins between Sydney rivals. In the 7x7x7 Cube final, Harrison Jonathan Newbery-Chunn took top honors with a winning average of 2:38.92 and a best single of 2:30.42, narrowly holding off Bryan Eng who recorded a 2:39.61 average for second place. Jamie Otsu completed the 7x7x7 podium in third at 2:43.85 before turning the tables in the 6x6x6 Cube final. Otsu secured the 6x6x6 championship average of 1:39.57 with a best single of 1:37.72, holding off Eng at 1:42.89 and Sora Sato at 1:45.06 across 40 competitors.

Speed cubing precision was on full display in the mechanical puzzles as Kyle Jones dominated the Clock event. Jones logged a winning average of 2.94 seconds alongside a blistering 2.68 single to take the title over Kristian Trubajic at 4.27 and Otsu at 4.41. In Square-1, Thomas Liao delivered a composed victory, recording a 9.85 average with a 7.70 single. Meanwhile, David Roche clinched the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest with a 32.33 winning average and a single of 31 moves, narrowly besting Liam Highducheck at 34.00 and Chong at 35.00.

Beyond the title fights, numerous competitors delivered massive breakthroughs at this WCA competition. Vincent Contini notched a dramatic 43 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded by cutting his personal best down to 3:44.96. Nathan Liu delivered a comprehensive performance across four events, slashing his Square-1 mark by 42.3 percent to 28.11, dropping his Clock best by 26 percent to 5.34, taking fifth overall, and registering a 40-move mark in his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Angus Hannelly lowered his 6x6x6 Cube best by 35 percent to 1:59.41 while taking on 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a 39 and 7x7x7 Cube with a 3:44.55 in his first attempts at those disciplines.

Edwin D. Montenegro Jr. achieved a 34.9 percent leap in Clock with a new personal best of 12.04 and made a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube in 2:35.88. Timothy Daniels shaved 25.9 percent off his Square-1 personal record down to 9.49, capturing a fourth-place finish. Harry Adler dropped 16 percent from his 7x7x7 Cube best to 7:14.45, while Emerson Owen improved his 6x6x6 Cube best to 4:53.33. Conan Prokopovich handled six events, recording first attempts in 7x7x7 Cube at 6:31.13, 3x3x3 Fewest Moves at 42, and 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a completed single of 6:09.67.

The NSW Side State Championship 2025 provided a comprehensive showcase of technical mastery, analytical problem solving, and endurance. Enthusiasts tracking traditional speedcubing benchmarks and specialized 3x3 results witnessed memorable duels across memory and mechanical formats alike. As this cubing competition concluded, the diverse field of solvers left North Sydney Boys High School with historic podium finishes, new benchmarks, and established rivalries that will continue to fuel the next chapter of regional competition.

The NSW Side State Championship 2025 wrapped up with Australia capturing all 34 podium places across the weekend. Across every discipline, the fierce competition among club rivals and specialized competitors proved that side events carry just as much drama and prestige as main-stage formats. With individual milestones achieved and title races settled across the board, the Sydney stage reinforced the depth of talent driving the scene forward into the next season.