NSW State Championship 2025

Inside Knox Grammar School, the rhythmic click of rotating plastic echoed across the main hall as competitors took their seats under tournament conditions. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia welcomed 199 contenders across eight official events over the weekend of April 26 to April 27, 2025. Timers blinked green, hands moved in sharp bursts, and scorecards circulated continuously through eighteen rounds of play. The gathering served as a premier WCA competition for the region, bringing together experienced specialists and active community participants for two full days of high-level puzzle solving.

Among the home state standouts, Sora Sato delivered a commanding double victory on the larger cubes during the NSW State Championship 2025. Sato controlled the 4x4x4 Cube contest from start to finish, recording a winning average of 27.36 alongside a best single solve of 23.73. Later in the schedule, Sato returned to the stage for the 5x5x5 Cube final and secured another gold medal with an average of 53.72, backed by a single of 46.59. Australian teammate Liam Highducheck took third in the four-layer event with 29.40 and second in the five-layer event with 55.44.

Sebastian Lee also claimed two titles for Australia, sweeping the fastest turning events on the schedule. Lee took top honors in the 2x2x2 Cube with a winning average of 1.59, bolstered by a blistering best single of 0.49 seconds. Bryan Eng followed closely in second place at 1.65, while Hans Lin earned third at 1.91. Lee maintained that quick pace in Pyraminx, taking first place with an average of 1.63 and a single of 1.37, finishing ahead of Archimedes Dines who posted a 2.96 average and Miles Irwin with 3.54.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest gathered a massive field of 193 solvers, creating intense drama across three elimination rounds. In the decisive final, Chris Mills of New Zealand captured the title with a winning average of 6.89 and a best single of 6.72. The margin at the top remained razor-thin as Australian contender Caden Liu secured second place with an average of 6.90, just one hundredth of a second behind. Ryan Tan completed the podium in third with a solid 7.04 mark, capping off thrilling 3x3 results on the main stage.

Beyond the main three-layer Rubik's Cube, Australian competitors claimed top spots in the specialty categories. Bryan Eng earned victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 12.74, edging out Mills at 12.92 while Caleb Clark secured third place with 13.67. In Skewb, Thomas Tinlin captured first with a 2.92 average, finishing ahead of Eng who recorded 4.24 and Noah Smith who posted 4.78. Edward Rust produced a standout performance in Megaminx, taking gold with a winning average of 33.39 and a single of 29.87, leading Mills and Peri Le Dain on the podium.

Away from the championship podiums, dozens of competitors used the NSW State Championship 2025 to achieve major individual breakthroughs. Samit Iyer produced one of the most remarkable jumps of the weekend, slashing 61.8 percent off his Pyraminx personal best to finish in 5.64 seconds, while also cutting 35.2 percent from his 4x4x4 Cube mark to post 1:20.09 and logging his first official Skewb result of 12.55. Nicholas Evans improved his Pyraminx personal best by 57.4 percent down to 4.85 seconds while taking on his first ever official attempts in Skewb with 14.06 and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:59.12. Charlie Barnard dropped his 2x2x2 Cube best by 55.4 percent to 6.98 seconds and completed initial attempts in Pyraminx with 11.32 and Skewb with 16.59.

The progress continued across a broad range of events throughout the weekend. Frederick Mayer dropped 53.4 percent from his Skewb best to record 13.71, in addition to attempting 2x2x2 Cube with 5.08 and 5x5x5 Cube with 2:46.42 for the first time in official play. Seamus Kennedy improved his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 41.8 percent down to 21.52 while recording first attempts in the four-layer cube with 2:41.17 and 2x2x2 Cube with 12.15. Oscar Wong lowered his Skewb personal best by 41.6 percent to 5.61 and completed debut attempts in Megaminx with 2:49.03 and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:45.35. Louis Swan tackled seven events, logging a 34.9 percent improvement on Pyraminx to reach 7.86 alongside debut times in Megaminx with 2:56.43 and Skewb with 10.70. Mohammed Atif Rehan took on all eight events, setting inaugural marks in Pyraminx at 10.32, Skewb at 9.70, and 2x2x2 Cube at 6.19.

The overall medal count reflected strong domestic dominance alongside competitive visiting talent, with Australian solvers claiming 19 podium spots while New Zealand secured 5. Speed cubing in the region continues to show exceptional depth, with 168 solvers competing in the two-layer event and over a hundred taking on both 4x4x4 Cube and Skewb. Each round pushed the boundaries of execution under the pressure of official judging.

As the final timers were packed away at Knox Grammar School, the NSW State Championship 2025 concluded another milestone chapter for speedcubing in Sydney. With double victories from Sato and Lee, tight finishes across all disciplines, and numerous personal benchmarks set across the venue, the competition demonstrated the vitality of the local community. Solvers now look ahead to upcoming fixtures in the regional calendar, carrying fresh personal records and renewed momentum into the next phase of the competitive year.