NZ North Island Championship 2026

Fifty-three competitors took to the tables for the 3x3x3 One-Handed event at the NZ North Island Championship 2026, where solving under strict constraints demands exceptional ergonomic control and table-assisted turning. Navigating two rigorous rounds across the weekend, Jasper Murray emerged victorious by posting a winning average of 9.33 seconds alongside a blistering best single of 7.96. One-handed speedcubing rewards efficient finger-tricks, precise grip shifts, and rapid lookahead, elements Murray balanced to perfection to claim the top spot in one of the most technically demanding disciplines on the schedule.

Held from February 27 to March 1 at the Mount Sports Centre in Tauranga, New Zealand, the cubing competition brought together a vibrant field of 79 competitors. Across three full days of action in 2026, the tournament featured 16 different events spanning 33 rounds of elite play. Speed cubing enthusiasts were treated to top-tier performances across standard three-layered puzzles, massive multi-layered cubes, mechanical novelties, and intricate memory events, creating an intense atmosphere inside the arena as participants pushed for podium finishes and milestones.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 77 competitors across three rounds, culminating in a fiercely contested final round that drew keen attention to the 3x3 results. Dwyane Ramos captured the title with a winning single of 5.35 seconds, narrowly outpacing Richard Yiheng Tao who recorded a runner-up single of 5.45 seconds. Jasper Murray secured third place on the podium with a single mark of 5.33 seconds, underscoring how razor-thin the margins were at the very top of the classic Rubik's Cube category.

Ramos further cemented his status as a versatile powerhouse throughout the NZ North Island Championship 2026 by dominating the larger puzzle classes. In the 6x6x6 Cube final, he clinched the championship title with an average of 1:24.95 and a best single of 1:22.00, finishing ahead of James Dyer and Levi Eyou. He followed that performance by taking the 7x7x7 Cube title with an average of 2:24.45 and a single of 2:15.69, completing an impressive sweep of the biggest rotational events at the meet.

Alexander Vujcich delivered an outstanding display of consistency across multiple complex disciplines, securing a trio of premier titles. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Vujcich took first place with a winning average of 24.31 seconds, holding off Richard Yiheng Tao and Dwyane Ramos. He repeated his gold-medal form in the 5x5x5 Cube, finishing with an average of 45.95 seconds to top Tao and Ramos once more, before winning the Megaminx event outright with a stellar average of 28.21 seconds.

Beyond the championship trophies, this WCA competition revealed remarkable progress among emerging talent whose breakthroughs defined the weekend. Woohyun Son cut their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 58.9 percent down to 1.66 seconds while making their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 40.05 seconds. Oliver Gracewood lowered their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 57.8 percent to 0.92 seconds and improved their 5x5x5 Cube best by 9.1 percent to 58.38 seconds across 12 entered events. Isaac Oloi made a first attempt at Skewb in 5.21 seconds and shaved 35.4 percent off their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best to hit 20.85 seconds. Saben Morris tackled eight events, trying Clock for the first time in 10.39 seconds and dropping their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 30.7 percent down to 25.95 seconds.

The personal milestones continued throughout the arena as competitors expanded their repertoires into new puzzle disciplines. Alan Luyang Li entered six events, taking on Square-1 for the first time with a mark of 40.96 seconds and improving their 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 27.3 percent to 25.40 seconds. Henko Olivier improved their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 31.1 percent down to 14.39 seconds while trying Skewb for the first time in 12.07 seconds. Eunwoo Ahn took on seven events, registering an 11th-place finish in the 4x4x4 Cube and logging a first ever Pyraminx attempt of 8.04 seconds. Benji Kane made their debut at their first WCA competition by entering 10 events, recording first attempts of 4.10 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube and 9.12 seconds in Pyraminx.

Blindfolded events at the NZ North Island Championship 2026 were highlighted by Jack McDougall, who secured a remarkable treble by winning the 3x3x3 Blindfolded, 4x4x4 Blindfolded, and 5x5x5 Blindfolded categories, the latter with a winning average of 6:34.84. In the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, James Macdiarmid triumphed with 55 solved puzzles out of 58 attempts in 59:15. Additional titles were claimed across the schedule by Yuki Gao with a 1.57 average in 2x2x2 Cube, Jasper Murray with a 2.23 average in Pyraminx, Kyle Jones with a 2.96 average in Clock, and Elyas Eyou with an 8.91 average in Square-1, closing out a brilliant celebration of speedcubing excellence in Tauranga.