Ota BLD Autumn 2025

Inside Ota ward plaza in Ota, Tokyo, Japan, an uncommon quiet settled over the tables as dozens of blindfolds were lowered on November 8, 2025. Running an all-blindfold speedcubing meet demands relentless precision from staff. Marshals guided competitors who could not see, judges held cover sheets with steady hands to maintain strict sightlines, and delegates tracked timing across grueling multi-cube attempts. The operational success of Ota BLD Autumn 2025 belonged entirely to the dedicated crew of organizers, delegates, and volunteers who managed every delicate detail without disruption.

A total of 42 competitors gathered for the specialized WCA competition, which condensed five rounds across four distinct memory disciplines into a single focused day of speed cubing action. Blindfolded solving requires complete memorisation of pieces before turning begins, placing immense pressure on both the competitor and the event runners. Thanks to efficient station management and smooth judge rotations, the schedule moved forward effortlessly across every single event.

At the front of the pack, Naoto Kobayashi delivered a remarkable double victory in the large-puzzle blindfolded categories. Kobayashi topped the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event with a single time of 2:21.22, finishing ahead of Yuki Yamamoto who took second in 2:29.56, while Yuki Tsuneyoshi secured third place in 2:59.68. The big cube dominance continued in 5x5x5 Blindfolded, where Kobayashi claimed gold with a time of 5:33.54, again leading Yamamoto in second with 7:00.07 and Shiori Yanai in third with 7:22.40.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event brought out incredible displays of memory endurance across the venue floor. Shiori Yanai captured first place overall by successfully resolving 32 out of 36 puzzles in a time of 58:36. Naoto Kobayashi finished as runner-up with 33 out of 40 cubes solved in 1:00:02, while Hiroto Fujita earned third place on the podium by solving 18 out of 20 cubes in exactly 1:00:00.

In the flagship 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, Naoyuki Koike emerged victorious from a field of 41 competitors. Koike posted a blistering winning single of 22.30 to take the title. China competitor Yiwei Liu claimed second place with a swift 23.20 single, closely followed by Yuki Tsuneyoshi in third at 23.61. Enthusiasts tracking the classic Rubiks Cube variants also noted Torakazu Onota logging an official average of 1:05.77 in the event alongside new 3x3 results across the board.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones away from the spotlight. Kazuhiko Kusano tackled three events, making a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with a flawless 4/4 in 38:52, a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 31:24.00, and carving out an enormous 44.6 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded down to 3:12.34. Sotaro Hayashi took on three events and dropped his 3x3x3 Blindfolded mark by 37.8 percent to 1:19.92, while also taking 36.5 percent off his 4x4x4 Blindfolded personal record with 13:09.00.

First-time event efforts highlighted the depth of the field throughout the afternoon. Masato Kubota entered two categories, executing a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 2:18.39 along with a first Multi-Blind effort of 3/4 in 27:41. Konosuke Nishiyama competed across four events, logging a first 4x4x4 Blindfolded finish of 11:36.00 to finish 8th, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Blindfolded best by 10 percent to 2:17.34. Torakazu Onota advanced across four disciplines, improving his 3x3x3 Blindfolded mark by 24.1 percent to 37.53, while Tomoki Koizumi also contested four categories and improved his 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal record by 25.4 percent down to 51.20.

The tournament wrapped up having delivered 11 podium places for Japan and one for China across the four categories. When the final stopwatches clicked shut, the flawless execution by the volunteer team left a lasting impression on everyone present. As the season turns toward future challenges, Ota BLD Autumn 2025 will stand as a model of how dedicated organizers bring the best out of mental athletics.

東京都大田区の大田区民プラザにて、静寂に包まれた会場の中で各選手が極限の集中力を発揮する光景が広がっていた。目隠し競技に特化した大会では、観客と競技者が息を呑みながらタイマーのスタートとストップを見守る独特の緊張感が漂う。2025年11月8日に開催されたOta BLD Autumn 2025には42人の選手が集い、記憶力と正確な指先の動きが試される全4種目5ラウンドで熱戦が繰り広げられた。

大会のハイライトとなった3x3x3目隠し決勝は、極めて緊迫した展開となった。41人が挑んだこの種目を制したのはNaoyuki Koike (小池直幸)で、記録した単発22.30は見事な優勝タイムとなった。2位のYiwei Liu (刘伊玮)が23.20、3位のYuki Tsuneyoshi (恒吉優紀)が23.61と続き、上位3選手がわずか1秒強の間にひしめき合う大接戦となった。ルービックキューブを目隠しで解くスピードキュービングの真骨頂を示す名勝負となった。

ビッグキューブの目隠し種目ではNaoto Kobayashi (小林直登)の強さが際立った。4x4x4目隠しでは28人の競技者の中で2:21.22のタイムを叩き出して優勝を果たした。この種目の2位にはYuki Yamamoto (山本祐輝)が2:29.56で入り、3位にはYuki Tsuneyoshi (恒吉優紀)が2:59.68で入賞した。Naoto Kobayashi (小林直登)の正確な手順と安定感は、難度の高いパズルでも揺らぐことがなかった。

さらにNaoto Kobayashi (小林直登)は5x5x5目隠しでもその圧倒的な実力を披露した。21人がエントリーしたこの過酷な種目において、Naoto Kobayashi (小林直登)は5:33.54という傑出した単発記録で頂点に立ち、大会2冠を達成した。2位にはYuki Yamamoto (山本祐輝)が7:00.07で続き、3位にはShiori Yanaiが7:22.40で入賞を果たした。

多数のキューブを一度に記憶して解き切る3x3x3複数目隠しでは、Shiori Yanaiが圧巻の試技を見せた。31人が参加したこの種目で、Shiori Yanaiは32/36を58:36で成功させて見事に優勝を勝ち取った。2位は33/40を1:00:02で記録したNaoto Kobayashi (小林直登)、3位には18/20を1:00:00で揃えたHiroto Fujita (藤田浩斗)がランクインし、見応えのある表彰台争いとなった。

Ota BLD Autumn 2025では表彰台争い以外にも数々の個人的な挑戦と成長が見られた。Kanako Eguchi (江口佳奈子)は3種目に出場し、3x3x3目隠しで従来の自己記録33.27から5.4パーセント短縮する31.49の自己新記録を達成し、複数目隠しでも9位に入った。Yuto Date (伊達優人)は4種目に挑み、5x5x5目隠しで以前の28:24.00から4.6パーセント更新する27:06.00をマークして4x4x4目隠しでも6位の好成績を残した。

初挑戦の舞台で確かな足跡を残した選手たちの奮闘も光った。Qiuchi Sang (桑秋驰)は3x3x3複数目隠しに初めて挑み、3/3を16:17で見事に完答して17位を記録した。Yuichi Hamada (濵田祐一)は5x5x5目隠しに初挑戦して27:10.00を記録し9位に入り、Akatsuki Kitamura (北村曉)も同じく5x5x5目隠し初挑戦で37:21.00を記録し10位となった。Naoyuki Takahashi (高橋直之)は3x3x3目隠しに初挑戦して3:56.77を記録した。

このキューブ大会では国別ポディウム獲得数で日本が11枠、中国が1枠を分け合った。全5ラウンドに及ぶ目隠し競技の激闘を通じて、選手たちは記憶と指先の精度を極限まで研ぎ澄ませた。Ota, Tokyo, Japanの大田区民プラザで幕を閉じたOta BLD Autumn 2025は、スピードキューブの奥深さと個々の挑戦の価値を改めて示すWCA公認大会となった。