PBQ in Almaty 2026

Twelve competitors gathered at Schoolchildren's House №3 on January 17 and 18 for PBQ in Almaty 2026, an intensive weekend focused entirely on specialised disciplines. Solving puzzles without sight demands supreme concentration, rapid memorisation, and total spatial awareness. Across six rounds and five distinct events, the field in Almaty, Kazakhstan took on complex memory feats and strategic challenges that test the limits of Rubik's Cube mastery in modern speedcubing.

The blindfolded events took centre stage throughout the weekend, beginning with the classic 3x3x3 Blindfolded competition. Across two intense rounds, Andrey Koposov delivered top-tier performances, winning the event outright with a decisive final single of 23.44 seconds after registering an event-best single of 20.61 seconds in the opening round. Andrei Ilin secured second place on the podium with a mark of 34.67 seconds, while Zaya Qiaolong earned third place with a best time of 48.85 seconds.

Andrey Koposov continued his dominant run in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded discipline, navigating the added complexity of internal centre pieces and parity errors completely sightless. Koposov posted a gold-medal single of 2:33.18 across the single round of ten entrants. Igor Aipkin captured the second-place spot on the podium by clocking a time of 5:38.89, while Diasbek Zhuraev rounded out the top three for the host nation with a successful 7:11.17 solve.

In 5x5x5 Blindfolded, the mental endurance required reached its peak as competitors attempted to recall dozens of piece orientations and permutations. Andrei Ilin emerged victorious, conquering the massive puzzle in 10:05.00 to take top honours. Igor Aipkin claimed his second runner-up finish of the weekend with a time of 13:42.00, standing as the only other competitor to log a successful completion in the event among the seven entrants.

The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event brought its own unique test of memory capacity, requiring solvers to memorise and execute multiple puzzles consecutively while wearing a blindfold. Andrei Ilin showcased exceptional volume and precision, winning the contest by successfully completing 17 out of 19 cubes in a time of 54:37. Ge Shi finished in the runner-up position with 13 of 14 cubes solved in 53:03, narrowly edging Igor Aipkin, who achieved the same 13 of 14 score in 57:14.

Away from the blindfolded battles, the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest rewarded meticulous planning and analytical efficiency over raw turning speed. Ge Shi claimed the victory with a mean of 27.33 moves across the attempts, bolstered by a best single solve of 22 moves. Asset Agabekov secured the second podium position with an average of 32.33 moves, followed by Yeskendir Kenzhebolat in third place with a 42.33 average.

Beyond the podium battles, several participants made substantial personal strides across the weekend schedule. Adelina Adibaeva took on three events, recording her first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 3:58.19, her first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind scoring 2/3 in 19:44, and a 51 in her first attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves. Alan Suslov set a personal best of 37 in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, an improvement of 22.9 percent over his previous best of 48, to earn 5th place. Azamat Seitbekov tackled three events, claiming a best finish of 4th place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves.

The medal tally across PBQ in Almaty 2026 reflected an evenly balanced international spread, with Russia taking six podium spots, China taking five, Kazakhstan taking five, and Uzbekistan taking three. From calculated efficiency to high-pressure blindfolded execution, the WCA competition highlighted the dedication required in specialised speed cubing. With the 2026 season underway, the 3x3 results and blindfolded accomplishments established a strong standard for the year ahead.