Philippine Championship 2025

Inside One Ayala, the distinct rhythm of turning plastic and rapid hand movements filled the busy hall across four packed days of action. A massive gathering of 163 competitors arrived in Makati City, Philippines, ready to test their preparation on the competition tables. Across 35 separate rounds, the sheer variety of formats demanded absolute composure under the inspection timers. From June 19 to June 22, the Philippine Championship 2025 showcased the tremendous momentum of the modern speedcubing scene, highlighting seasoned champions alongside a rapidly improving crop of ambitious young solvers.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 156 competitors through four intense stages. In the end, Leo Borromeo delivered a masterclass, securing the victory with a 6.02 winning average and logging the best single of the weekend at 5.15. Borromeo led an all-local podium, finishing ahead of Crimson Arradaza with a 6.65 average and Toby Litiatco with 6.90. The 3x3 results demonstrated how competitive the discipline has become, with high turn speeds and efficient fingertricks separating the top spots on the leaderboard.

Beyond the main event, the wider cubing competition featured extraordinary versatility. Leo Borromeo doubled his title count by capturing the 4x4x4 Cube with a 24.33 average and a 21.88 single, outlasting Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc, who took second with 26.86, and Korea's Yeon Kyun Park, who placed third with 28.87. Palisoc would not remain in second place for long, taking gold in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 47.63 average over Richmond Mico Rigor at 48.93 and Christian Naguio at 51.70. Palisoc later added the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 1:28.72 average, while Dale Palmares conquered the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:11.94 average.

Short-format events delivered lightning-fast finishes throughout the weekend. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes claimed the top spot with a 1.90 average, just ahead of James Certeza at 2.00 and Aragon Martin Gonzales at 2.05. Gonzales found victory of his own in the 3x3x3 One-Handed, winning with a 10.92 average. Chris Padua dominated the Pyraminx with a blistering 1.82 average, Zoei Principe won the Clock event with 3.42, and Tommy Cherry took first place in Square-1 with a 10.48 average, showcasing exceptional problem-solving speed on the mechanical puzzles.

The deeper stories of the Philippine Championship 2025 were written by rising competitors achieving massive personal breakthroughs away from the final podiums. Andrew Daniel C. Mauring took on six events and earned an eighth-place finish in Square-1, recording a personal best of 10.25 that was 30.2 percent faster than before, while slashing his Pyraminx mark by 50.6 percent to 4.38 and making his first official attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 3.51. Lawrence Benedict N. Sison entered nine events, cutting his Pyraminx personal best by 48.3 percent down to 4.63 while registering his first ever attempts at Square-1 in 55.04 and 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 48 turns, finishing 35th in that event.

That same drive was evident across multiple international and local talents expanding their event repertoires. Alexis John S. Abdulsabur entered nine events, securing 15th place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a debut single of 1:39.56, attempting 3x3x3 Fewest Moves for the first time with 38 turns, and dropping his Pyraminx personal best by 47.9 percent to 5.82. Justin Pan of Taiwan competed across five events, marking his first career official attempts in Pyraminx with 13.70, 3x3x3 One-Handed with 39.18, and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:55.12. Prince Elidan Delos Santos tackled eight events, setting a Pyraminx personal best of 9.48, 26.9 percent faster than before, alongside first attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed with 44.24 and Skewb with 14.17. Traxit Leur Abello also logged five events, posting first-ever marks in 2x2x2 Cube at 5.41, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:13.43, and Pyraminx at 7.35.

Complex side events brought great drama to the arena. In Megaminx, Nicole Jnus Macalalad captured the title with a 37.32 average, winning over Crysky Ralph R. Sapitula at 40.86 and Nigeria's Ayooluwa Samuel Dada at 47.05. The multi-faced geometry of the puzzle pushed finalists to maintain quick lookahead across long solves. In 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Hsiang-Cheng Kan of Taiwan found optimal paths to earn the win with a 24.00 average, finishing ahead of a 44-competitor field by executing clean move counts on the standard Rubik's Cube mechanism.

Blindfolded events highlighted incredible memory feats, led by Yeon Kyun Park, who won Skewb with a 2.45 average, 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 2:33.54 average, and 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a 4:38.11 single. Tommy Cherry secured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a rapid 14.09 single. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, John Axel B. Gordo took gold by successfully solving 42 out of 46 cubes in 57:51, edging Park's 28 of 34 in 1:00:00 and Zander Verona's 5 of 6 in 42:53. The discipline of memorising dozens of cubes without sight closed out a memorable WCA competition.

The national gathering concluded with the host country securing 39 podium placements, while competitors from Korea, the United States, Nigeria, and Taiwan earned multiple podium honors. As the final rounds wrapped up at One Ayala in 2025, the depth of talent throughout the region was on full display. The Philippine Championship 2025 proved that speed cubing continues to reach higher technical standards as fresh faces and proven veterans continuously refine their craft.

Sa mga pormat na mean-of-3 kung saan walang puwang ang kahit anong pagkakamali, ipinamalas ni Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc ang pambihirang galing matapos dominahin ang 6x6x6 Cube sa pamamagitan ng 1:28.72 na winning average at 1:25.29 na best single. Sa ganitong uri ng labanan, ang isang dulas o pagkaantala ay maaaring magwasak agad sa buong average dahil bawat solve ay direktang binibilang. Dinala ni Palisoc ang ganap na kontrol sa One Ayala sa Makati City, Philippines mula June 19 hanggang June 22, 2025, upang patunayan ang kanyang husay sa mga malalaking puzzle sa isang matinding weekend.

Ang pambansang paligsahan na Philippine Championship 2025 ay nagtipon ng 163 kalahok na sumabak sa 17 opisyal na kategorya at 35 rounds ng tapatan. Bukod sa 6x6x6 Cube, nagwagi rin si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 5x5x5 Cube na may 47.63 average, habang pumangalawa si Richmond Mico Rigor sa 48.93 at pumangatlo si Christian Naguio sa 51.70. Sa 7x7x7 Cube, isa pang mean-of-3 na labanan, nasungkit ni Dale Palmares ang unang puwesto gamit ang 2:11.94 average at 2:02.56 best single, na nagpakita ng tibay ng konsentrasyon laban sa mahigpit na oras.

Sa pangunahing kategorya ng Rubik's Cube o 3x3x3 Cube, naghari si Leo Borromeo sa 156 kalahok matapos magtala ng winning average na 6.02 at pinakamabilis na single na 5.15 sa apat na rounds. Pumangalawa sa podium si Crimson Arradaza na may 6.65 average, samantalang nakuha ni Toby Litiatco ang ikatlong puwesto sa 6.90 average. Hindi rin nagpaawat si Leo Borromeo sa 4x4x4 Cube kung saan nakuha niya ang panalo sa bilis na 24.33 average, habang sumunod si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 26.86 at Yeon Kyun Park (박연균) sa 28.87.

Naging kapana-panabik din ang bilis ng kamay sa iba pang kaganapan sa speedcubing entablado. Sa 2x2x2 Cube, nagwagi si Juan Miguel Y. Magallanes na nagrehistro ng 1.90 average, na sinundan nina James Certeza na may 2.00 at Aragon Martin Gonzales na may 2.05. Sa 3x3x3 One-Handed, nakuha ni Aragon Martin Gonzales ang kampeonato sa 10.92 average laban sa 124 kalahok. Samantala, si Nicole Jnus Macalalad ang nanguna sa Megaminx sa pamamagitan ng 37.32 average, kasunod sina Crysky Ralph R. Sapitula na may 40.86 at Ayooluwa Samuel Dada na may 47.05.

Sa mga blindfolded na laban kung saan ang pagsasaulo at memorya ang tanging sandata, nagrehistro si Yeon Kyun Park (박연균) ng tagumpay sa 4x4x4 Blindfolded sa 2:33.54 average, kasunod sina Marc Jason L. Laresma sa 3:34.32 at Brian Acuña sa 3:39.78. Si Park din ang nagwagi sa 5x5x5 Blindfolded sa pamamagitan ng 4:38.11 single at sa Skewb sa 2.45 average laban kina Kirby Jay Caragan at Karl Abarquez. Sa 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, nagwagi si John Axel B. Gordo na nakakuha ng 42/46 sa loob ng 57:51 laban sa 28/34 ni Park at 5/6 ni Zander Verona.

Sa likod ng mga opisyal na podium, maraming manlalaro ang nagtala ng mahahalagang tagumpay para sa kanilang sariling mga talaan sa cubing competition na ito. Si Mark Marquez, na sumabak sa 7 kategorya, ay nagtala ng kanyang unang subok sa 4x4x4 Cube sa bilis na 37.50, bukod sa pagpapabilis ng kanyang 2x2x2 Cube personal best sa 1.90 mula sa 3.59 na may 47.1 porsyentong pag-angat, at Skewb sa 4.94. Si Ahmad Mendoza naman ay sumabak sa kanyang unang attempt sa Skewb sa 6.60, nagtala ng 3.23 sa Pyraminx na 43.7 porsyentong mas mabilis kaysa sa dating 5.74, at umabot sa 10.13 sa 3x3x3 Cube.

Nagpakitang-gilas din si Dominic Hutalla sa 7 kategorya sa pamamagitan ng unang subok sa 5x5x5 Cube sa 1:25.55, Square-1 personal best na 13.59 na 32.2 porsyentong mas mabilis sa dating 20.04, at Megaminx na 59.54. Si Nathan Daniel Chik ay nagtala ng kanyang unang subok sa Clock sa 11.07, Pyraminx personal best na 3.99 mula 5.53, at 10.18 sa 3x3x3 Cube. Si Michael Bernard A. Santos ay gumawa ng unang subok sa Square-1 sa 28.10 at pinabilis ang 3x3x3 Cube sa 6.85 mula 10.26, habang si Amir Ocon Decena ay sumabak sa 13 kategorya, nagtapos bilang ika-24 sa 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, sumubok sa unang beses sa Square-1 sa 1:13.58, at nagtala ng 43.13 sa 4x4x4 Cube at 2:42.81 sa 6x6x6 Cube.

Nagtapos din ang iba pang mga kaganapan na may matitinding resulta tulad ng panalo ni Chris Padua sa Pyraminx sa 1.82 average, Zoei Principe sa Clock sa 3.42 average, at Tommy Cherry sa Square-1 sa 10.48 average pati na rin sa 3x3x3 Blindfolded sa 14.09 single. Sa 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, nanguna si Hsiang-Cheng Kan (闞祥誠) na may 24.00 average. Sa pangkalahatang talaan ng podium, nanguna ang Pilipinas na may 39 na puwesto, kasunod ang Korea na may 5, USA na may 3, Nigeria na may 3, at Taiwan na may 1 sa makasaysayang pagtatapos ng Philippine Championship 2025 sa One Ayala.

Ang buong katapusan ng linggo sa pambansang WCA competition na ito ay nagpatunay ng mataas na antas ng husay at determinasyon sa bawat solve. Mula sa bilis ng 2x2x2 Cube hanggang sa matinding disiplina ng mean-of-3 sa 6x6x6 Cube at 7x7x7 Cube, ipinakita ng bawat kalahok ang bunga ng masusing pagsasanay. Sa pagtiklop ng Philippine Championship 2025, baon ng bawat kalahok ang mga bagong personal best at mga aral mula sa entablado patungo sa susunod na yugto ng kanilang paglalakbay sa palakasan.