Plymouth Puzzle-Off 2025

Inside the Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex, the constant clicking of twisting plastic echoed across the hall as competitors prepared their puzzles and settled into the competition atmosphere. The single-day gathering brought a vibrant energy to Plymouth, Michigan, USA on June 22, 2025, with dozens of participants ready to put months of practice to the test across multiple disciplines. From the first rounds in the morning to the decisive finals, the event delivered an exciting showcase of dexterity and rapid improvement across every skill level.

A total of 70 competitors took part in the Plymouth Puzzle-Off 2025, tackling a packed program consisting of six official events spread over 14 distinct rounds. The tournament schedule offered everything from the flagship Rubik's Cube to specialized challenges such as Clock, Megaminx, Pyraminx, Skewb, and Square-1. Speedcubing enthusiasts travelled from across the region to experience the high-tempo environment of an official WCA competition, creating intense moments on the competition floor throughout the day.

The 3x3x3 Cube event drew the largest participation of the day, featuring all 70 solvers across three competitive rounds. Michael Nielsen from the United States secured first place in the final round with a winning average of 6.98 seconds, boosted by a tournament-best single solve of 5.33 seconds. Nikhil Soares of India earned the second step on the podium with a 7.11 average, while Elliott Perkins of the United States claimed third place with an average of 7.99 seconds in the decisive 3x3 results.

In the Pyraminx division, Thomas Grahor delivered a commanding performance to capture the championship, posting a winning average of 2.37 seconds and a brilliant 1.46 single across three rounds of play involving 53 participants. Michael Nielsen followed closely in second place with an average of 2.50 seconds, while Elliott Perkins rounded out the podium positions with a third-place average of 2.64 seconds, demonstrating how competitive the pyramid-shaped discipline was at the Plymouth Puzzle-Off 2025.

Thomas Grahor added another major triumph to his weekend tally by winning the Clock competition with an average of 3.48 seconds and a single of 2.93 seconds across three rounds of 34 competitors. Stanley Chapel took second place with a 3.84 average, while Cole Shaft finished third with 5.51. In the 12-sided Megaminx event, Nikhil Soares dominated the single round of 33 solvers by logging an impressive winning average of 32.38 seconds along with a 27.95 single, finishing well ahead of Nolan Rickett with 48.41 and Garrett Hadaway with 50.05.

Beyond the championship finals, the heart of the cubing competition lived in the remarkable individual milestones recorded throughout the venue. Jacob Carruthers made great strides by cutting his 3x3x3 Cube personal best down to 27.55 seconds, which was 37.7 percent faster than his previous mark of 44.25, while also recording his first ever official attempts in Pyraminx at 11.54 and Skewb at 16.77. Ravi John achieved a massive breakthrough in the main event, dropping his personal best by 46.8 percent to 36.64 seconds and making his first attempt at Pyraminx with an 11.30. Harper Rumschik tackled six different disciplines, improving their Megaminx mark by 23 percent to 2:08.10, cutting their 3x3x3 best to 19.76, and trying Square-1 for the first time with a 57.77. Meanwhile, Mason Colburn posted personal bests across three separate events, including a 3.60 on Skewb that was 35.6 percent faster than before.

The wave of progression continued across the floor as William P. Rauch improved his Square-1 time by 31.2 percent down to 44.13 seconds, alongside personal bests in Skewb at 8.37 and the 3x3x3 Cube at 18.81. Lucas Hermiz took on all six disciplines on the schedule, setting personal bests of 2:08.05 in Megaminx, 12.83 in the 3x3x3 Cube, and 11.58 on Clock. Debutants also embraced the challenge of speed cubing, with Canada's Sam Reese entering four events at their first tournament, recording an 18.30 on the standard cube and a 10.19 on Pyraminx, while Phoenix Walther delivered an initial Pyraminx single of 6.06 and an opening 3x3x3 mark of 19.23 in their first competition experience.

The remaining podiums capped off a memorable day of action at the Plymouth Puzzle-Off 2025. In Skewb, Linus Vork took the gold medal across two rounds of 38 participants with a winning average of 3.03 seconds and a best single of 2.57, edging Stanley Chapel who placed second at 3.13 and Michael Nielsen who finished third at 3.29. Stanley Chapel then captured top honors in Square-1, recording a winning average of 8.73 seconds and a 7.64 single over 25 competitors, with James Hildreth taking second at 11.41 and Caleb Lalik finishing third with a 12.58 average.

With 16 podium finishes secured by United States competitors and two earned by India, the tournament highlighted both elite mastery and widespread personal development. The Plymouth Puzzle-Off 2025 concluded having demonstrated the rapid trajectory of emerging talent across all six events, setting the tone for an exciting road ahead in the 2025 season.