Puerto Rico Cubing Open 2026

The tables were lined inside Casa de Ajedrez as timers flickered to life and competitors prepared their gear for a full slate of puzzle solving. Throughout the hall, judges held scorecards ready and stopwatches measured every turn while 38 competitors gathered across six disciplines. The single-day schedule demanded rapid transitions between events, testing versatility on every format from standard three-layered cubes to specialized mechanical puzzles. When the final round wrapped up, the gathering had delivered 11 rounds of intense speedcubing action in Caguas, Puerto Rico, USA.

The Puerto Rico Cubing Open 2026, held on May 2, 2026, turned into a remarkable showcase of complete dominance by Evan Liu. Taking on every discipline on the schedule, Liu secured first place in all six events. The United States competitor controlled the leaderboard from the opening rounds through the finals, displaying total consistency across different puzzle types and formats to achieve a clean sweep at the WCA competition.

In the main Rubik's Cube event, 37 competitors battled across three full rounds of play. Liu led the way with a winning average of 9.09 seconds in the final round, backed by a best single of 7.99 seconds to top the 3x3 results. Felix J. Santiago Melendez secured the runner-up position with an average of 10.06 seconds, while Evan Sebastian claimed third place on the podium with a mark of 12.27 seconds.

Liu maintained his commanding pace in the 2x2x2 Cube, an event featuring 30 competitors over two rounds. He captured the title with a 3.12 average and a fast single of 1.65 seconds. Julián Ramírez-Hermida followed in second place with an average of 3.93 seconds, edging Felix J. Santiago Melendez, who placed third with 4.09 seconds. The fast-paced short solves kept the pressure high at the Puerto Rico Cubing Open 2026 as margins remained tight.

The larger puzzles and specialized events told the same story of dominance. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Liu took the top spot with a winning average of 32.63 seconds and a best single of 31.63 seconds, finishing ahead of Felix J. Santiago Melendez at 37.34 seconds and Evan Sebastian at 51.44 seconds. Facing the unique non-twisty mechanics of Clock, Liu earned victory with a 4.90 average and a single of 4.32 seconds, leading Santiago Melendez with 10.97 seconds and Edier Bruno with 12.87 seconds. In Pyraminx, Liu took first with a 4.38 average, topping Julián Ramírez-Hermida at 4.90 seconds and Rusbel Manuel Osorio Rodriguez at 6.27 seconds.

Beyond the podium battles, the floor of this cubing competition provided the stage for major individual breakthroughs and ambitious debuts. Junoel Rosario Santana took on five events and posted a standout personal best of 11.63 seconds in Clock, improving by 72 percent over a previous mark of 41.51 seconds, while also cutting their 3x3x3 Cube time by 21 percent to 14.11 seconds for a fifth-place finish. Matias Calo Rizzo entered four events and shaved 62.5 percent off their 2x2x2 Cube record down to 6.23 seconds, alongside first career attempts in Pyraminx with 19.09 seconds and Clock with 39.52 seconds. Leonardo I. Carreras Angleró achieved a 4.90-second 2x2x2 Cube personal best, 42.1 percent faster than before, while logging a first Pyraminx mark of 21.50 seconds. Lucca Matias Lopez Maldonado dropped their 3x3x3 Cube time by 40.5 percent down to 21.53 seconds and registered a first 2x2x2 Cube result of 8.81 seconds.

First-time competitors and multi-event entrants added immense depth across the entire program. Juan Carlos Soltero Vescovacci tackled five events at the Puerto Rico Cubing Open 2026, delivering first-ever attempts in Pyraminx with 15.03 seconds, 4x4x4 Cube with 52.61 seconds, and Clock with 20.33 seconds, while also reaching fourth place in the 3x3x3 Cube. Marco José Sanfiorenzo logged a first 4x4x4 Cube mark of 1:26.94 to finish seventh, improved their 2x2x2 Cube best by 27.8 percent to 3.46 seconds, and improved in Clock to 17.99 seconds. Debutant Victor Miranda entered four events at their first tournament, earning fourth in 2x2x2 Cube with a first mark of 3.32 seconds, alongside initial results of 21.56 seconds in 3x3x3 Cube and 25.65 seconds in Clock. Fellow newcomer Isac Class Torres took on five events, logging first attempts of 8.97 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, 12.14 seconds in Pyraminx, and 45.64 seconds in 3x3x3 Cube.

The single round of 3x3x3 Blindfolded brought precise memorisation and execution under strict conditions. With two competitors entering the contest, Evan Liu successfully solved the cube without sight in 1:10.89 to seal his sixth gold medal of the day, while Julián Ramírez-Hermida concluded with a DNF. The blindfolded victory rounded out a total sweep of all contested disciplines across the tournament program.

The conclusion of the Puerto Rico Cubing Open 2026 marked a memorable day of speed cubing in Caguas. Across 11 rounds, United States competitors captured all 17 available podium spots, headlined by Liu's unbroken run across every event format. From major personal bests to flawless championship performances, the day delivered outstanding competition as players look forward to the next stops on the circuit.