Puzzling Parramatta 2026

Twenty-eight competitors sat before scrambled cubes in total silence, relying solely on memory and precise spatial mapping. Blindfolded solving remains one of the ultimate tests of discipline on the circuit, demanding rapid memorisation before the blindfold lowers and execution begins entirely unseen. At Parramatta Public School in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Daniel Wang delivered a masterclass in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, recording a winning average of 23.42 seconds and a single of 21.26 across two contested rounds. Josh Pradhan claimed the runner-up spot with a best single of 21.34, while New Zealand competitor Jim Zhu took third place on the podium with a single of 39.92.

The two-day gathering ran from May 23 to May 24, 2026, bringing together 83 competitors across 18 rounds and 8 official events. Puzzling Parramatta 2026 delivered an expansive weekend of speedcubing action in western Sydney, featuring everything from intricate big cubes to speed-focused side puzzles. Competitors from across the country converged to test their skills at this high-energy cubing competition, drawing a wide range of talent. From the first rounds on Saturday morning to the final podium presentations on Sunday afternoon, the tournament schedule kept solvers engaged across multiple puzzle types.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest gathered an 80-competitor field across three rigorous stages of competition. Caden Liu took top honours in the main Rubik's Cube division, posting a commanding winning average of 6.46 seconds along with the round's best single of 5.47. Bryan Eng secured second place in the 3x3 results with an average of 7.39, while James Kirschner took third position with a mark of 7.96. The depth of standard in the blue-ribbon event underscored the high technical quality running through the entire championship program throughout the 2026 season.

In the 4x4x4 Cube event, the battle for first place ended in an extraordinarily tight finish. Bryan Eng claimed victory with a winning average of 27.51 seconds and a best single of 24.86, edging out Caden Liu, who recorded an identical 27.51 average across the final round. Sora Sato completed the podium in third place with an average of 28.31. Sato had already made a strong statement earlier in the weekend by capturing the 6x6x6 Cube title, winning with a decisive 1:37.55 average ahead of Daniel Wang's 1:45.16 and Harrison Jonathan Newbery-Chunn's 1:45.89.

The Megaminx event provided one of the major international highlights of Puzzling Parramatta 2026, marked by historic continental records. Lebanon's Omar Al Kotob established two national records in the discipline, setting a new single record of 1:05.87 and a national record average of 1:14.13. Edward Rust won the Megaminx event title overall, logging a stellar 34.19 winning average and a 33.19 single to defeat Sora Sato's 40.69 and Aitan Joseph Marks's 45.53. In total, Australian competitors secured 22 podium positions across the tournament, with New Zealand and Hong Kong, China taking one podium place each.

Beyond the podium finishes, the tournament roster showcased remarkable individual breakthroughs and milestone debuts across the schedule. Mingyao Lin produced an extraordinary leap in the 3x3x3 Cube, cutting his personal best down to 11.30 seconds from 29.49, a massive 61.7 percent improvement, while also logging his first ever attempts in both Skewb at 8.28 and Pyraminx at 7.58. Louis Swan similarly posted substantial progress across two larger puzzles, taking 45.8 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube mark to finish at 37.47 seconds and dropping 32.6 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube best down to 3:22.70, alongside a first Clock attempt of 12.22. Zachary Zobouian improved his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 30 percent down to 31.15 seconds and completed his first official Skewb solve in 8.56. Zachary McMullan took on five events, improving his Pyraminx time by 29.7 percent to 5.33 while registering first attempts in Megaminx at 3:12.95 and Skewb at 16.60.

That same spirit of ambition ran through the rest of the competitor list as solvers tackled new formats with determination. Akash Sivananthan lowered his Clock personal best by 28.5 percent to 12.00 seconds, took 19.8 percent off his Skewb best to 7.16, and registered his first Pyraminx solve in 16.45 seconds. Bram de Laat entered eight separate disciplines, successfully registering his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 5:22.75 while trimming 20.5 percent from his Megaminx best to 1:42.89 and setting a 6x6x6 Cube best of 4:12.21. Elie Lu stepped into seven disciplines, posting first attempts in Clock at 18.78, 4x4x4 Cube at 59.51, and Megaminx at 1:40.70. Rocky-Dimitri Holt tackled six events, securing first ever attempts in Clock at 43.60, Skewb at 8.51, and Megaminx at 4:00.86.

The remaining puzzle categories kept the tempo high across both days of speed cubing at Parramatta Public School. Archimedes Dines took the Pyraminx crown with a 1.90 second average, holding off Miles Irwin at 1.98 and Jack McCarley at 2.46. In the Skewb event, Thomas Tinlin captured victory with a 3.89 average and a fast single of 2.00, finishing ahead of Kristian Trubajic's 4.10 and Nathan Liu's 4.38. Trubajic also earned a second-place finish in Clock with a 4.36 average, where Jason Panagiotidis took the title with a 4.23 mark, while Jerry Chung finished third with 4.91.

From the nerve-shredding focus of the blindfolded stages to the blistering speeds of the 3x3x3 finals, Puzzling Parramatta 2026 provided a thorough showcase of competitive solving in New South Wales. With 18 rounds concluded and national benchmarks rewritten, the WCA competition highlighted both seasoned winners and dedicated solvers charting personal milestones across every table.