Samgau Almaty 2026

Thirty-three competitors gathered at Gymnasium No. 21 as a sharp regional duel defined Samgau Almaty 2026. Across 21 rounds of play on July 25 and July 26, the speedcubing weekend in Almaty, Kazakhstan brought domestic standouts into direct contention with visiting talent from Kyrgyzstan. The cross-border clash shaped the battle for hardware in nearly every category, pitting Kazakhstan contingent against Kyrgyzstan top contender across 12 official disciplines in an intense showcase of regional speed cubing.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event served as the main battleground for this international contest. Chyngyz Sultanbekov of Kyrgyzstan claimed the title over 33 competitors across three rounds, delivering a winning average of 6.05 seconds alongside a best single of 5.04. That 6.05 mark set a new Kyrgyzstan national record average in the classic Rubik's Cube category. Kazakhstan Asset Agabekov secured second place with an average of 7.57, while compatriot Alen Alimzhanov rounded out the podium in third at 8.52 as the official 3x3 results were finalised.

Yerkin Assylbek delivered the strongest response for the host nation, claiming gold in three major events. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Assylbek took victory with a 2.54 winning average across three rounds, edging out Sultanbekov who took second with 3.24, while Adelina Adibaeva finished third in 3.63. Assylbek struck again in the 4x4x4 Cube final, posting a winning average of 31.45 to beat Asset Agabekov who averaged 32.70 and Sultanbekov who placed third in 33.31. Assylbek also triumphed in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, securing first place with 13 out of 15 cubes in 55:12.

Sultanbekov answered by extending his reach across the longer and specialised puzzles. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, he captured first place with an average of 12.46 seconds, overcoming Kazakhstan Damir Zhanataev who took second with 13.10 and Alen Alimzhanov who placed third with 16.36. Sultanbekov also seized the 5x5x5 Cube crown with a winning average of 53.53 ahead of Assylbek at 55.66 and Diasbek Zhuraev at 56.73, before finishing his sweep with a Megaminx victory in 40.41 seconds.

The competition table also celebrated historic single-solve precision from Kazakhstan Adelina Adibaeva. In the Skewb event, Adibaeva won the title with an average of 4.56 seconds and set a Kazakhstan national record single of 1.29 seconds. She added another gold in the Pyraminx, taking first place with an average of 4.58. Diasbek Zhuraev topped the 3x3x3 Blindfolded field with a single of 1:01.83, shared first place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with Asset Agabekov on 34 moves, and Alan Suslov claimed the Clock event with an average of 5.38.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their events. Kamil Zhunissov chopped huge margins off prior marks, cutting his Pyraminx personal best to 3.14 seconds, an improvement of 70.2 percent, while lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 2.40 seconds, 27.1 percent faster. Nikita Oputin tackled 10 separate events, improving his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 51 percent to 1.98 seconds and his Clock personal best by 46.1 percent to 17.76 seconds. Artem Klyain also took on 10 events, logging a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 18.92 seconds alongside his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 45 moves and his first ever 3x3x3 Blindfolded attempt in 6:38.83. Ratmir Satybaldin dropped his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 15.34 seconds, improving by 39.7 percent.

Other competitors made their marks through new events and breakthrough solves across the schedule. Aibek Akshabayev lowered his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 8.67 seconds, an improvement of 19.2 percent, and dropped his 3x3x3 One-Handed best to 24.84 seconds. Andrey Klimov competed across nine events, recording a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 14.06 seconds and a Megaminx personal best of 2:41.74. Several participants made their official debuts at a WCA competition during the weekend: Artyom Kogay logged his first attempts at Pyraminx with 8.76 seconds and 3x3x3 Cube with 16.63 seconds, while Akimzhan Sagatzhan completed his first official solves in 3x3x3 Cube in 10.04 seconds and 3x3x3 One-Handed in 23.64 seconds.

By the conclusion of Samgau Almaty 2026, the final tally reflected the balance of a hard-fought weekend in Central Asian cubing. Host nation competitors earned 30 podium places, while visiting Kyrgyzstan secured six podium finishes behind Sultanbekov stellar four-gold performance. With national records established and numerous personal bests recorded, the cubing competition in Almaty closed out an eventful chapter for the region in 2026.