San Ramon Fall 2025

The competition floor at Dougherty Station Community Arts Center buzzed with activity as stacks of disparate puzzles filled the warm-up tables and solving stations. Competitors shuttled between geometric shapes of every variety, adjusting tension and lubricating hardware in preparation for an intensive schedule. San Ramon, California, USA provided the backdrop for a gathering that brought together 102 competitors over a single full day on September 20, 2025. Across 11 rounds of action, participants tested their versatility across six distinct disciplines ranging from traditional twisty layers to intricate multi-faceted mechanisms.

The core attraction remained the classic Rubik's Cube, where 95 competitors engaged across three demanding rounds. When the 3x3 results were finalized, Zerui Cheng emerged on top of the field with a winning average of 6.77 seconds, supplemented by a sharp 6.22 best single. Sebastian Stone locked down the second spot on the podium with a 7.03 average, while Cameron Miller took third place with a mark of 7.40. The tournament atmosphere demonstrated elite speedcubing mechanics, setting a formidable standard for the weekend across the primary event.

Beyond the traditional cube, the schedule demanded proficiency across a wide array of alternate mechanical challenges. The pyramidal geometry of Pyraminx drew 70 competitors across two rounds, culminating in a victory for Hrishikesh Kakati with a winning average of 2.41 seconds and an event-best 1.58 single. Lucas Kim claimed second place averaging 2.60 seconds, followed closely by Stephen Zhu at 2.73. The fast-turning Skewb event brought equal intensity, featuring 65 entrants where Yuto Konno captured first place with an average of 3.12 seconds, edging Dean Jacob Adamo Susskind at 3.16 and Sid Shivnath at 3.49.

The mechanical variety expanded further with Clock, an event played entirely across two-sided dial faces. Jaidon Poraminthara Lin mastered the unique gear turning to win the 54-competitor field with a 3.43 average and a 2.62 single. Alessandro Diomampo earned second place at 3.89 seconds, narrowly ahead of Matt Mao at 3.94. Mao went on to capture first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, a discipline requiring pure memorisation before execution, registering a winning single of 39.77 seconds ahead of Nolan Yiu at 45.49 and James Chea at 57.09. Yiu returned to top the 12-sided Megaminx event, averaging 35.53 seconds to defeat Varenya Jyotiraditya at 37.70 and Diomampo at 39.26.

Behind the top podium spots, San Ramon Fall 2025 saw remarkable individual progress from competitors pushing their limits across multiple categories. Nico Hilal made a massive stride in 3x3x3 Cube, recording a personal best of 15.78 seconds that was 58.4 percent faster than their previous mark, alongside a first ever attempt at Clock with an 18.49 single. Daniel Y. Liu achieved a personal best of 2:03.59 in Megaminx, improving by 58.9 percent on their previous standard while finishing 36th. Samanyu Bellapu logged a personal best 3x3x3 Cube time of 16.51 seconds, dropping their previous standard by 55.4 percent.

Other competitors took on brand new disciplines to test their capabilities in an official WCA competition setting. Benjamin Forman achieved a Skewb personal best of 8.95 seconds, a 44 percent improvement, and completed a first ever attempt at Clock in 10.48. George Jeno tackled five separate events, posting an 8:43.69 single in their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded to finish 16th. Mathi Pragalathan Meenakshi entered five disciplines, recording a 6:36.85 on a debut blindfolded attempt. Andrew Milo Wetenkamp notched a 1:37.05 in their first official Megaminx attempt, and Saai S. Shingare dropped their Skewb mark by 38.7 percent to a personal best of 6.68 seconds.

The presence of new faces enriched the schedule, with several entrants navigating their first official cubing competition across multiple styles of puzzle. Brandon Chou made their competitive debut across three events, logging a 23.15 single in the 3x3x3 Cube, a 13.11 in Pyraminx, and a 14.00 in Skewb. Zoe Lepper also debuted in three categories, recording a 1:09.31 single on the 3x3x3 Cube and a 33.59 in Pyraminx. These diverse entry lists illustrated the accessibility of modern speed cubing, where beginners and experienced solvers share the same staging areas and regulation tables.

A total of 18 podium positions were awarded over the course of the meet, with athletes representing the USA taking 14 podium places alongside honors earned by competitors from China, Taiwan, and India. San Ramon Fall 2025 illustrated the rich breadth of the sport, moving effortlessly from intricate multi-faceted dodecahedrons to rapid pyramid sprints. As the equipment was packed away at Dougherty Station Community Arts Center, the gathering left a lasting record of versatility and personal achievement across every discipline.