Seomara Side & Blind 2025

Twelve rounds of non-stop action across six distinct puzzles brought the venue to life as sixty-one competitors gathered in Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal on February 15, 2025. Behind the fast times was an efficient team of organizers, World Cube Association delegates, and dedicated volunteers at ES Seomara da Costa Primo. They ensured scorecards moved without delay, judging stations stayed fully staffed, and every group ran according to schedule. Running an event focused primarily on specialty formats requires serious attention to detail, and the organizing crew delivered a seamless environment from the first scramble to the final podium presentations.

The tournament offered a dedicated platform for non-traditional events outside the standard Rubik's Cube main stage. While traditional speedcubing often spotlights the two-handed puzzle, this speed cubing showcase highlighted precision, memory, and dexterity. Competitors navigated the complexities of Clock, Square-1, Megaminx, and Pyraminx, alongside the intense concentration needed for 3x3x3 Blindfolded. The volunteers managed the flow across twelve fast-paced rounds, giving all participants the structure they needed to focus completely on their solves.

In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where competitors must fully memorize the puzzle state before donning a blindfold, Xingyu Zhu took top honours. Xingyu Zhu secured victory with a best single solve of 1:00.28 during the single round of twenty competitors. Pedro Azevedo earned second place with a mark of 1:02.38, while Oliver Wheat took third place in 1:09.91. While spectators frequently check standard 3x3 results at local meets, this specialist field demonstrated remarkable discipline in sightless solving.

Roman Sokolovskyi enjoyed an outstanding weekend, capturing two titles and earning four total podium appearances. In Clock, Roman Sokolovskyi claimed the win with an average of 7.24 seconds, holding off José Henrique Ribeiro dos Santos Medeiros da Silva who finished in 7.68 seconds and Carolina Pereira Dias in 8.65 seconds. Roman Sokolovskyi struck gold again in Pyraminx, logging an average of 4.52 seconds to edge Gabriel Dias Barahona Fernandes at 4.54 seconds and Martim Carvalho at 4.76 seconds across two hard-fought rounds.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several competitors made substantial strides in their official journeys. Sérgio Leonardo Gaocho entered five events, recording a Clock personal best of 7.01 seconds which was 88.3 percent faster than before, a Pyraminx personal best of 10.34 seconds that was 45.1 percent faster, his first ever attempt at Megaminx with 3:06.55, and a career best twelfth place finish in Clock. Santiago Filipe Teixeira Leitão tackled five events, completing a first ever attempt at Clock with 43.33 seconds, a first Skewb attempt of 11.38 seconds, and a first Megaminx result of 2:43.30. Salvador Moreira Leal e Henriques Coelho entered four events, putting up initial marks of 7.78 seconds in Pyraminx, 14.25 seconds in Skewb, and 52.90 seconds in Square-1. João Tiago Capelo Nogueira also expanded his repertoire with five events, logging first attempts in Skewb at 10.29 seconds, Megaminx at 2:10.11, and Clock at 17.54 seconds.

The progress continued with Elijah James Biggs, who completed his first attempts in Pyraminx with 8.69 seconds, Skewb with 8.90 seconds, and Clock with 16.89 seconds across three events. Miguel Cabrita also contested three events, establishing initial official marks of 3:31.25 in Megaminx, 8.88 seconds in Pyraminx, and 9.13 seconds in Skewb. Miguel Gaspar Faria Maia took on five events, delivering a first Clock attempt of 25.11 seconds alongside a Square-1 personal best of 34.52 seconds that improved by 45.4 percent and a Pyraminx personal best of 7.49 seconds, 39.3 percent faster than earlier marks. Manuel Tiago Teixeira Paciência participated in five events, securing a personal best of 25.64 seconds in Square-1 that was 51.3 percent faster, a Clock best of 1:01.02, a first Megaminx effort of 2:35.67, and a twelfth place finish in Square-1.

The remaining events at Seomara Side & Blind 2025 delivered further compelling competition across every bracket. Pedro Azevedo won Megaminx with a 47.74 average, besting Gabriel Dias Barahona Fernandes who posted 1:04.54 and Roman Sokolovskyi who recorded 1:16.48. In Skewb, Annika Stein took first place across three rounds with a winning average of 4.19 seconds, ahead of Pedro Azevedo with 5.16 seconds and Gabriel Dias Barahona Fernandes with 5.29 seconds. Square-1 saw Diogo Miguel Alves Guerreiro capture first place with an 11.09 average, leading Eleanor Sinnott at 13.02 seconds and Roman Sokolovskyi at 15.76 seconds.

The host nation dominated the podium counts at Seomara Side & Blind 2025, taking ten top-three placements, while Ukraine captured four, the United Kingdom two, and China and Germany one each. The successful staging of this cubing competition proved once again how much a community relies on its organizers and station runners. As the curtain fell on Seomara Side & Blind 2025, the efficient execution by the local team set a high benchmark for every future WCA competition across the region.

A resolução de olhos vendados exige um nível absoluto de memorização, foco e execução tátil, sem qualquer margem para hesitação no cubo mágico. No Seomara Side & Blind 2025, a prova de 3x3x3 Blindfolded proporcionou o momento mais eletrizante do torneio, com Xingyu Zhu a garantir a vitória ao registar a fantástica marca individual de 1:00.28 numa única ronda de alta tensão competitiva.

O triunfo de Xingyu Zhu não surgiu sem uma resposta direta dos rivais mais próximos. Pedro Azevedo garantiu o segundo lugar com o tempo de 1:02.38, ficando a pouco mais de dois segundos do topo, enquanto Oliver Wheat completou o pódio ao assinalar 1:09.91. A prova contou com vinte participantes em busca da concentração máxima, destacando o rigor técnico que caracteriza as disciplinas sem visão.

Realizado a 15 de fevereiro de 2025 na Escola Secundária Seomara da Costa Primo, em Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal, o evento reuniu 61 competidores num programa focado em eventos secundários. Ao longo de 12 rondas e 6 modalidades oficiais da World Cube Association, a comunidade do speedcubing reuniu atletas experientes e estreantes com desempenhos de grande nível.

Entre as restantes modalidades, Roman Sokolovskyi foi uma das figuras centrais da jornada ao conquistar dois primeiros lugares. No Clock, o atleta ucraniano venceu com a média de 7.24, superando José Henrique Ribeiro dos Santos Medeiros da Silva, que registou 7.68, e Carolina Pereira Dias, terceira com 8.65. Sokolovskyi repetiu o triunfo no Pyraminx com 4.52 de média, batendo por escassa margem Gabriel Dias Barahona Fernandes com 4.54 e Martim Carvalho com 4.76.

Nas outras finais do Seomara Side & Blind 2025, Pedro Azevedo venceu no Megaminx com a média de 47.74, à frente de Gabriel Dias Barahona Fernandes com 1:04.54 e de Roman Sokolovskyi com 1:16.48. No Skewb, Annika Stein conquistou o ouro com a média de 4.19, seguida por Pedro Azevedo com 5.16 e Gabriel Dias Barahona Fernandes com 5.29. No Square-1, Diogo Miguel Alves Guerreiro levou a melhor com a média de 11.09, deixando Eleanor Sinnott em segundo com 13.02 e Roman Sokolovskyi em terceiro com 15.76.

Para além dos lugares cimeiros, o torneio revelou grandes progressos pessoais e estreias notáveis em palco oficial. André de Sousa Fernandes competiu em quatro eventos, alcançando 12.63 no Pyraminx, um recorde pessoal 39.7 por cento mais rápido face ao anterior de 20.96, além de assinalar 23.62 na sua estreia no Clock. Diogo Araújo Pedro alcançou o quinto lugar no Skewb com uma melhoria de 33.2 por cento para 3.73 face ao anterior 5.58, registando ainda 15.76 na sua primeira tentativa no Clock. Vasco Maria Mateus Barata enfrentou quatro modalidades, fixando 2:21.72 na estreia em Megaminx, 6.22 no Skewb com uma redução de 18.5 por cento e 6.08 no Pyraminx, 10.6 por cento mais veloz que o registo prévio. Clara Serras Solliec participou em quatro eventos, completando as suas primeiras tentativas oficiais no Pyraminx com 9.69 e no Clock com 38.95.

O ambiente vibrante da prova impulsionou também competidores em início absoluto de percurso internacional. Jorge Junior disputou a sua primeira WCA competition e estreou-se em dois eventos, alcançando 7.89 no Pyraminx e 8.36 no Skewb. Miguel Camacho Barbas estreou-se igualmente no circuito ao assinalar 15.68 no Pyraminx e 54.49 no Clock. Guilherme Ramada concluiu a sua primeira participação com a marca de 11.55 no Pyraminx, enquanto Giovana Cardoso obteve 5.28 no Skewb no seu torneio de estreia.

A representação portuguesa dominou a contagem geral de medalhas com dez presenças no pódio, acompanhada por quatro presenças da Ucrânia, duas do Reino Unido e uma de competidores da China e da Alemanha. Esta marcante cubing competition em solo amadorense evidenciou tanto a maestria dos veteranos nas provas de maior complexidade como o crescimento contínuo de novos talentos nas mesas de jogo.

Com duelos decididos ao centésimo de segundo e demonstrações admiráveis de memória no cubo vendado, o Seomara Side & Blind 2025 encerrou com um balanço desportivo exemplar. O encontro reforçou o dinamismo do desporto em Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal, deixando referências sólidas para os próximos desafios competitivos da modalidade.