Side N Blind Narre Warren 2026

A mere 1.77 seconds separated first place from third in a frantic Square-1 final that delivered the tightest finish of Side N Blind Narre Warren 2026. Auric Cui secured the victory with a winning average of 8.21 seconds, edging past Firstian Fushada on 9.39 seconds and Zayd Chaudhry on 9.98 seconds. The narrow margins on the final table captured the competitive intensity across Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where 41 competitors gathered on June 13 and June 14, 2026, for two days of specialised puzzle action.

Held at the Foundation Learning Centre, the cubing competition bypassed standard speed rounds in favor of ten demanding disciplines spread across 14 rounds of action. Fans tracking speedcubing developments saw a duel between two dominant figures over the course of the weekend. Michael Tripodi ruled the blindfolded categories, while Indonesian representative Firstian Fushada claimed three separate titles and climbed the podium eight times across the event schedule.

Fushada put on a display of stamina in the large NxN cubes and alternate shapes. He captured the 7x7x7 Cube title with an average of 2:04.15, leaving Zayd Chaudhry in second at 2:54.71 and Mannessah Kani in third at 3:01.45. Fushada also secured the 6x6x6 Cube crown with a mark of 1:20.30, again finishing ahead of Chaudhry and Kani. In Megaminx, Fushada took first place with an average of 37.65 seconds, outlasting Avery Graham at 41.37 seconds and Auric Cui at 51.23 seconds.

Beyond his standard victories, Fushada wrote his name into the record books in 5x5x5 Blindfolded. He registered an Indonesian national record single of 5:18.74 as well as a national record average of 6:05.59, earning second place behind Tripodi. In total, Indonesian solvers took nine podium finishes during the WCA competition, China claimed one podium spot courtesy of Ge Shi in 4x4x4 Blindfolded, and host nation Australia took the remaining 20 places.

Michael Tripodi dominated the blindfolded roster, sweeping four separate titles. Memorisation and flawless execution carried Tripodi to victory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single of 17.96 seconds, leading Fushada at 21.98 seconds and Swami Srinivasan at 31.16 seconds. While typical 3x3 results reward fast visual turning, Tripodi translated his spatial awareness into multi-blind mastery, topping the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event by solving 34 out of 41 cubes in 59:45. He also won 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 1:26.80 single and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in 4:16.51.

Away from the top steps of the podium, numerous participants reached major career milestones. Hunter Bowtell contested their first WCA competition and successfully recorded a 9:34.75 attempt in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Drew Bernardi logged a 43 percent improvement on Square-1 with a personal best of 36.85 seconds, improved their Megaminx mark by 25.2 percent to 1:36.10, and posted a first career attempt at 6x6x6 Cube of 4:14.55. Andy Wu took on nine disciplines, setting a Clock personal best of 7.84 seconds, a 31.3 percent drop, while making successful debut attempts in 4x4x4 Blindfolded at 15:50.00 and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2/2 in 7:27.

Jeff Xu enjoyed a standout weekend across nine events, earning fourth in Megaminx with a personal best of 48.37 seconds, cutting 31 percent from their 3x3x3 Blindfolded best down to 1:04.76, and trimming their 3x3x3 Fewest Moves record to 37. Yoav Eynon achieved an 11th-place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded while improving their 3x3x3 Blindfolded time by 26.4 percent to 3:10.10. Oscar Niizeki took on ten events, completing first-time official attempts in 5x5x5 Blindfolded at 23:19.00 and 4x4x4 Blindfolded at 15:20.00. Sahejvir Singh recorded a debut Megaminx result of 2:33.21, while Xander Bergstrum finished their first official Megaminx attempt in 3:22.14.

The remaining events rounded out the broad selection of Rubik's Cube variants and mechanical challenges. Alex Butera captured the Clock title with an average of 3.66 seconds, holding off Fushada at 4.66 seconds and Tripodi at 4.78 seconds. In 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, Jayden McNeill secured the win with an average of 21.67 moves, supported by a single attempt of 19 moves. Side N Blind Narre Warren 2026 proved to be an exhibition of speed cubing versatility, celebrating elite consistency and personal progression across all ten events.