Solve Well in Wellington 2025

James Macdiarmid delivered a masterclass in concentration at Solve Well in Wellington 2025, solving 48 out of 52 cubes blindfolded within 59 minutes and 37 seconds. Multi-blind solving requires competitors to memorize dozens of scrambled puzzles before donning a blindfold to execute the algorithms without visual feedback. Macdiarmid navigated the hour-long mental marathon with precision, finishing clear of runner-up Cole Campbell, who resolved 24 of 25 cubes in 59:40, and third-place Jack McDougall, who secured 16 of 18 in 45:10. It stood as the most demanding individual feat of the weekend.

Held across August 23 and 24 at Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn Campus, Solve Well in Wellington 2025 gathered 47 competitors in Wellington, New Zealand for two days of intense speedcubing. The schedule featured 11 events spanning 26 rounds, testing participants on everything from the traditional Rubik's Cube to high-order hardware and specialty puzzles. Every step of the podium across all 11 disciplines went to competitors from New Zealand, giving the host nation a clean sweep of 33 podium places across the weekend program.

The blindfolded events proved to be Macdiarmid's domain, as he doubled up with a victory in the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded final. Posting a single time of 19.60 seconds, Macdiarmid held off Jack McDougall, who recorded a 30.07 single for second place, and Tom Nelson, who claimed third with 26.17. Macdiarmid added a third gold medal in the 6x6x6 Cube, logging a winning average of 2:04.77 with a best single of 2:00.64. Liam Wadek followed in second with 2:10.18, ahead of McDougall's 2:13.27 in third.

Big cube specialists found plenty of room to operate, with Wadek securing the top spot in the 7x7x7 Cube final courtesy of a 3:08.17 winning average and a 2:59.13 single across two rounds. McDougall also earned gold of his own in the 5x5x5 Cube, averaging 56.11 seconds with a best single of 53.95 to edge out Chris Mills, who finished on a 1:02.19 average, and Matthew Yang, who took bronze with 1:08.95. The long-form puzzle roster ensured that speed cubing endurance was tested as thoroughly as pure turning speed.

The 12-sided Megaminx provided another technical showcase as Mills conquered the field of 20 entrants across two rounds. Mills logged a winning average of 44.37 seconds alongside a brisk 37.24 single to secure the title. The multi-discipline prowess continued across the rest of the program, with Dylan Himmelfarb capturing the Pyraminx crown on a 2.78 average, while Jack Maddigan prevailed in a tightly contested 2x2x2 Cube final, posting a winning mark of 1.77 seconds to edge McDougall's 1.89 and Mills's 1.93.

Away from the top of the standings, Solve Well in Wellington 2025 highlighted significant personal milestones across the roster. Sebastian Cowlishaw Merz cut his Pyraminx personal best down to 6.67 seconds, an improvement of 55.9 percent, while dropping his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 51 percent to 10.06. Shin Nguyen shaved 52.7 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube personal best with a 1.94 single and improved his Pyraminx time by 45.9 percent to 3.93. Harry Davies contested nine events, cutting his Pyraminx mark by 50.2 percent to 2.12 and his 2x2x2 Cube single by 46.4 percent to 1.27. Tim Johnston tackled nine events as well, lowering his 2x2x2 Cube best by 44.3 percent to 1.61 and his 7x7x7 Cube time by 15 percent to 3:58.36.

Fresh puzzle disciplines brought breakthroughs for many other entrants at the cubing competition. Viraaj Ambiti tackled five events, making a first attempt at Megaminx in 1:58.39, Pyraminx in 7.16, and slicing 39.7 percent from his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to finish on 6.23. Douglas James Beggs recorded a first Pyraminx effort of 5.99, a first 2x2x2 Cube run of 3.92, and improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 28.2 percent to 12.67. Joe South attempted the 7x7x7 Cube for the first time with a 7:50.86 mark and improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed time by 36.9 percent to 41.29. Caleb Glynn stepped onto the floor for his first WCA competition, taking on six events with initial marks of 1:03.83 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, 9.91 in Pyraminx, and 1.31 in 2x2x2 Cube.

The classic three-layered events delivered familiar drama in Wellington. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed division, Mills posted a decisive 11.43 average with a 10.01 single across three rounds, ahead of Himmelfarb's 13.96 and Yang's 15.82. Mills repeated the feat in 4x4x4 Cube, winning with a 28.57 average ahead of Yang at 31.35 and McDougall at 34.21. In the main 3x3 results, 45 competitors battled through three rounds, where Mills secured the top step with a 6.48 winning average and a round-best 4.76 single, besting Yang's 7.36 and McDougall's 7.41.

With 26 total rounds completed without delay, Solve Well in Wellington 2025 concluded an expansive weekend of puzzle sports at the Kelburn Campus. From the quiet endurance of blindfolded memorization to the rapid turns of short-format finals, the 2025 gathering demonstrated the depth of talent within New Zealand across both premier and specialty disciplines as competitors look ahead to the next fixtures on the circuit.