South Luzon Championship 2025

A total of 64 competitors assembled across 24 intense rounds of play on March 22 and March 23, where steady execution proved far more decisive than fleeting bursts of speed. Staged at Robinsons Galleria South in San Pedro City, Laguna, Philippines, the South Luzon Championship 2025 rewarded those who could string together relentless, mistake-free solves across two days of action. With 14 events contested, the tournament became an unforgiving test of poise as participants chased titles across puzzles ranging from the classic Rubik's Cube to intricate big cubes and specialty variants.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event put that premium on reliability under the brightest lights. Leo Borromeo captured the title by logging an exceptional winning average of 5.95 seconds over three rounds of 3x3 results, backed by a tournament-best single of 5.25. While single-solve speed can fluctuate, Borromeo never wavered, keeping his entire set cleanly in control. Brenton Angelo Lo Wong secured second place with an average of 6.98 seconds, while Ian Padua took third on the podium at 7.90 seconds, sealing an all-Philippines top three in a competitive 62-person field.

Borromeo doubled his hardware tally by claiming top honours in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 22.83 seconds alongside a best single of 18.98. His disciplined pace held off strong challenges from Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc, who finished as runner-up with an average of 26.00 seconds, and Brenton Angelo Lo Wong, who placed third with 27.72. The event proved to be a display of fluid turning and deep lookahead, where avoiding late-solve parity errors made the difference between gold and the lower steps.

Palisoc built an extraordinary campaign of his own by dominating the larger puzzles through sheer stamina and precision. Over 22 competitors in the 5x5x5 Cube, Palisoc struck gold with a 44.42 average, outperforming Lo Wong at 49.25 and Nigeria's Ayooluwa Samuel Dada at 55.76. Palisoc then swept the largest hardware on the schedule, winning the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:23.48 and the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:07.85. In both events, Dada finished second and Korea's MinGwan Yeo secured third, marking a sharp international battle on the podium.

The single-handed and quick-fire disciplines further highlighted the importance of steadiness under tournament conditions. Palisoc collected his fourth title of the weekend in 3x3x3 One-Handed, winning the two-round event with an average of 11.72 seconds. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Brenton Angelo Lo Wong dominated a field of 49 competitors by registering a 1.93 winning average. Javier Ignacio paced the Skewb bracket with a 4.30 average to take the crown ahead of Sean Zowie Cuaresma and Yuji Yoshida, while Chris Padua earned the Pyraminx title with a crisp 2.99 average over Ignacio and Cuaresma.

Beneath the title fights, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones through sheer dedication to expanding their repertoires. Wolfgang Wilk slashed his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 52.4 percent down to 12.61 seconds while also posting his first official times in Square-1 at 44.60 and 2x2x2 Cube at 3.80. Jeron Mariano O. Tolosa improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.1 percent to 6.04 seconds, alongside debut attempts in Clock at 24.42 and Pyraminx at 12.60. Jorrin Joseph O. Tolosa lowered his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 42 percent to 3.86 seconds, tackling Clock for the first time with a 19.34 and Pyraminx with an 8.39. Dwight Anthonie R. Mactal knocked 45 percent off his 6x6x6 Cube mark to reach 2:08.43, dropped his 2x2x2 Cube time by 31 percent to 2.11, and took a first official turn at Clock with a 7.22.

The breakthroughs continued as competitors broadened their event slates across the weekend schedule. Luis Gabriel Cueto Pahati dropped his Pyraminx personal best by 37.4 percent to 15.96 seconds, lowered his 5x5x5 Cube best by 27.3 percent to 4:57.55, and logged his first Square-1 result at 1:49.23 while tackling 10 separate events. Marc Joseph M. Gabia improved his Skewb best by 28.2 percent to 6.21 seconds, debuted in Pyraminx at 23.38 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:43.35, and finished sixth in One-Handed. Andrew Daniel C. Mauring trimmed his 3x3x3 Cube best by 16.8 percent to 10.93 seconds while recording first-time efforts in Clock at 7.09 and Pyraminx at 8.87. Kenzo Benedict B. Alba took on 10 events, finishing 12th in Square-1 with a debut mark of 25.81 alongside initial marks in Skewb at 9.52 and Clock at 17.95.

Specialist events rounded out the busy program with high-calibre results across the board. Zoei Principe captured the Clock event with a stellar 3.98 average, Jose Polorhenzo Aquino won Square-1 in 11.56 seconds ahead of Francis Yuel B. Merced and Lo Wong, and Nicole Jnus Macalalad triumphed in Megaminx with a 37.68 average. Aquino also picked up a win in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a single solve of 27 turns, while Earl Bien D. Celestino topped 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 1:09.11 single. Altogether, host nation competitors secured 35 podium places, while Nigeria claimed four and Korea took three.

As the South Luzon Championship 2025 concluded in Laguna, the weekend served as a masterclass in composed, balanced speedcubing. The two-day cubing competition underscored that success across complex rounds depends on steady execution under pressure rather than isolated peaks. With 14 separate events producing sharp battles and personal milestones, this major WCA competition reinforced the vibrant standard of speed cubing in the region for the 2025 season.

Niyanig ni Leo Borromeo ang entablado sa pagtala ng winning average na 5.95 sa 3x3x3 Cube upang tanghaling kampeon sa prestihiyosong dibisyon. Sa likod ng matagumpay na paligsahan ay ang masisipag na organizers, mga opisyal na WCA delegates, at mga boluntaryo na nagtiyak ng maayos na daloy ng bawat round. Mula sa pag-scramble ng mga puzzle hanggang sa pagpapatakbo ng judging stations sa Robinsons Galleria South, naging maayos ang pamamahala sa bawat yugto ng paligsahan nitong March 22 hanggang March 23 sa San Pedro City, Laguna, Philippines.

Ang pamunuan ng torneo ay naglatag ng malawak na iskedyul na sumaklaw sa 14 na magkakaibang events at 24 na rounds sa loob ng dalawang araw. Umabot sa 64 na kalahok ang nagtipon para sa South Luzon Championship 2025 upang magtagisan sa bilis at talas ng isip. Bukod sa pangunahing Rubik's Cube, nasaksihan ng mga manonood ang iba't ibang kategorya tulad ng Pyraminx, Megaminx, at Square-1 na nagbigay-daan sa mga manlalaro mula sa iba't ibang antas upang maipakita ang kanilang husay sa isang opisyal na WCA competition.

Sa pangunahing 3x3x3 Cube event, pumangalawa si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong na may 6.98 average habang pumangatlo naman si Ian Padua na may 7.90 average. Hindi nagtapos doon ang tagumpay ni Leo Borromeo dahil nasungkit din niya ang unang puwesto sa 4x4x4 Cube tangan ang 22.83 winning average at 18.98 best single. Sa parehong kategorya, pumangalawa si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 26.00 at pumangatlo si Brenton Angelo Lo Wong sa 27.72, na nagpatunay sa matinding labanan sa unahan ng standing.

Naging maningning din ang mga laro para kay Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc na nagwagi sa apat na magkakahiwalay na kategorya. Pinangunahan niya ang 3x3x3 One-Handed sa average na 11.72 laban sa 34 na kalahok. Sa 5x5x5 Cube, nagwagi siya bitbit ang 44.42 average laban kina Brenton Angelo Lo Wong na may 49.25 at Ayooluwa Samuel Dada mula Nigeria na may 55.76. Sa 6x6x6 Cube ay nanguna muli si Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc sa 1:23.48 average, habang sa 7x7x7 Cube ay nagtala siya ng 2:07.85 average upang talunin sina Ayooluwa Samuel Dada at MinGwan Yeo mula Korea.

Sa iba pang larangan, nagtagumpay si Jose Polorhenzo Aquino sa Square-1 na may 11.56 winning average laban kay Francis Yuel B. Merced na nagtala ng 12.51, bukod pa sa kanyang panalo sa 3x3x3 Fewest Moves na may best single na 27. Sa 2x2x2 Cube, pinangunahan ni Brenton Angelo Lo Wong ang 49 na kalahok sa kanyang 1.93 average. Wagi naman si Chris Padua sa Pyraminx tangan ang 2.99 average, si Zoei Principe sa Clock na may 3.98, at si Javier Ignacio sa Skewb na may 4.30. Sa Megaminx ay nanguna si Nicole Jnus Macalalad sa 37.68, habang si Earl Bien D. Celestino ang nagwagi sa 3x3x3 Blindfolded sa pamamagitan ng 1:09.11 best single.

Sa likod ng mga podium, marami sa mga kalahok ang nagtala ng kanilang mga natatanging tagumpay at personal best sa speedcubing. Si Lyron Joshua De Castro, na sumabak sa 8 kategorya at nagtapos sa ika-7 puwesto sa 6x6x6 Cube, ay nagtala ng unang subok sa Megaminx sa 2:58.07, 3x3x3 Cube personal best na 6.93 na mas mabilis nang 24.6 porsyento kaysa 9.19, at 7x7x7 Cube personal best na 4:06.62 na mas mabilis nang 17.8 porsyento kaysa 5:00.15. Si Rachel Tatad ay lumaban sa 7 events at nagtala ng unang subok sa Megaminx sa 3:16.54, Clock personal best na 11.01 mula sa 17.35 na 36.5 porsyentong bilis, at Pyraminx personal best na 6.77 na 16 porsyentong mas mabilis sa dating 8.06.

Ipinamalas din nina Agastthya Srivastava at Goddrick Maven Frias ang kanilang pag-unlad sa mesa. Nagtala si Agastthya Srivastava ng Skewb personal best na 8.72 mula 15.10 na 42.3 porsyentong pagbilis, Pyraminx personal best na 10.02 mula 16.96 na 40.9 porsyentong taas, at 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best na 38.92 mula 52.67 na 26.1 porsyentong bilis. Sa unang pagkakataon ay sumubok si Goddrick Maven Frias sa Pyraminx sa 10.68, bukod sa 2x2x2 Cube personal best na 6.89 na 26.9 porsyentong bilis mula 9.43, at 3x3x3 Cube personal best na 25.47 mula 31.40 na 18.9 porsyentong bilis.

Para sa mga bago sa entablado ng cubing competition, naging mahalagang hakbang ang katatapos na torneo para sa kanilang karanasan. Sumabak si Cuia Yondritch Juntilla sa kanyang unang paligsahan sa 4 na events kabilang ang 4x4x4 Cube sa 1:20.85, Pyraminx sa 7.76, at 3x3x3 Cube sa 14.46. Gayundin si Kyle Aquino na sumabak sa 3 events tulad ng 2x2x2 Cube sa 8.68, 3x3x3 Cube sa 33.85, at Pyraminx sa 36.50. Nagtala naman si Rover S. Lozada ng 18.21 sa 3x3x3 Cube at 6.44 sa 2x2x2 Cube sa kanyang dalawang kategorya, habang si Daniel Wilk ay nagtala ng unang opisyal na subok sa 2x2x2 Cube sa 8.16 at 3x3x3 Cube sa 33.50.

Ang buong katapusan ng linggo sa Laguna ngayong 2025 ay nagpakita ng mataas na antas ng pagtutulungan ng buong komunidad. Mula sa delegasyon ng Pilipinas na umani ng 35 na podium finishes, hanggang sa mga kinatawan ng Nigeria na may apat at Korea na may tatlo, naging makulay ang torneo. Dahil sa dedikasyon ng mga organizers at volunteers na nagpatakbo ng bawat round nang walang antala, naging ganap at matagumpay ang pagtatapos ng South Luzon Championship 2025 para sa lahat ng kalahok.