Spokane Spring PBQ 2025

Tackling larger hardware without sight demands immense mental stamina, and the grueling 5x5x5 Blindfolded contest pushed competitors to their absolute limits in Spokane, Washington, USA. The complex puzzle proved unyielding, leaving both Derek McNee and Ethan George Hayes with DNF results as they shared the top step. Taking on big cubes blindfolded requires memorizing dozens of pieces and executing precise commutators under intense focus, making it one of the toughest endurance tests in speedcubing.

The one-day WCA competition brought eight dedicated solvers to the Spokane Library Shadle Branch on June 14, 2025. Across five specialty rounds, competitors battled through some of the most cognitively demanding disciplines on the circuit. Spokane Spring PBQ 2025 offered a showcase of deep concentration, pairing heavy blindfolded challenges with analytical solving methods that pushed every participant to their absolute limits.

Derek McNee delivered a standout victory in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, conquering the complex layers of the larger cube with a winning single time of 6:10.74. Ethan George Hayes secured second place on the podium with an 11:58.00 single, while Canada's Rex Kotovich completed the top three with a mark of 20:31.00. The discipline requires sustained calculation to resolve centers and parity errors entirely from memory.

McNee also showed blistering pace in the classic 3x3x3 Blindfolded round, taking first place honors with a swift 50.74 single. Hayes followed in second position with a time of 1:29.02, while Kotovich captured another podium placing for Canada in third at 1:44.08. Blindfolded 3x3 results highlighted the sharp contrast between rapid, instinctive execution and the patient pacing demanded by the bigger multi-layered puzzles.

Beyond the blindfolded events, Ethan George Hayes demonstrated masterful analytical control to win 3x3x3 Fewest Moves at Spokane Spring PBQ 2025. Hayes achieved a winning average of 29.00 moves and a single of 28 to claim the gold. McNee earned second place with an average of 43.67 moves, and Coleman Vaughn took third place on the podium with a 49.33 average.

Hayes continued his winning form in the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, demonstrating remarkable memory capacity by successfully solving 7 out of 8 puzzles in a time of 54:45. Kotovich earned second place by completing 5 out of 7 cubes within 1:00:00. Rostyslav Sviashchenko of Ukraine and McNee rounded out the podium placements in the demanding multi-cube trial.

Away from the top steps, several competitors marked significant personal milestones during the weekend. Aaryn Cole achieved a huge personal best single of 49 moves in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, an improvement of 23.4 percent over a previous mark of 64, alongside a 5th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded across two entered events. Chris Tabar entered Fewest Moves and secured 5th place with a personal best of 47 moves, trimming 11.3 percent off an earlier mark of 53. Daniel Daoust took on two events and recorded a 4th place finish in Fewest Moves.

Throughout the schedule, the cubing competition celebrated focused problem-solving across specialized formats. Competitors from the United States, Canada, and Ukraine shared the tables, earning a combined 15 podium positions. Whether dissecting move sequences on paper or navigating large cubes while completely sightless, participants demonstrated the deep versatility inherent to modern speed cubing.

As the final scores were tallied, Spokane Spring PBQ 2025 stood as a celebration of endurance and puzzle mastery in 2025. Solvers tackled the traditional Rubik's Cube alongside its most complex blindfolded variations with remarkable resolve. The gathering concluded a demanding program that highlighted the dedication required to excel in the most challenging disciplines of the sport.