Take Your Time Sydney 2026

The competition floor at Parramatta Public School was a landscape of geometric diversity over the weekend of September 12 to September 13, 2026. Across the tables, competitors rotated through an expansive roster of disciplines that tested entirely different skill sets, from the massive layers of big cubes to the delicate turning of disc-shaped mechanisms and the pure memory demands of solving without sight. It was an atmosphere built around shifting gears constantly, welcoming solvers of every specialty to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The diverse schedule meant that Take Your Time Sydney 2026 offered a full display of puzzle variety across seven distinct events. Speedcubing enthusiasts who follow standard Rubik's Cube categories were treated to a festival of specialized challenges. Whether managing the alignment on a Square-1, tracking dials on a Clock, or enduring the stamina required for a 7x7x7 Cube solve, the gathering highlighted how wide the competitive cubing landscape has grown in the year 2026.

Australia's Sora Sato put together a dominant showing across the heavier twisty puzzles, securing a trio of podium finishes including two gold medals. Sato captured first place in the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning mark of 27.60 seconds, staying ahead of fellow countryman Caden Liu at 28.77 seconds and New Zealand's Finn Trass at 29.61 seconds. Sato returned to the top step in the 5x5x5 Cube, logging a 48.71 to lead Bryan Eng who finished in 51.55 seconds and Liu who recorded 55.67 seconds.

Sato added another victory in the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning time of 1:32.13, holding off Bangladesh's Asiya Islam who claimed second place in 1:35.14, while Bryan Eng rounded out the podium at 1:42.68. The larger events were defined by remarkable milestones from Islam, who delivered six national records for Bangladesh throughout the weekend. Islam produced national record singles and averages across three separate disciplines: 50.03 and 57.21 in the 5x5x5 Cube, 1:30.44 and 1:35.14 in the 6x6x6 Cube, and 2:23.34 and 2:25.98 in the 7x7x7 Cube.

That record-setting performance earned Asiya Islam the overall victory in the 7x7x7 Cube with an average of 2:25.98. Australia's Harrison Jonathan Newbery-Chunn followed in second place with a time of 2:29.58, while Sora Sato capped a massive individual haul by taking third place with a 2:31.80. The 7x7x7 Cube podium demonstrated the international caliber on display at Take Your Time Sydney 2026, where competitors from Australia claimed 17 podium places alongside strong showings from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, and New Zealand.

Beyond the heavy layers of the big cubes, the technical puzzles brought their own tight contests to this WCA competition. In the Clock event, Kristian Trubajic of Australia secured the top spot with a fast 3.69-second result, finishing ahead of Jerry Chung of Hong Kong, China, who took second with 4.79 seconds, and Miles Irwin who finished third in 5.16 seconds. Meanwhile, Thomas Liao mastered the shifting shapes of the Square-1 to win in 8.61 seconds, besting Daniel Wang at 9.57 seconds and Timothy Ibrahim at 10.26 seconds.

Away from the podium battles, the heart of the tournament lived in the personal milestones earned across the schedule. Liam Harvey Bobadilla delivered one of the weekend's sharpest breakthroughs, cutting his Clock personal best down to 18.57 seconds, an improvement of 43.6 percent compared to his prior mark of 32.95, while also recording a first official attempt of 2:15.11 in the 4x4x4 Cube. Lucas Shi took on a massive slate of seven events, finishing tenth in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with an initial official time of 2:18.31, while lowering his Square-1 best by 27.6 percent to 14.38 seconds and his 6x6x6 Cube mark by 19 percent to 1:59.73. Angus Cosgrove dropped his 7x7x7 Cube best by 27.8 percent to 6:59.30 and took on Square-1 for the first time with a 45.86, while Kenta Duong improved his 7x7x7 Cube record by 19 percent down to 3:45.81 and placed 16th.

The drive to tackle new disciplines was on full display throughout the venue. Lachlan Huang stepped onto the floor for a first career WCA competition, taking on four events highlighted by an initial 7x7x7 Cube time of 11:01.00 and a 46th-place finish, as well as debuts in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:54.14 and the 6x6x6 Cube at 7:01.28. Austin Chan entered six disciplines at Take Your Time Sydney 2026, logging first attempts in the 7x7x7 Cube at 6:20.40 to finish 35th, the 5x5x5 Cube at 1:41.54, and Square-1 at 33.78. Jake Wilson-Cust also took on six events, registering first attempts in the 5x5x5 Cube at 3:54.54, Clock at 18.15, and 6x6x6 Cube at 8:51.62. William Crampton rounded out a busy weekend across six events, posting a 21st-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded along with maiden runs in the 6x6x6 Cube at 3:17.57 and the 7x7x7 Cube at 5:22.71.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event provided one of the closest finishes of the entire cubing competition, where pure spatial memory separated the top three by mere fractions of a second. Elias Chong took first place with a time of 16.13 seconds, narrowly edging Daniel Wang, who finished as the runner-up in 16.25 seconds. Hans Lin secured third place with a 16.46-second effort, completing an all-Australian podium that showed remarkable consistency at high speed without eyesight. While traditional speed cubing often centers on standard two-handed 3x3 results, the blindfolded battle proved just how thrilling alternative solving formats can be.

As the timers reset for the final time at Parramatta Public School, the weekend concluded having showcased every corner of the puzzle catalog. Between Sato's multi-event dominance, Islam's sweeping national records, and dozens of personal breakthroughs across unconventional disciplines, Take Your Time Sydney 2026 proved to be an outstanding celebration of mechanical variety and speedcubing skill.