Taraz Open 2025

Nine competitors arrived in Taraz, Kazakhstan, on September 20 to September 21 for Taraz Open 2025, taking on a packed schedule of eleven events at Taraz Polytechnic College. Across twelve rounds of play, the tournament structure placed immediate pressure on the field, with ten of the eleven disciplines contested as direct single-round finals. Without the safety net of preliminary stages to find a rhythm, competitors had to deliver decisive solves immediately, creating a high-stakes cubing competition environment where every single turn factored directly into the final podium standings in 2025.

The headline classic 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube stood alone as the only discipline to feature two rounds, giving solvers a chance to adjust before the decisive phase. In the first round, Abdurakhman Aktay laid down a marker with a 6.76 single and an 8.28 average. When the final arrived, Aktay held his ground to capture the title with a winning average of 7.73, backed by a best single of 7.35. Damir Zhanataev secured the runner-up spot with an 8.42 average, while Yeskendir Kenzhebolat completed the podium at 11.30 to wrap up the official 3x3 results.

Outside the main event, the direct-final schedule favoured competitors who could execute cleanly from their very first solve. Aktay capitalized on the quick turnaround in 2x2x2 Cube, posting a winning average of 3.44 and a 1.80 single to claim gold. Yeskendir Kenzhebolat took second place with a 4.01 average, edging Alan Suslov, who matched the 4.01 average mark to claim third. Aktay continued his multi-puzzle efficiency across the weekend, adding victories in Clock with a 4.83 winning average and Megaminx with a top mark of 1:06.47.

Damir Zhanataev seized command across the remaining direct-final events, dominating the mid-sized puzzles. In 4x4x4 Cube, Zhanataev secured the title with an average of 35.44 and a best single of 32.33, finishing ahead of Kenzhebolat at 42.07 and Aktay at 43.08. Moving up to 5x5x5 Cube, Zhanataev delivered a 1:03.92 average, including a 57.03 single, outperforming Kenzhebolat's 1:31.37 and Aktay's 1:36.46. Zhanataev also led the Pyraminx final with a 4.51 average, keeping Kenzhebolat in second at 5.07 and Aktay in third at 6.26.

The single-handed and blindfolded disciplines tested solving discipline under unforgiving conditions. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Zhanataev prevailed with a 13.81 average and a 13.18 best solve, leaving Aktay in second at 17.41 and Kenzhebolat in third at 23.78. Blindfolded solving, where memorisation must be paired with flawless execution while sightless, proved particularly exacting. Zhanataev claimed first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded on the strength of a 1:26.51 single against Kenzhebolat's 1:33.63, while the 4x4x4 Blindfolded and 5x5x5 Blindfolded events ended with DNF results in the final tallies.

Beyond the title battles, the schedule at Taraz Open 2025 gave several solvers an ideal platform to push their personal benchmarks. Amantay Asanbekov (Амантай Асанбеков) tackled six events across the weekend, earning a fifth-place finish in Megaminx and producing a sharp 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 25.08 seconds, which was 17.8 percent faster than his prior best of 30.50. Meanwhile, Nurasil Abdikarim took part in five events during a debut WCA competition, recording a fifth-place finish in Pyraminx along with first attempts at 4x4x4 Cube in 2:16.80, Megaminx in 4:00.40, and 3x3x3 Cube in 32.98.

Other newcomers used the single-round formats to log foundational official marks on the speed cubing stage. Mukhtar Zhannur entered three events in a debut weekend, securing fourth place in Clock with a first attempt of 16.63, alongside initial official marks of 10.55 in Pyraminx and 37.84 in 3x3x3 Cube. Tulen Munar also made a debut appearance across three events, posting a sixth-place result in Clock with a 1:08.55 solve, while logging a 12.58 single in 2x2x2 Cube and 54.24 in 3x3x3 Cube. Talgat Dinmukhammed entered the 3x3x3 Cube event, recording an opening mark of 41.77.

All twenty-nine podium places across the weekend were secured by competitors from Kazakhstan, underscoring the strong local presence at Taraz Polytechnic College. The compressed tournament layout rewarded those who brought immediate consistency, while providing emerging solvers with valuable official experience under strict timing conditions. As the speedcubing season moves forward, the results from Taraz Open 2025 offer a complete snapshot of direct-final execution across the entire competitive spectrum.