Tashkent Open 2025

Timofei Tarasenko delivered an overwhelming display across a tense weekend of tiered rounds, securing victory in ten separate events and setting a blisteringly quick 5.56 second average in the 3x3x3 Cube final. Across three rounds of the classic Rubik's Cube, the multi-stage format steadily whittled the 26-competitor field down to the sharpest finalists, allowing Tarasenko to cap his campaign with a weekend-best single of 4.33 seconds. Hosted at the Almazar Specialized School in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Tashkent Open 2025 challenged competitors through varying round structures, forcing sprinters and endurance solvers alike to adapt to strict advancement cuts over December 6 and 7.

The 2025 gathering welcomed 27 competitors across 12 events and 20 total rounds, testing everyone from seasoned tournament regulars to enthusiastic newcomers. While the premier events offered multi-round pathways to the podium, the schedule shifted dramatically for several technical categories. Straight-to-final single-round formats in the bigger puzzles placed immediate pressure on solvers, leaving no room for a warmup solve or tactical pacing. The overall speedcubing showcase illustrated how differing competition formats influence performance, demanding instantaneous precision the moment competitors sat at the timing stations.

In the flagship 3x3 results, Tarasenko set the pace through every stage, flanked on the podium by runner-up Muhammadyusuf Abdumalikov with an 8.02 second average and third-place Umidjon Zafarov at 8.44 seconds. The 2x2x2 Cube followed a similarly demanding two-round format, where Tarasenko took top honors with an average of 1.38 seconds after posting a 1.12 single. Zafarov earned second place with 2.02 seconds, while Fayozbek Erkinov finished third with a 3.16 average. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Tarasenko prevailed again across two rounds with a 12.30 average, besting Zafarov at 12.82 and Abdumalikov at 16.47.

Beyond the standard events, the competition expanded into massive puzzles and blindfolded solving, where single-round formats gave competitors only one shot at glory. Tarasenko captured the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:10.06 and the 7x7x7 Cube in 1:55.39, while Abdurauf Boymuminov took second place in both with times of 1:57.56 and 2:46.08, ahead of Nurkhon Ugilbekov in third. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded category, which relies heavily on silent memorisation before executing moves without sight, Igor Aipkin navigated the single round masterfully to win with an average of 1:16.48 and a single of 1:09.15, leading Bekmurod Astanaliyev and Bekzodjon Yusupov on an all-Uzbekistan podium.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the weekend program. Olamgir Xusanov tackled nine events at this WCA competition, recording a massive personal best in 3x3x3 One-Handed of 32.18 seconds, which was 49.8 percent faster than his previous mark, alongside a 13.65 second best in 3x3x3. Imron Arzibekov took on 11 events and earned fifth in Clock with a personal best of 12.53 seconds, an improvement of 15.3 percent, while dropping his 6x6x6 Cube best by 25.4 percent down to 5:30.30. Usmon Botirov logged a 33.8 percent improvement in the 2x2x2 Cube with a time of 3.23 seconds and registered his first ever attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 40.32 seconds.

Aleksey Xusnutdinov also made substantial strides across eight events at the Tashkent Open 2025, taking fifth place in Skewb and cutting his Pyraminx personal record by 27.4 percent to 4.53 seconds while trying the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time in 1:54.68. Konstantin Aipkin chopped 24.6 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube time to reach 1:32.57 and attempted the 2x2x2 Cube for the first time in competition with a time of 23.38 seconds. For Sardorkhon Bakhadirov, this marked an ambitious first cubing competition across eight events, earning sixth place in the 6x6x6 Cube with a first attempt of 5:28.47 and tackling the 7x7x7 Cube in 8:50.77. Fellow debutant Shohjahon Nurmurodov logged a 10.26 second first attempt in 3x3x3, while Abubakr Matchanov entered his first Pyraminx solve at 13.85 seconds.

The remaining puzzle categories at the Tashkent Open 2025 maintained the fast tempo established across two full days of speed cubing. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Tarasenko led the two-round field with a 21.97 average, followed by Zafarov with 32.16 and Boymuminov with 33.58. The 5x5x5 Cube yielded another victory for Tarasenko in 41.81 seconds, again besting Zafarov at 57.05 and Boymuminov at 1:01.90. Tarasenko completed further triumphs in Pyraminx with an average of 2.88 seconds, Megaminx in 25.86 seconds, and Clock in 5.09 seconds, leaving only Skewb to Jasur Beknazov, who won that single-round contest with a decisive 4.58 average.

As the final timers were reset, the weekend concluded with Uzbekistan competitors collecting 25 podium placements and Russian representatives securing 11. The varying round cutoffs and demanding progression rules at the Almazar Specialized School tested every facet of solver temperament, rewarding those who could manage the pressure of single-chance finals alongside the rhythm of multi-round brackets. The Tashkent Open 2025 provided an emphatic showcase of technical versatility and individual progress in Tashkent, setting an inspiring foundation for the region heading into the next competitive year.