Tassie Summer 2026

Fifty-six competitors assembled across nineteen rounds of play in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, turning Sorell Memorial Hall into a hive of rapid progression over the weekend of January 17 to January 18. The opening days of the 2026 calendar brought a dense program of eleven events, where emerging talent stood side by side with seasoned hands. Across two days of speedcubing action, the sheer pace of personal improvement showed how quickly younger solvers are sharpening their craft, turning theoretical practice into decisive tournament results.

The premier Rubik's Cube category featured fifty-three entrants across three separate rounds, highlighting the standard of play at Tassie Summer 2026. Chris Mills of New Zealand captured the 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 6.45 seconds, bolstered by a best single effort of 6.19 seconds. Feliks Zemdegs of Australia followed closely in the final standings with a 6.65 average, while David Epstein rounded out the podium with 6.86. The final round 3x3 results confirmed the depth of the field, with the top three competitors separated by less than half a second.

Mills doubled his championship tally by taking victory in the 2x2x2 Cube, delivering a 1.66 winning average to edge Epstein and Alex Butera, who tied their final averages at 1.87. Butera earned third on single countback. Zemdegs dominated the larger puzzles and specialized disciplines, sweeping the 4x4x4 Cube with a 22.35 average, the 5x5x5 Cube with a 42.65 average, and the Megaminx with a 41.90 average. Zemdegs also secured top honors in 3x3x3 One-Handed, posting an 11.52 average ahead of Epstein and Mills in a single deciding round.

Shorter puzzle formats produced equally rapid marks. Veer Liu Dogra secured the Clock title with an average of 4.40 seconds and a tournament-best single of 2.87, leading Butera and Oscar Niizeki onto the podium. In Pyraminx, Emmet Hobbs led forty-four participants over two rounds, winning the event with an average of 2.78 seconds. Ari Xiang Soo took second with 3.76, while Mills secured third with 3.80. Skewb concluded with Ben Wakelin taking first place on a 3.54 average, followed by Butera and Mills.

A major story of the weekend took shape through massive statistical drops logged by competitors making steady strides across the schedule. Levi King sliced 55.5 percent off their previous Pyraminx standard to reach a personal best of 5.20, while also lowering their 3x3x3 Cube mark by 32.3 percent down to 49.29. Joseph Downie entered six disciplines, cutting their Pyraminx mark by 39.8 percent to 4.88 and dropping their 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 31.7 percent to 1:16.51. Isaac Nichols took on nine events, lowering their Skewb single by 40.3 percent to 9.97 and shaving 35.9 percent off their 5x5x5 Cube best to finish in 3:02.94. Dylan Vogel registered an eighth-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while dropping their Skewb single by 43 percent to 10.10, alongside a first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed of 1:04.39.

That forward momentum continued as new participants tackled unfamiliar events at this WCA competition. Harry Thomas lowered their 3x3x3 Cube best by 36.7 percent to 14.23 while posting a first attempt of 57.37 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Leo James Page cut their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 35.6 percent to 7.39 and improved their 3x3x3 Cube single by 34 percent to 27.27, alongside a first Skewb attempt of 10.64. Harry Taylor entered eight events, taking nineteenth in Megaminx with a maiden 1:59.11, while also logging first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:38.80 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 34.40. Peter Flight completed nine events, earning fourteenth in Clock with a first attempt of 14.82, plus maiden attempts of 10.68 in Pyraminx and 14.43 in Skewb.

Debutants also made their presence felt across the tables. Neil Zhao entered their first official speed cubing competition, competing in four events with a 23.40 in 3x3x3 Cube, a 6.51 in 2x2x2 Cube, and a twenty-fifth place finish in Megaminx at 4:55.47. Oliver Bell logged their first tournament across four categories, posting a 40.71 in 3x3x3 Cube and a 9.53 Pyraminx single. Ruben Chapman and Mia Chapman each made their stage debuts, with Ruben tackling four events and Mia taking on two short-puzzle formats, adding to the growing contingent of fresh solvers gaining valuable floor experience.

The memory events delivered technical precision in Sorell. Akito Koike claimed the 3x3x3 Blindfolded crown with a winning average of 1:11.12 and a single of 52.28. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, Anthony Rochester took first place by successfully resolving 18 out of 25 cubes within 52:36. Jack Hitchman secured second place with 7 of 8 cubes solved in 45:23, while Koike completed the podium with 10 of 15 cubes in 59:38, closing out a rigorous test of memorization and execution.

Across the entire weekend, Australian competitors earned twenty-six podium places, while New Zealand entrants collected seven. From the top-step victories of established champions to the breakthrough personal bests achieved by rapidly developing youngsters, Tassie Summer 2026 proved to be an energetic showcase of growth and competition in Hobart. With dozens of benchmark times reset, the regional circuit moves forward with a deep bench of capable solvers ready for the next phase of play.