Tokyo BLD Spring 2026

Ikegami Hall in Ota, Tokyo, Japan settled into intense silence on March 29, 2026, as solvers donned blindfolds and began committing complex piece arrangements to memory. The venue buzzed with quiet concentration across five full rounds of memory-driven play, where a single misaligned turn or forgotten sequence separates success from a Did Not Finish. The specialized gathering drew 45 competitors from across the region to test their limits against classic Rubik's Cube variations without sight.

The competition delivered its most dramatic contest in the final round of the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where the top steps of the podium were decided by the narrowest margins. Keita Hayakawa captured the gold medal by securing a winning average of 16.94 seconds alongside a best single of 15.74 seconds. Right behind him, Masato Fujiwara applied relentless pressure, lodging a stunning single solve of 16.26 seconds to secure second place and keep the outcome razor-thin until the final cube hit the mat.

Rounding out that remarkably tight podium was Will Cerne of the United States, who registered a solid 22.13-second single to claim third place over three rounds of intense competition. The 3x3 results in the blindfold discipline demonstrated world-class speed and precision from start to finish. With 45 competitors vying for top honors, the division showcased how refined execution and rapid memorization can separate podium finishers by mere fractions of a second under championship conditions.

Beyond the three-layered cube, Tokyo BLD Spring 2026 featured high-stakes action on larger puzzles, where memorization demands scale up exponentially. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded division, featuring 30 competitors, Keita Hayakawa took his second victory of the day with a decisive single solve of 1:30.12. Yeon Kyun Park of Korea followed in second position with a time of 2:21.02, while Yuki Yamamoto secured the bronze step on the podium with a 2:47.49 finish.

The 5x5x5 Blindfolded competition tested 22 dedicated solvers on the most complex puzzle of the program. Yeon Kyun Park emerged triumphant with a winning single time of 3:16.09 to take the title. Keita Hayakawa added another podium finish to his impressive weekend, taking silver with a time of 4:36.81, while Naoto Kobayashi secured third place with a time of 6:33.00, illustrating the stamina required across big-cube blindfolded solving.

While top times captured medals, the real heart of the WCA competition emerged through massive personal gains from competitors across the field. Syunei Miyauchi took on two events, achieving a personal best 3x3x3 Blindfolded time of 1:30.21 that was 37.3 percent faster than his prior mark, while also completing his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 15:37.00 to finish 17th. Konosuke Nishiyama competed in three events, lowering his 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best to 1:32.52, an improvement of 27.8 percent, and earned a 13th-place finish in 5x5x5 Blindfolded.

New milestones continued across the ranks as solvers embraced challenging debuts and steep time cuts. Naoyuki Takahashi took 20.1 percent off his 3x3x3 Blindfolded personal best with a 2:25.75 single and placed 19th in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Tomoki Koizumi registered a 16 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 43.00 single and logged a 14:23.00 personal best in 4x4x4 Blindfolded. Mirei Morioka cut 10.7 percent off her 3x3x3 Blindfolded best with 2:05.28, tackled her first ever 4x4x4 Blindfolded attempt in 13:30.00, and placed 13th in 5x5x5 Blindfolded. Kenta Ikeda entered three events, recording his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 1:32.30 and finishing 13th in 5x5x5 Blindfolded.

Across the five total rounds, competitors representing Japan, Korea, and the United States claimed podium spots, with Japanese competitors taking six medals alongside two for Korea and one for the USA. The speed cubing community in Tokyo witnessed exceptional technical execution throughout the day, reinforcing the high standards of memory solving in the region as another memorable cubing competition concluded.

From the razor-thin margin separating the medalists on the standard cube to the monumental breakthroughs of debutants tackling big-cube memorization, the tournament proved that dedicated practice yields remarkable progress. As the speedcubing calendar moves forward through 2026, the performances in Ota set an inspiring benchmark for blindfolded solvers preparing for the challenges of the upcoming season.

静寂が広がる東京都大田区の池上会館では、目隠し競技に挑む選手たちが研ぎ澄まされた集中力でルービックキューブと向き合っていました。2026年3月29日に開催されたスピードキュービング大会の会場には、暗記の正確さと指先の確実性を競い合う独特の緊張感が満ちていました。

今大会のTokyo BLD Spring 2026には45名の選手が集まり、合計3種目5ラウンドの熱戦が繰り広げられました。一発のベストタイムだけでなく、ミスなく揃え切る安定感が求められる中で、正確なソルブを揃えた選手たちが上位を占める展開となりました。

注目の3x3x3 Blindfoldedでは、Keita Hayakawa (早川慶太)が決勝で16.94という驚異的なアベレージを記録して見事に優勝を果たしました。2位にはベスト単発16.26をマークしたMasato Fujiwara (藤原正人)、3位には22.13を残したアメリカのWill Cerneが入りました。

4x4x4 Blindfoldedでは、Keita Hayakawa (早川慶太)が1:30.12のベスト単発タイムで制し、大会2冠を達成しました。2位には2:21.02を記録した韓国のYeon Kyun Park (박연균)、3位には2:47.49を記録したYuki Yamamoto (山本祐輝)が続きました。

5x5x5 Blindfoldedでは、韓国のYeon Kyun Park (박연균)が3:16.09のタイムを叩き出して見事な優勝を飾りました。2位には4:36.81のKeita Hayakawa (早川慶太)、3位には6:33.00を記録したNaoto Kobayashi (小林直登)が入り、表彰台に登りました。

大会の結果一覧の奥には、確かな自己記録更新を達成した選手たちの活躍がありました。Shota Wakabayashi (若林翔太)は3x3x3 Blindfoldedで49.32を記録し従来の記録を20.4パーセント短縮したほか、5x5x5 Blindfoldedでも11:56.00で6.5パーセント更新し、4x4x4 Blindfoldedでは10位に入りました。Kai Yamamoto (山本快)は5x5x5 Blindfoldedで11:21.00をマークして17.4パーセントのタイム短縮を達成し、3x3x3 Blindfoldedで44.64、4x4x4 Blindfoldedでも4:21.22の自己ベストを出して同種目8位となりました。

さらに、Yusuke Kosaka (髙阪優輔)は3x3x3 Blindfoldedで1:29.46を記録して従来より6.7パーセントタイムを縮め、Naoyuki Koike (小池直幸)も同種目で21.10を叩き出し5.4パーセント更新して8位に入りました。Yuichi Hamada (濵田祐一)は3種目に挑んで5x5x5 Blindfoldedで13位となり、Akatsuki Kitamura (北村曉)も3種目に出場して5x5x5 Blindfoldedで12位の好成績を残しました。

国別ポディウム獲得数では日本が6、韓国が2、アメリカが1となり、国際色豊かなWCA competitionとなりました。難度の高い目隠しパズルにおいて、安定した実力を発揮することの重要性が改めて示された週末でした。

熱戦が繰り広げられたTokyo BLD Spring 2026は、選手それぞれの綿密な準備と技術が光る素晴らしい一日となり、幕を閉じました。