Two Buffalo Cube Days 2026

The IronWorkers Banquet Hall bustled with focused energy across the weekend of January 17 to January 18 as competitors took to their stations in West Seneca, New York, USA. Stacks of puzzles, timers, and score sheets filled the tables while judges kept pace with a packed roster. The two-day schedule welcomed 74 participants who tested their resolve across 12 distinct events. The tournament structure divided the weekend into 18 separate rounds, demanding both rapid opening solves to beat strict stage cuts and deep consistency across multi-round progressions.

The multi-stage format placed enormous pressure on competitors in the flagship 3x3x3 Cube, the traditional Rubik's Cube event that stretched across three demanding rounds. Out of a massive field of 66 competitors, Darshan Bhavanasi advanced cleanly through each phase, securing victory with a final winning average of 7.53 and a best single of 7.22. Nathan Glajch finished as the runner-up with an average of 9.04, while Louis Truong completed the podium in third place at 9.65. The 3x3 results stood as a testament to staying composed through multiple knockout phases.

Darshan Bhavanasi engineered an extraordinary weekend across various formats, collecting victories in half of the contested events. In the fast-paced two-round 2x2x2 Cube, Bhavanasi claimed the top spot with a 1.87 average, edging Evan Waters at 2.08 and Xavier Ye at 2.14. Bhavanasi also conquered the single-round shootouts, winning the Pyraminx with a 2.34 average and the Megaminx with a mark of 47.68. Switching to one-handed solving, Bhavanasi took gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 14.11, finishing ahead of Waters at 14.78 and Marcus S. Bilik at 15.76.

The big cube categories featured intense showdowns where solving speed and endurance determined advancement. Bill Wang established absolute dominance in the upper layers, capturing three major titles throughout the competition. Wang secured the 4x4x4 Cube victory with a 24.24 average, besting Bilik at 34.28 and Bhavanasi at 35.05. Wang followed that with a triumph in the two-round 5x5x5 Cube, averaging 43.41 ahead of Bhavanasi's 55.09 and Bilik's 56.05. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Wang posted a winning mark of 1:31.33, with Bilik taking second at 1:45.63 and Truong claiming third at 1:53.36.

The single-round big puzzle format reached its absolute peak in the massive 7x7x7 Cube, which featured 21 dedicated solvers. Darshan Bhavanasi added a sixth gold to his tally by logging an impressive 2:32.45 average, holding off Shuxiu Jiang who took second place in 2:50.34 and Marcus S. Bilik in third at 2:51.49. Elsewhere on the schedule, Evan Waters navigated two rounds of Skewb to win with an average of 3.34, while Xavier Ye clinched the Square-1 title with a 10.41 average. In the two-round Clock event, Owen Lowicki prevailed with an average of 4.11.

Away from the top of the podiums, the cubing competition provided fertile ground for personal breakthroughs and ambitious event debuts. Jackson Nash Ando delivered a massive leap in the 3x3x3 Cube, posting a new personal best single of 20.86 seconds to cut his previous mark of 33.27 by 37.3 percent, alongside a first ever Pyraminx attempt of 9.20. Chace Ellmann also enjoyed a remarkable weekend, chopping 40.9 percent off his previous 3x3x3 Cube personal best by clocking 45.61, while cutting his Pyraminx mark down to 11.76. Diego Laguia entered five events, recording his first Skewb attempt of 7.34 and improving his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 23.3 percent to 4.14. Maxim Bokman tackled 11 different events, taking his first ever turn at Square-1 with a 17.26 single and slicing 27.6 percent off his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best to hit 25.27.

The broad schedule encouraged competitors to venture into unfamiliar disciplines for the first time. Caden Ellmann entered 10 separate events, logging a first ever attempt at Clock with a 13.12, Megaminx with 2:47.69, and Square-1 with 44.52. Frederick Selig also took on 10 events, making initial attempts at the big cubes by logging 57.48 on the 4x4x4 Cube, 2:26.39 on the 5x5x5 Cube, and 5:14.31 on the 6x6x6 Cube. Pruthvi Chaitanya Pabbu participated in their first WCA competition, entering six events and registering a first attempt of 19.30 on the 3x3x3 Cube and 2:14.23 on the 5x5x5 Cube. Judah Neuman similarly made their speed cubing debut at the meet, recording an initial Pyraminx solve of 10.32 and a Skewb effort of 7.38.

Across the international field, podium finishes were distributed between competitors representing the United States with 21 placements, India with nine, Canada with five, and China with one. The wide variety of cutoffs and round formats tested the tactical pacing of every solver who stepped up to the tables in 2026. Two Buffalo Cube Days 2026 showcased high-level speedcubing execution alongside countless individual breakthroughs, closing out an action-packed weekend in West Seneca.