UIUC Fall 2025

A single misstep in a blindfolded solve can unravel an entire round, leaving no room for error when competitors must rely entirely on memorisation before donning a blindfold. At UIUC Fall 2025, held at the Illini Union in Urbana, Illinois, USA on November 15, 2025, Tommy Moreno navigated those unforgiving stakes to claim victory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. While Moreno secured the top spot with a single of 40.80 seconds, Luke Garrett took second place at 57.58 seconds, and Kit Clement placed third with a time of 1:39.84. Across the 14 competitors who tackled the discipline, the round showed how quickly fortunes shift when precision falters.

The one-day cubing competition brought together 47 competitors across seven events and 12 total rounds, generating fierce action across puzzles of all dimensions. Throughout the busy schedule in Urbana, athletes demonstrated high-level speed cubing technique, navigating both short sprint puzzles and grueling multi-layered cubes. For those chasing podiums or hunting new benchmarks, every turn mattered under the tournament spotlight.

The premier Rubik's Cube category featured a field of 46 competitors across two stages of competition. When the final 3x3 results were confirmed, Luke Garrett stood atop the podium with a winning average of 5.92 seconds, powered by a tournament-best single solve of 4.90 seconds. Mihir Narayan finished as the runner-up with an average of 6.44 seconds, while Ben Zhao took the third spot on the podium with a mark of 7.01 seconds.

Garrett was a dominant presence throughout the weekend, racking up top honors in three additional formats. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Garrett secured first place with an average of 1.38 seconds and an individual single of 0.84 seconds, outpacing Kevin Casey at 1.94 seconds and Sylvia Crouch at 2.43 seconds. Garrett also won 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 9.76 seconds and a 9.21 single, finishing ahead of Ben Zhao at 11.75 seconds and Tarak Sai Musunuri at 13.14 seconds. In 5x5x5 Cube, Garrett claimed another victory with an average of 48.22 seconds, edging out Mihir Narayan at 48.37 seconds and Amey Gaba at 49.59 seconds.

Beyond the traditional cubes, alternative and big puzzle formats provided dramatic finishes of their own. In the Megaminx division, Lucy Grace Bryson achieved first place among 23 competitors with an impressive 35.52 average and a round-best 32.53 single, finishing clear of Garrett at 37.76 seconds and Zhao at 43.18 seconds. Meanwhile, Amey Gaba captured the 4x4x4 Cube championship, averaging 25.71 seconds with a 22.54 single to top Garrett at 26.13 seconds and Narayan at 27.49 seconds. Across all podium placements, representatives from the USA earned 16 positions while athletes from India claimed 5.

Beyond the trophy battles, many competitors delivered breakthrough performances across the schedule. Max Ruderman logged a 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:24.12, representing a 30.1 percent improvement over his prior mark of 2:00.40, alongside a 7th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Josiah Zeifang posted an impressive Megaminx personal best of 1:40.56, improving by 28.9 percent from 2:21.35, while finishing 12th in the event. Avery Gadbury lowered his Megaminx mark by 18.1 percent to 1:42.05 on his way to a 13th place result, and Jeremy Birkey dropped his 2x2x2 Cube best to 3.86 seconds, which was 23.1 percent faster than his previous standard, while also attempting 5x5x5 Cube for the first time with a solve of 2:22.40.

Other athletes used this speedcubing meeting to broaden their repertoire and break into new formats. Decha Enkvetchakul tackled all seven events on the schedule, achieving a personal best of 49.51 seconds in 3x3x3 One-Handed, a 20.2 percent jump from 1:02.01. Lance Iringan took on five events, registering a first ever attempt in 2x2x2 Cube at 5.25 seconds and another first attempt in 5x5x5 Cube at 2:41.65. Chris Seng logged his first ever 5x5x5 Cube mark at 2:27.81 while finishing 7th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. In her first WCA competition, Aashna Anand took on three events, recording initial attempts of 9.22 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube, 25.08 seconds in 3x3x3 Cube, and 2:01.85 in 4x4x4 Cube.

The action at UIUC Fall 2025 concluded after an intense slate of 12 rounds, providing a comprehensive showcase of precision, speed, and versatility. From blindfolded focus to rapid-fire sprints, the competitors delivered memorable efforts across all disciplines in Urbana.