Vegas Cubing Winter 2026

The tournament hall inside The Orleans Hotel & Casino buzzed with continuous motion as timers flashed across rows of competition tables. A roster of 87 competitors assembled for a packed day of speedcubing across six distinct events, logging 12 rounds of intense play. With mats laid out and judges rotating through the venue, the atmosphere reflected the sheer focus demanded by elite Rubik's Cube solving in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The definitive drama of the day came in the 4x4x4 Cube final, where margins shrunk to mere fractions of a second. Shane Grogan claimed the title with an average of 34.28 seconds, barely holding off India's Sree Dacharla, who secured second place with a 34.37 average. Alexander Lizardo finished closely behind in third at 34.66. Separated by less than four tenths of a second across the podium, the duel stood as the tightest contest of the entire speed cubing gathering.

In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, 86 entrants battled through three full rounds to determine the podium. Remy Trieu produced consistent execution to take first place with a 7.82 winning average, alongside the day's best single of 6.79 seconds. Dominic Shoji finished as the runner-up with an 8.36 average, while Shane Grogan rounded out the top three at 8.70. The 3x3 results marked one of the weekend's highlights, featuring top-tier speed throughout each elimination stage.

Shoji made multiple trips to the winner's circle, collecting gold across two separate short-format disciplines. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Shoji captured the victory with a 2.38 average, narrowly besting Remy Trieu's 2.46 mark, while Kevin Acevedo earned third place with 2.84. Shoji returned to the tables for the Pyraminx final, posting a winning 2.94 average over Preston Schwartz's 3.09, while Jaden Thompson placed third with 4.46.

Beyond the podium battles, Vegas Cubing Winter 2026 provided a stage for breakthrough milestones across the broader roster. Rohan Mirchandaney showed significant progress by dropping his Pyraminx single to 10.90 seconds, an improvement of 68.7 percent, while also setting a 3x3x3 Cube best of 40.30 seconds. Eli Wright took on four events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube mark of 4.86 seconds that was 58.2 percent faster than his previous standard, while logging his first official Pyraminx attempt in 7.59 seconds and a 1:24.26 in 4x4x4 Cube. Maddox Francisco improved his 3x3x3 Cube single to 17.12 seconds, cutting 44.4 percent, alongside his first official 2x2x2 Cube solve of 5.30 seconds.

Mason John Stubbs tackled six disciplines, highlighted by a personal best of 4.57 seconds in Skewb, 43.5 percent faster than before, as well as a 7th-place finish in 7x7x7 Cube with an initial 3:50.69 mark. Darion Misner reduced his 4x4x4 Cube single by 42.4 percent down to 1:18.21, while Bryan Lee improved his Skewb mark by 41.1 percent to 14.84 seconds. Fresh talent also emerged in their first ever WCA competition: Christian Wong completed five disciplines, logging a 21.80 single in 3x3x3 Cube, while Parker Cuaresma entered five events, recording an opening 11.61 in Pyraminx and a 7.49 in 2x2x2 Cube.

The larger puzzles demanded deep endurance, none more so than the 7x7x7 Cube where Maxwell Tsai dominated the single-round showdown. Tsai secured the title with an average of 2:18.68 and a single solve of 2:12.05, finishing well ahead of Jaden Thompson at 3:01.95 and Shane Grogan at 3:02.88. Skewb action brought another title for Vincent Benites, whose 4.47 average bested Preston Schwartz's 5.24 and Alexander Lizardo's 5.30 across two competitive rounds.

By the time the final timers were packed away on February 28, 2026, the cubing competition celebrated standout accomplishments across every event. United States competitors secured 17 podium placements, with India claiming one podium spot. From the narrow nine-hundredths gap in the 4x4x4 Cube to the commanding multi-event sweeps, Vegas Cubing Winter 2026 delivered an eventful showcase of skill and precision in the heart of Las Vegas.