Warm Up Vancouver 2025

The absolute silence required for blindfolded solving creates some of the sharpest drama in speedcubing, and Jayce Li provided the defining moment of the weekend by capturing the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a blistering single solve of 18.67 seconds. In an event where competitors must study the scrambled puzzle, memorise every piece, pull a blindfold over their eyes, and execute their solve purely from memory, Li stood alone atop the leaderboard. Fellow Canadian solvers Jimbo Cai and Kevin Matthews took the remaining podium spots with times of 22.22 and 36.16 seconds respectively, capping a tense single round among 18 entrants.

The blindfolded discipline was merely one highlight across a bustling schedule at the Hilton Vancouver Airport. Held over June 14 and 15, Warm Up Vancouver 2025 brought 125 competitors together in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada for 21 rounds across 11 distinct disciplines. The two-day cubing competition served as a comprehensive test of puzzle-solving dexterity, bringing international contenders and local talents under one roof to challenge the clock across classic twisty puzzles and modern variations alike.

In the marquee 3x3x3 Cube, representing the traditional Rubik's Cube format, Sameer Aggarwal delivered a masterclass over four intense rounds. Facing a massive field of 123 competitors, Aggarwal secured victory with a 6.76-second winning average in the final round, highlighted by a best single solve of 5.94 seconds. The official 3x3 results cemented his authority on the weekend, but his winning ways extended across other disciplines as well. In Square-1, Aggarwal collected another gold medal by producing a 5.24-second average, ahead of Greyson James at 8.41 and Eeshir Pannun at 9.59.

The larger puzzles demanded both physical stamina and intricate algorithmic knowledge. Canada's Jose Miguel Valdes Rodriguez triumphed in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 27.79 seconds to lead Jack Anderson and Greyson James on the podium. Anderson found his own golden moment in the 5x5x5 Cube, where he captured first place with an average of 56.33 seconds and a best single of 51.40. In the twelve-sided Megaminx event, Peter Barnwell earned top honors with a mark of 47.81 seconds, edging out Ethan Rusnak and Anderson in a closely contested final.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their individual journeys. Ivan Lukian logged dramatic personal bests, cutting his Skewb mark to 15.34 seconds, which was 51.6 percent faster than his prior standard, while also shaving 47 percent off his 3x3x3 One-Handed time down to 38.12 seconds, alongside his first ever 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:42.93. Victor Aja Yera improved his Megaminx personal best by 42.7 percent to 2:09.08 and tackled first attempts in both 3x3x3 One-Handed at 56.98 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:41.49. Angadjot Singh Dhillon set a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 30.49 seconds, 32.5 percent faster than before, while making first attempts in Skewb at 24.00 and Clock at 52.06. Felix Zhou dropped his 4x4x4 Cube time by 27.4 percent down to 56.92 seconds and made debut attempts in Square-1 at 48.25 and the 5x5x5 Cube at 1:42.46.

The depth of ambition continued throughout the hall as competitors took on new challenges and packed schedules. Max Sun tackled all 11 events on the program, earning a 13th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and logging first attempts at Skewb in 8.06 seconds, Megaminx in 1:32.06, and Pyraminx in 7.66. Jacob Loukko matched the 11-event workload, recording a 13th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while posting first attempts in Clock at 8.40 seconds, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 28.78, and Megaminx at 1:40.07. Sihun Yoo registered a 9th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a first attempt of 2:43.13, while improving his Skewb personal best by 27.2 percent to 2.79 seconds. Sofia Cuevas Manzano took on five events, earning 36th in Megaminx while recording first attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 9.20 seconds, Megaminx at 3:18.53, and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:06.56.

Shorter, rapid-fire formats generated intense battles on the speed cubing tables. The 2x2x2 Cube saw Ron G. Arama emerge victorious with a 1.85-second average, narrowly prevailing over Thamawit Tangtanawat at 1.91 and Peter Barnwell at 2.04. In Pyraminx, Nathan Wang took first place with a 2.47 average, followed by Arama and Ash Chen. Tonnam Tantikamnerdkul claimed the Skewb title with a 3.31 average, besting Kevin Le and Greyson James. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Zhouheng Sun averaged 10.58 seconds for the win, finishing ahead of Aggarwal and James, while James also secured the Clock crown with a 3.55-second winning average.

When the final round concluded, the medal count reflected a strong international gathering, with competitors representing the United States securing 16 podium places, Canada taking 13, and China and Thailand earning two apiece. Warm Up Vancouver 2025 delivered top-tier competition and a true showcase of versatility across every puzzle category. From the breathless silence of blindfolded memorisation to lightning-fast sprints, the WCA competition in Richmond set a high bar for the 2025 season.