West Melbourne Open 2026

Inside Eagle Stadium, the focus across the solving stations remained absolute as the weekend schedule got underway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Speedcubing demands rigorous preparation, but the mental stamina required when solving without sight sets a distinct tone across the arena floor. Competitors must rely on pure memorisation, spatial mapping, and clean execution under pressure. Across April 11 to April 12, the West Melbourne Open 2026 brought together 186 competitors across eight events and 18 rounds, testing every tier of talent across classic twisty puzzles and modern formats alike.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a massive field of 180 competitors through four rounds of intense turning. Riley Dexter captured top honours in the main Rubik's Cube category, delivering a winning average of 6.19 seconds along with the competition best single of 4.57 seconds. David Epstein earned the second step on the podium with a 6.81 average, while Andy Gong secured third place with a mark of 7.42. The 3x3 results capped an impressive display of consistency and pace at the front of the pack.

Dexter was not done with a single title, taking on the 4x4x4 Cube and topping the 89-competitor bracket across two rounds. With an average of 25.86 seconds and the best single time of 20.38 seconds, Dexter held off a strong challenge from Andy Gong, who finished second with a 27.80 average. David Epstein completed the podium in third place with a 29.53 average, marking another dual-podium performance over the course of the 2026 meeting.

In the short-format puzzles, Benjamin Kao set the benchmark with an outstanding run on the 2x2x2 Cube. Navigating three rounds and 146 competitors, Kao took the victory with a 1.38 winning average and an event-best single of 1.11 seconds. Hashin Silva took second place with a 1.51 average, narrowly edging Dexter, who matched the 1.51 average to place third. The 2x2x2 event also saw a flurry of results, including Giorgio Schiavone posting a single of 11.21 and an average of 19.62, while Raghav Wankhede logged a 20.99 single and a 25.66 average.

Kao continued his commanding form by claiming victory in the Clock event, which featured 67 competitors across a single round. Clock requires fine mechanical control, and Kao delivered a winning average of 4.99 seconds alongside a 3.96 single. Lucas Dinh finished in second place with a 5.61 average, just ahead of Oliver Drew in third with 5.63. The performance highlighted Kao as a versatile force throughout this cubing competition.

Beyond the podium battles, West Melbourne Open 2026 showcased immense personal breakthroughs across the wider lineup. Ahaan Rahman produced a remarkable performance by taking on three events, dropping his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 5.95 seconds, an improvement of 91.1 percent from 1:06.52, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Cube best to 20.99 seconds, 43.1 percent faster than his previous 36.92 mark, alongside a first Pyraminx attempt of 12.74. Raymond Vu competed in seven events, logging a first Clock run of 14.57 to place 37th, a first Megaminx attempt of 2:53.20, and a Skewb personal best of 8.09 seconds, which was 66.4 percent faster than his prior 24.10. Jasper Song took on five events, improving his 2x2x2 Cube best by 53.8 percent down to 6.37 seconds and posting a first Skewb attempt of 14.01. Hugo Rodriguez Beaumont tackled six disciplines, securing 56th in Clock, setting a Skewb best of 6.75 seconds which was 45.1 percent faster, and cutting his 4x4x4 Cube mark to 1:15.21, an improvement of 30.3 percent.

The depth of progress continued with Lucas Coin, who entered five events, recording his first attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 18.64 seconds and the 3x3x3 Cube at 57.68 seconds, while trimming his Skewb best to 18.58 seconds, an improvement of 42.4 percent. Ari Cook took on seven events, recording a first Clock attempt of 28.67, a first Megaminx solve of 3:04.12, and a Skewb personal best of 8.46 seconds, which was 40 percent faster than before. Neel Mukund completed six events, logging a 4x4x4 Cube first attempt of 1:12.03 and dropping his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 38.9 percent to 13.08 seconds. Drew Bernardi took on a full program of eight events at the West Melbourne Open 2026, earning a best finish of 21st in Clock with a first attempt of 10.98 seconds, adding a first Megaminx solve of 2:08.51, and setting a Skewb personal best of 5.37 seconds.

Side events provided further dramatic action on the tables. Max Parris topped the 84-person Skewb bracket with a winning average of 2.66 seconds and a best single of 1.51, finishing ahead of Eli Panetta at 2.85 and Jacob Joshi at 3.35. In Pyraminx, Ryan Chen prevailed across three rounds against 124 competitors, winning with a 2.88 average and a 2.51 single, followed by Charlie Handley at 2.97 and Emmet Hobbs at 3.22. David Epstein took first place in Square-1 with an average of 6.62 seconds, while Tommy Kiprillis won Megaminx with a 45.11 average.

Australian competitors swept all 24 podium positions across the eight events, illustrating the immense depth within the national scene. From high-speed rotations in short formats to the patient calculations required for complex polyhedra, the WCA competition delivered memorable moments throughout every round. As speed cubing continues to grow in Melbourne, the weekend established new benchmarks and personal triumphs that will carry competitors into the rest of the competitive calendar.