Zadar Open 2025

A mere fifty-eight hundredths of a second separated the top two finishers in the 5x5x5 Cube final at Osnovna škola Stjepana Radića, providing the most electrifying finish of the weekend. Oskar Vidiček secured the gold medal with a 55.44 winning average, holding off a fierce challenge from Gergely Novotni, who clocked a 56.02 average in second place. Lir Ukaj rounded out the podium with a 1:02.90 mark. That razor-thin margin in the big cubes set the tone for an intense two days of speedcubing on the Adriatic coast.

Held across April 26 and April 27, Zadar Open 2025 brought 75 competitors together in Zadar, Croatia for 21 rounds across 11 different events. The premier Rubik's Cube category featured a full three rounds of action, drawing all 75 attendees to the tables. Beyond the classic cube, the schedule challenged competitors across a versatile array of twisty puzzles, ranging from the mechanical gears of Clock to the multi-layered geometry of Megaminx and Square-1, creating a rich showcase of modern speed cubing.

In the 3x3x3 Cube, Alexey Tsvetkov delivered a dominant performance to take the championship. He posted a world-class winning average of 5.76 in the final, bolstered by the competition's best single solve of 5.24. Lir Ukaj claimed the silver medal with a 6.89 average, while Marcel Ručigaj earned bronze with an 8.41 average. The official 3x3 results underlined Tsvetkov's remarkable consistency, as he proved untouchable throughout the entire bracket.

Tsvetkov was the weekend's most decorated solver, securing first-place finishes across five separate categories. In the 2x2x2 Cube, he topped the podium with a 1.29 average, finishing ahead of Marcel Ručigaj at 1.79 and Fabian Tomasović at 1.93. He also captured gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 9.34 average, flanked by David Vujasić in second at 14.39 and Gábor Slezák in third at 15.79. Tsvetkov added victories in Pyraminx with a 2.35 average and Skewb with a 2.65 average, demonstrating unrivaled versatility.

Gergely Novotni enjoyed an exceptional run in the larger and alternate puzzles, taking three distinct victories. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Novotni captured gold with a 27.94 average, clear of Tsvetkov and Ukaj who tied at 30.55. Novotni also prevailed in the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:42.44 average over Linus Buck at 1:58.23 and Ukaj at 2:06.45. He capped his weekend with a win in Megaminx, averaging 37.30 ahead of Oskar Vidiček at 43.05 and Matic Omulec at 47.35.

Beyond the podium battles, this cubing competition served as a proving ground for competitors setting notable milestones across diverse events. Karlo Tretinjak tackled nine events and produced a remarkable Clock personal best of 11.06, improving his previous mark by 68.5 percent, alongside a 14th place finish in Skewb. Leo Adžijević also entered nine disciplines and shaved 41.6 percent off his Pyraminx personal best with a 5.89 single. Mateo Ismail Ratić achieved a 42.2 percent improvement on his 2x2x2 Cube personal best with a 5.14, while logging his first official Square-1 attempt at 1:21.15. Lukas Capan cut his 2x2x2 Cube best by 32 percent to 3.33 and recorded his first official Pyraminx solve of 4.57.

First-time event entries highlighted the depth of commitment throughout the venue. Toni Sekula took on seven events and completed his first official attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 27.83, Clock at 9.19, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:28.84, while placing 21st in the 2x2x2 Cube. Jakov Jakšić finished ninth in Clock and debuted in three disciplines, registering his first Square-1 at 33.40, Megaminx at 2:43.65, and Clock at 7.74. Zenit Solak made first attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:12.44, Square-1 at 49.08, and Skewb at 9.69. Hrvoje Matec logged his first official marks in 2x2x2 Cube at 6.86 and Pyraminx at 19.40.

The remaining podiums at Zadar Open 2025 featured equally determined efforts. In Clock, Jakov Srečković earned a hard-fought victory for the host nation with a 5.58 average, edging Fabian Tomasović at 5.84 and Dmytro Kachanov at 5.94. In Square-1, Anton Kokalj Pezzano clinched first place with a 12.43 average and a best single of 8.00. Across the board, competitors represented their national delegations proudly, with Slovenian solvers capturing ten total podium places and Russian solvers taking six.

As the 2025 tournament concluded, the venue in Zadar celebrated a weekend of intense head-to-head racing and personal progress. From the five-event sweep at the top of the leaderboards to the dramatic split-second finish in the 5x5x5 Cube, the gathering delivered memorable moments across every puzzle type. Competitors departed with refreshed personal records and new benchmarks set, ready to carry their momentum forward into the next chapter of the WCA competition calendar.

Točno 75 natjecatelja okupilo se u dvorani Osnovne škole Stjepana Radića, gdje se u formatima koji ne opraštaju ni najmanju pogrešku mjerio svaki djelić sekunde. Posebnu težinu vikenda nosio je 6x6x6 Cube, disciplina u formatu mean-of-3 u kojoj samo tri uzastopna slaganja određuju cjelokupan plasman. Za razliku od standardnog formata average-of-5, ovdje nema brisanja najlošijeg rezultata niti popravnog pokušaja, pa i najmanja nesigurnost u rješavanju središta ili rubova nepovratno ruši ukupan zbroj. Upravo je ta nemilosrdna računica obilježila natjecateljski ritam na turniru Zadar Open 2025.

U zahtjevnom ispitu za 6x6x6 Cube slavio je Gergely Novotni s prosjekom od 1:42.44, ostvarivši pritom i najbrže pojedinačno slaganje od 1:38.15. Drugo mjesto zauzeo je Linus Buck s vremenom 1:58.23, dok je treće mjesto osigurao Lir Ukaj s 2:06.45 među 25 natjecatelja u toj disciplini. Gergely Novotni je svoju dominaciju na većim slagalicama potvrdio i u ostalim formatima. U disciplini 4x4x4 Cube uzeo je zlato s prosjekom 27.94 ispred Alexeyja Tsvetkova i Lira Ukaja koji su podijelili identičan prosjek od 30.55, a na Megaminxu je pobijedio s rezultatom 37.30 ispred Oskara Vidičeka.

Najuspješniji pojedinac vikenda bio je Alexey Tsvetkov, koji je osvojio naslove u čak pet različitih disciplina. U glavnoj kategoriji 3x3x3 Cube, klasičnoj Rubikovoj kocki koja je privukla svih 75 sudionika kroz tri runde, Tsvetkov je odnio pobjedu s pobjedničkim prosjekom 5.76 i najboljim pojedinačnim rezultatom od 5.24. Lir Ukaj bio je drugi sa 6.89, a Marcel Ručigaj treći s 8.41. Tsvetkov je također osvojio 2x2x2 Cube s prosjekom 1.29, Pyraminx s 2.35, Skewb s 2.65 te disciplinu 3x3x3 One-Handed s 9.34.

Natjecanje pod nazivom Zadar Open 2025 održano je od 26. do 27. travnja 2025. godine u gradu Zadru. Na ovom dvodnevnom speedcubing susretu u rasporedu se našlo ukupno 11 disciplina i 21 runda. U disciplini 5x5x5 Cube slavio je Oskar Vidiček s prosjekom 55.44, tijesno ispred Gergelyja Novotnija koji je ostvario 56.02. U disciplini Clock domaći predstavnik Jakov Srečković uzeo je pobjedu s prosjekom 5.58 ispred Fabiana Tomasovića, dok je Anton Kokalj Pezzano pobijedio na Square-1 s prosjekom 12.43 uz najbrže pojedinačno slaganje od 8.00.

Gledajući ukupna postolja po zemljama na natjecanju Zadar Open 2025, natjecatelji iz Slovenije izborili su deset postolja, Rusija šest, Mađarska pet, Hrvatska i Kosovo po četiri, a Italija dva. U disciplini 3x3x3 One-Handed iza pobjednika Tsvetkova smjestili su se hrvatski predstavnik David Vujasić s prosjekom 14.39 te Gábor Slezák s 15.79. Na 2x2x2 kocki Marcel Ručigaj uzeo je srebro s 1.79, a Fabian Tomasović broncu s 1.93. Na Megaminxu su iza Novotnija postolje popunili Oskar Vidiček s 43.05 i Matic Omulec s 47.35.

Iza borbe za postolja nalaze se iznimni osobni uspjesi i prvi nastupi koji čine srž svakog susreta. Roko Goleš upisao je golem napredak skinuvši osobni rekord na 2x2x2 kocki na 6.95, što je čak 54.7 posto brže od prijašnjih 15.35, dok je na 3x3x3 popravio rezultat za 48.2 posto na 15.87 te na Pyraminxu došao do 7.18. Mara Vivien Puljić ostvarila je skok od 53.7 posto na Pyraminxu spustivši vrijeme na 3.09, uz napredak na Skewbu na 6.19 i Megaminxu na 1:48.78. Bruno Ivančić nastupio je u svih 11 disciplina, popravio Megaminx za 40.5 posto na 1:09.70, Skewb na 4.37 te zabilježio svoj prvi službeni pokušaj u 3x3x3 One-Handed s vremenom 22.96. Dorijan Peša spustio je osobne rekorde na 3x3x3 na 15.31 i 2x2x2 na 4.81, uz prvi službeni nastup na 4x4x4 kocki s 1:44.36.

Za mnoge natjecatelje ovaj je vikend bio ulazak u službeni svijet slaganja. Hugo Križan odradio je svoje prvo WCA natjecanje nastupivši u svih 11 disciplina, pri čemu je ostvario deveto mjesto na Skewbu te postavio prve rezultate na Square-1 s 29.56, Clocku s 12.60 i na 6x6x6 kocki s 4:02.37. Bojan Bevanda također je upisao svoje prvo natjecanje, postavivši startna vremena na Pyraminxu s 8.45, 3x3x3 s 19.25 i 2x2x2 s 5.42. Gabriel Mareković otvorio je svoj natjecateljski put rezultatima 13.57 na 2x2x2 i 46.10 na 3x3x3 kocki, dok je Ivan Trošelj u svojem debiju zabilježio 33.37 na 3x3x3 i 12.07 na 2x2x2 kocki.

Dvodnevni program u Zadru pokazao je širinu zajednice i visoku razinu pripremljenosti u svim dobnim skupinama i disciplinama. Uspješno organizirano cubing natjecanje Zadar Open 2025 ponudilo je publici dinamične završnice u brzinskom slaganju, a natjecateljima priliku za testiranje forme uoči nadolazećih izazova u sezoni.