Sunday 6 September 2026 Rebuilt nightly from the WCA's official results · export of 6 September 2026 · About
The Middle Three
Competitions → New Zealand → Cubing East Auckland Newcomer Open 2026

Competitions · New Zealand

Cubing East Auckland Newcomer Open 2026

Auckland · 18 April 2026 · 11 events · 147 competitors · 216 personal bests

Richard Yiheng Tao won three of the eleven events (3×3, 6×6, 7×7) and the closest final was the Pyraminx, won by Ashley Foster by 0.11 seconds. 147 competitors produced 216 personal bests, 177 of which still stand today, and 64 people held a competitor card for the first time.

The moment

A national record

Alexander Vujcich set the 4×4 single national record: 18.40.

Three wins
Richard Yiheng Tao — 3×3, 6×6, 7×7
0.11s
closest final — Pyraminx, Ashley Foster over Carol Chai
216
personal bests set on the day

Winners & podiums

EventWinnerSingleAverage
3×3Richard Yiheng Tao5.036.14
2×2Yuki Gao0.881.17
4×4Alexander Vujcich19.3223.35
5×5Alexander Vujcich39.7645.40
6×6Richard Yiheng Tao1:38.861:42.99
7×7Richard Yiheng Tao2:16.322:22.56
3×3 one-handedJesse Brooke9.9511.24
ClockLachlan Gibson2.082.98
MegaminxAlexander Vujcich24.9527.23
PyraminxAshley Foster1.892.91
SkewbLachlan Gibson3.134.02

The PB harvest

216 set · 177 still standing
  • Yuki Gao — 2×2 single 0.48: into the top 0.0064% of the event's history.
  • Theo Barton — 2×2 single 0.84: into the top 0.28% of the event's history.
  • Benjamin Gardner — 2×2 single 0.85: into the top 0.29% of the event's history.
  • Lachlan Gibson — Pyraminx single 1.51: into the top 0.43% of the event's history.
  • Benjamin Gardner — Pyraminx single 1.57: into the top 0.51% of the event's history.
  • Zoen Gibbons — 2×2 single 1.00: into the top 0.55% of the event's history.
  • Carol Chai — 2×2 single 1.06: into the top 0.68% of the event's history.
  • Brandon Harris — Pyraminx single 2.07: into the top 1.3% of the event's history.

First-timers

64 people competed for the first time at this competition, joining the 18,546 people who made their debut in 2026. Start here explains what a first competition is like.

Records watch

1 regional record was set at this competition.

The field

147 competitors · 1066 results · 11 events.

Solve this final yourself

how this works →

The 3×3 final here ran on one scramble group, so these five sequences are exactly what the finalists faced. Richard Yiheng Tao won it with a 6.14 average. Hold your cube white centre up, green centre facing you, follow each sequence, and check against the pictures.

  1. 1R B2 D2 F' L2 B R2 D2 F' D2 U' B' D' B' F' D F' D R D'
  2. 2R D B U2 B' F2 U2 F2 D2 L2 F' D B2 R' U2 F' L2 R' F'
  3. 3L2 D' R2 B2 L U B U' F' D' B L2 B L2 B R2 B2 D2 B' L2
  4. 4F D' R2 L D R' D F' R D2 R' F2 D2 R' F2 R2 F2 D2 U' R
  5. 5F U R2 B' R' D B D R F' L2 U2 D B2 U D2 L2 F2

solve 1

solve 2

solve 3

solve 4

solve 5

Race this final

Everyone who competed

147 competitors

Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a final is a competition's last round; its order decides the podium · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · every solve starts from a computer-generated scramble, the same for every competitor in a round.