Replacement Scramble Ends Historic FMC World 2026 Record Chase
Fifteen competitors needed a 19 on the final attempt to tie Brian Johnson’s 19.00 world record mean, but no one solved the replacement scramble in fewer than 21 moves.
FMC World 2026 ended with one of the deepest world-record chases in Fewest Moves history.
Fifteen competitors opened the competition with consecutive 19-move solutions, leaving each of them one more 19 away from tying Brian Johnson’s 19.00 world record mean.
No competitor on world record pace recorded fewer than 22 moves on the third attempt, leaving Johnson’s record intact.
The final attempt also came under unusual circumstances. Organizers announced that the originally scheduled third scramble had accidentally been used at another competition and instructed delegates to replace it with Extra Set Scramble 1.
Because FMC World 2026 was conducted across 56 venues worldwide, it is difficult to determine how the change affected individual competitors. It is also currently unknown whether the originally intended scramble would have produced stronger results or a world-record mean.
Baiqiang Dong of China, Enrico Tenuti of Italy, and Wong Chong Wen of Singapore finished tied for first with matching 20.00 means. Each recorded attempts of 19, 19, and 22 moves.
Dong and Tenuti also set national record means with their 20.00 results.
Seven competitors finished tied behind them with 20.33 means, including world record holder Brian Johnson. Johnson recorded attempts of 19, 19, and 23, while Jayden McNeill reached the same mean with 20, 19, and 22.
The competition also produced several record-level results further down the standings. Brayan Alexander Sandoval Camacho recorded a 21.33 continental record mean for Colombia and added a 19-move national record single.
Hsiang-Cheng Kan of Chinese Taipei, Jack Lee of Canada, and Jack McDougall of New Zealand also recorded 19-move national record singles.
Johnson’s 19.00 mean, set at Evanston FMC Spring 2026 with attempts of 17, 18, and 22 moves, remains the world record.
Although the record survived, having 15 competitors enter the final attempt one solve away from tying it demonstrated the growing depth at the top of Fewest Moves. The replacement scramble added an unusual final chapter to a competition that had already developed into one of the largest FMC world-record watches in recent memory.