Ryan Pilat Explains Intentional Losses in WCA Head-to-Head Round
After intentionally extending a head-to-head match at DFW Cubing Spring 2026, Pilat explains his reasoning and how he views the current WCA regulations.
Texan speedcuber Ryan Pilat responded to questions regarding his performance in the head-to-head round at DFW Cubing Spring 2026, stating that after intentionally losing solves, he was following the regulations set in place by the WCA.
“It’s hard to regulate this,” Pilat said. “Instead of just waiting to stop the timer like I did, I could’ve just DNF’d my M-slice immediately… I shouldn’t be penalized for following regulations, and it’s not my responsibility as the competitor to make the matches shorter.”
The competition, held in March, saw the North American debut of the WCA’s head-to-head format, first seen earlier this year in Melbourne, Australia. Pilat’s performance in the head-to-head round received some scrutiny after he intentionally let his opponent, Casey Ngo, defeat him in the second set so that a third set would have to be contested.
“Once I was in the third-place match, I was also going against one of my good friends, Casey... it was a best-of-three sets. I win the first set 3-0… at this point, I really don’t care about placement or anything. It’s just a local comp; I don’t care if I win or lose a local comp. So I figured, I just want to get as many solves as I possibly can. So I let Casey win: after I’m 2-0 in the second set, I let him win the next three because, really, I just want to get to the final set. I just want to be there for longer.”
Pilat said he was motivated by a desire to gain more experience with solving under pressure, as well as additional chances to claim the 3x3 single world record for his home country.
“It’s rare for me to actually feel nervous during a round or when solving, so I figured that the more time I can spend in this environment, being actually nervous solving, I think, is just better for me. More experience, basically… and then also more solves, more chances at the world record. I want to see an American get the world record 3x3 single. I would like to get the world record single, or Casey breaking his PR… he’s had his PR single for four years now.”
Pilat also said that he received some official communication regarding what happened, but did not understand how his performance would cause a delegate to disqualify him under the current regulations.
“We got our feedback in the delegate report. They were not very clear on how 2k6 can be used, because 2k6 is the regulation that basically says… the delegate is allowed to disqualify a competitor for intentionally poor results. But… they strongly recommend to do that only after a warning and not at the first violation. I don’t really understand how a disqualification would work in a head-to-head round, which they didn’t explain either.”
Pilat said his focus remains on improving his 3x3 skills and not on the discussions around his performance, saying that it is up to the WCA and the WRC to make the head-to-head round fit their vision.
“I really don’t care what other people think or have to say about it. I would just say that it’s not the competitor’s responsibility to make the matches more spectator-friendly. It’s ultimately on the WCA and the WCA Regulations Committee to craft and develop the format to make it what they want, and right now, I’m just following the regulations. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Pilat is registered for the upcoming 3x3 in Madison 2026, the next North American competition to feature the WCA Head-to-Head format. Pilat is ranked third among currently registered competitors and has a chance to appear in the final round on May 10, which will be streamed on the WCA YouTube channel.