The Weekend Preview: August 14-16, 2026

Highlighting competitions from around the world of speedcubing.

Yiheng Wang gets an unusual number of chances to chase the 3x3 world record in Delaware, Xuanyi Geng returns to defend his Vietnam Championship victory, Norway crowns its national champions, and last year’s top two meet again at Korea Open.

Welcome back to the Speedcuber’s Digest Weekend Preview, where we look ahead at the potential storylines going into the weekend.

Yiheng Wang Gets More Chances at the 3x3 World Record

Mid-Atlantic Speedcubing Championship 2026 takes place August 14-16 in Dover, Delaware, with a 400-competitor limit and one of the strongest fields of the weekend.

Yiheng Wang arrives in the United States holding the 3.51 world record average and, as of last weekend, the second-fastest official 3x3 single ever recorded. His 2.77 at Maoming Open moved him within one hundredth of Teodor Zajder’s 2.76 world record.

Normally, another shot at the single would mean five attempts in each traditional average-of-five round.

Mid-Atlantic gives him something different.

The final 12 competitors will move into the WCA’s new Head-to-Head format, with best-of-three-set matches through the semifinals and a best-of-five championship match. Each set is decided by individual solve races, and those times remain eligible for WCA single rankings and records.

For Yiheng, that could mean far more official attempts than a normal final.

A competitor advancing from the quarterfinals through the championship match would complete at least 21 head-to-head solves, even if every set ended in a 3-0 sweep. Any closer sets or lost sets only add more attempts.

For someone sitting just one hundredth away from the world record, that makes every race worth watching.

The field behind Yiheng has some momentum of its own. Aaron Jake Wong and Luke Griesser both recorded their first official sub-4 singles at Mid-Atlantic Warm-Up 2026 last weekend, with Aaron producing a 3.34 and Luke a 3.98.

Those results came just days before both return to compete in Dover.

Mid-Atlantic is about much more than 3x3, but the combination of Yiheng’s current form, fast local contenders, and the new Head-to-Head format makes the main event one of the clearest competitions to watch this weekend.

Xuanyi Geng Returns to Defend Vietnam Championship

Vietnam Championship 2026 takes place August 14-16 in Hanoi, with a strong international field sitting at the top of the 3x3 psych sheet.

Xuanyi Geng enters as the top seed with his 3.67 average, followed by fellow Chinese competitor Qixian Cao at 4.68 and Russia’s Timofei Tarasenko at 5.25.

Xuanyi won Vietnam Championship last year with a 5.02 average, while Qixian finished second at 6.01. The two return as the top two seeds, only now both enter considerably faster than they were one year ago.

The leading Vietnamese competitor on the psych sheet is Đỗ Quang Hưng at 5.77, followed by Phạm Đức Phước at 6.19 and Đoàn Anh Dũng at 6.32.

Xuanyi, Qixian and Timofei lead the overall field, while Vietnam’s fastest competitors will try to keep pace on home soil.

Zhaokun Li and Seung Hyuk Nahm Meet Again in Korea

Korea Open 2026 runs August 15-17 in Jeonju, with 347 competitors currently listed.

Zhaokun Li leads the 3x3 field with a 4.34 average, followed by Seung Hyuk Nahm at 5.30 and American Zeke Mackay at 5.93.

Zhaokun won Korea Open last year with a 5.71 average, beating Seung Hyuk’s 6.10. Kyeongmin Choi finished third at 7.29.

Since then, Seung Hyuk has added the Korean national title. He won Korean Championship 2025 with a 6.75 average, narrowly beating Kyeongmin’s 6.81.

Now the defending Korea Open winner and reigning Korean champion return as the top two seeds.

Zhaokun is the clear favorite on paper, but Seung Hyuk will have another opportunity to beat him at home. Kyeongmin, DongSoo Park and Yoochan Hong give the Korean field additional depth behind him.

Kim Roger Haraldsen Leads Norway

Norwegian Championship 2026 takes place August 14-16 in Trondheim.

Kim Roger Haraldsen enters as the clear 3x3 favorite with a 5.06 average, followed by Herman Westerlund Kalland at 6.18 and Knut Skaug Haraldsen at 6.81.

Kim has been near the top of this championship before.

He won the 2024 event outright with a 6.04 average, then finished second overall last year behind Valerio Locatelli. Valerio won with a 5.83, while Kim recorded 6.64 and Herman finished third at 6.78.

With Valerio not returning this year, the 3x3 race shifts back toward the Norwegian field.

Herman has reached the podium in each of the past two championships, while Kim enters more than a second faster than his result from last year’s final.

He will be the favorite to put Norway back on top of its own 3x3 podium.

Four competitions bring four very different 3x3 storylines this weekend. Yiheng gets an extended set of record-eligible attempts in Delaware, Xuanyi returns to defend in Hanoi, Zhaokun and Seung Hyuk run it back in Korea, and Kim Roger Haraldsen leads the race for Norway’s championship.