The Weekend Preview: June 19-21, 2026
Highlighting competitions from around the world of speedcubing.
This weekend brings a national championship in Tashkent, a major big cube field in Guangzhou, and a North American tune-up built around several important side events.
Uzbekistan Nationals 2026
Uzbekistan Nationals 2026 takes place June 19-21 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, at Almazar Specialized School.
The competition is the national championship of Uzbekistan, but the overall results may once again be shaped by Timofei Tarasenko. Tarasenko won 3x3 at Uzbekistan Nationals in both 2024 and 2025, while also taking several other events across those two competitions.
Because Tarasenko represents Russia, he can win events overall but cannot become Uzbekistan national champion. That creates two storylines for the weekend: whether Tarasenko continues his dominance, and who claims the national title behind him.
In 3x3, Umidjon Zafarov enters as the top Uzbek contender on paper. His 6.72 average gives him the strongest résumé among Uzbekistan competitors in the field and makes him the clear favorite for the national title race.
Muhammadyusuf Abdumalikov is the next name to watch. His 7.57 average puts him behind Zafarov in the rankings, but still firmly in position to challenge if the final opens up.
The overall field also includes Chyngyz Sultanbekov of Kyrgyzstan, who enters with a 6.10 average, giving the 3x3 final another strong international name. Like Tarasenko, Sultanbekov can affect the overall podium without being part of the Uzbekistan title race.
Guangzhou Big Cubes 2026
Guangzhou Big Cubes 2026 takes place June 20 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, at Yeo’s Fashion Factory.
The competition has one of the most interesting big cube fields of the weekend, led by Lim Hung and Ziyu Wu. Lim briefly held both the 6x6 mean world record and 7x7 single world record earlier this year at UniKL MIAT Cube Open 2026. Max Park has since reclaimed the 7x7 single record, but Lim still holds the 6x6 average world record and remains one of the top 7x7 solvers in the world.
The format gives competitors multiple chances across the events, with two rounds of 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7, plus three rounds of 4x4.
Wu gives the field another world-class name, entering with a 1:41.09 7x7 average that ranks among the best in the world. With Lim and Wu both getting multiple rounds across 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7, Guangzhou is one of the weekend’s clearest record-watch competitions.
NAC Prep in Palisades 2026
NAC Prep in Palisades 2026 takes place June 20-21 in West Nyack, New York.
As the name suggests, the competition arrives just ahead of North American Championship season, but this is not a typical 3x3-focused tune-up. The event list includes Clock, 2x2, Pyraminx, Square-1, and Skewb, giving several side-event specialists a chance to sharpen up before one of the biggest competitions on the calendar.
That makes the field especially interesting. Many of the competitors may not be household names to casual fans who follow 3x3 most closely, but they are exactly the kinds of names worth watching heading into NAC.
Aaron Jake Wong is listed for Clock, while Ayden Dincher, Curtis Chai, and Ethan Zhuang are among the names to watch in 2x2. Clem Tucker and Parker Trager are entered in Pyraminx, Hassan Khanani is listed for Square-1, and Quinn Maloney is entered in Skewb.
For competitors preparing for NAC, this kind of focused side-event competition can be valuable. It gives them a chance to test competition rhythm, clean up execution, and get one more official result before the championship stage. Palisades should offer an early look at several side-event contenders who could become bigger championship storylines later this summer.