Guilin has a 3x3 field that could headline a much larger competition. The world’s second- through fifth-ranked solvers by average are all registered for Sunday’s event. Elsewhere, New England has a tight race at the top, Michael Nielsen looks for another Virginia title, and Switzerland and Finland welcome back their defending champions.
Welcome back to the Speedcuber’s Digest Weekend Preview, where we look ahead at the potential storylines going into the weekend.
Four of the World’s Top Five in Guilin
Xuanyi Geng, Yize Dong, Yi Shen, and Yunzhi Lian lead the field at Guilin Open 2026 on October 18 in Guilin, Guangxi.
Geng brings a 3.67 personal-best average, followed by Dong at 4.07, Shen at 4.24, and Lian at 4.27. Those times place them second through fifth in the world. Geng also holds the 3x3 single world record at 2.51.
With three rounds of 3x3 scheduled, the group will have several chances to put up a fast average before the final decides the winner.
Zhen Chen adds another name to watch. His 5.09 average puts him fifth in the registered 3x3 field, but one-handed is his best event. His 6.99 world record average leads Zijian Cai at 9.84.
Just 0.12 Seconds Between New England’s Top Four
CubingUSA New England Championship 2026 runs October 16-18 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, with little separating the leading 3x3 entrants.
Curtis Chai leads by personal-best average at 6.03. Nicolás Sánchez follows at 6.06, while Ayden Dincher and Varun Mohanraj are tied at 6.15.
Daniel Gutierrez returns after winning last year’s final with 6.98, ahead of Chai’s 7.14. His 6.59 personal best ranks sixth among this year’s entrants, so the returning winner has several challengers ahead of him on paper.
The 7x7 race is close too. Jeffrey Li, last year’s winner, leads with a 1:57.26 best mean. Benjamin Wei follows at 1:57.74.
The competition is open to everyone, but regional titles are reserved for eligible residents of the six New England states.
Robinson-Rechavi Challenges Delacoste in Switzerland
Richard Delacoste won last year’s Swiss Nationals with a 6.48 average. He returns to Swiss Nationals 2026, October 16-18 in Giubiasco, Bellinzona, with another Swiss competitor ahead of him on the 3x3 psych sheet.
Eden Robinson-Rechavi leads the overall field with 5.64. Italy’s Valerio Locatelli follows at 5.68 and Israel’s Ben Baron at 5.80. Delacoste brings 5.94, with fellow Swiss contender Alwin Rölz at 6.31.
Robinson-Rechavi also leads one-handed with an 8.13 average, while Delacoste tops the registered fields from 4x4 through 7x7. Rölz is close behind him in 4x4, with 22.89 to Delacoste’s 22.68.
The Swiss 3x3 finalists will compete in the organizers’ 1v1 format. Qualifying international competitors will solve in a separate group with a different scramble set.
Nielsen Looks for a Third Straight Virginia Title
Michael Nielsen enters Virginia Championship 2026 after taking the state’s 3x3 title in both 2024 and 2025. This year’s competition runs October 17-18 at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in the Richmond area.
Nielsen’s 6.21 personal-best average leads the registered field, just ahead of Easan Peacock at 6.33. Liam Manwaring follows at 6.64, with Zayn Khanani at 6.69 and Fiona Bao at 6.79.
Bao leads the overall fields in 6x6, 7x7, and Clock. Ari Randers-Pehrson, who took Virginia’s titles from 4x4 through 7x7 last year, leads this year’s 4x4 and 5x5 fields.
Khanani is also the top seed in 2x2 and Skewb, the two events in which he won state titles last year. As in New England, the overall results and championship titles are separate: only eligible Virginia residents can claim the state titles.
Von Schantz and Ivarsson Return in Finland
Finnish Championship 2026 runs October 16-18 in Kirkkonummi, with last year’s top two in 3x3 returning.
Sweden’s Ludwig Ivarsson won the 2025 final with 7.08. Vincent von Schantz finished second at 7.23, taking the Finnish title as the highest-placed Finnish competitor.
Ivarsson again leads the overall field by personal best, 6.14 to von Schantz’s 6.33. Callum McArthur-Mortell is the next Finnish contender at 6.95, followed by Urho Kinnunen at 7.10.
Kinnunen and von Schantz are even closer in one-handed. Their best averages are 10.39 and 10.41, respectively, with both well ahead of the rest of the registered field.
Lauri Korhonen leads all four big-cube fields, from 4x4 through 7x7. Half of the places in each final are reserved for competitors representing Finland.
I’m on my way to Swiss Nationals