Yiheng Wang won four straight sets to complete a dramatic comeback against Xuanyi Geng and claim his second consecutive Monkey League championship.
Timofei Tarasenko broke the 6x6 mean and Megaminx average world records during a dominant weekend in Kuala Lumpur, while Sujan Feist matched his own 0.86 2x2 world record average.
Elsewhere, Yi Shen won a close 3x3 final in Nanning, Sameer Aggarwal became Northwest champion, and Ryan Pilat won Rocky Mountain Championship overall.
The World Cube Association also announced that 4-pad timers will become mandatory in 2027, only days after finalizing its decision to remove Clock.
Welcome back to the Speedcuber’s Digest Weekend Wrap, where we look at the biggest results and storylines from this past weekend.
Yiheng Wang Erases a 4-1 Deficit to Win Monkey League
Yiheng Wang completed one of the biggest comebacks in Monkey League history, defeating Xuanyi Geng 5-4 in the Season 6 championship match in New York City.
Xuanyi controlled the first half of the best-of-nine final and built a 4-1 lead, moving within one set of the title.
Then Yiheng turned the match around.
Yiheng used two timeouts during the final. During the second, Monkey League organizer and commentator Phillip Lewicki said Yiheng was battling a fever and needed medicine.
After the break, Yiheng won three straight sets to tie the match at 4-4.
The championship then came down to the fifth and final race of the ninth set.
Xuanyi recorded a 5.56. Yiheng responded with a 3.84, winning the race, the set and the championship.
It was Yiheng’s second consecutive Monkey League title. He also won Season 5 by defeating Tymon Kolasiński.
That makes Yiheng only the second competitor to win back-to-back Monkey League championships. Tymon, who won Seasons 1, 3 and 4, was the first.
Watch the final and read the full story here.
Timofei Tarasenko Breaks Two World Records in Kuala Lumpur
Timofei Tarasenko put together one of the best all-around weekends of the year at Kuala Lumpur Cubing Challenge 2026.
His biggest result came in the 6x6 final:
1:00.43, 1:04.49, 1:05.98 = 1:03.63 mean
The 1:03.63 gave Tarasenko the 6x6 mean world record. His opening 1:00.43 was also the third-fastest 6x6 single in WCA history and a new European Record.
Tarasenko added a second world record in the first round of Megaminx:
(22.47), (24.29), 23.57, 23.73, 22.91 = 23.40 average
The result lowered his own previous world record of 24.38 by 0.98 seconds.
He also became only the second competitor to average below 1:40 on 7x7, joining Max Park.
Tarasenko recorded a 1:38.08 mean, including a 1:34.42 single that ranks fifth in WCA history.
He nearly added a third world record on 5x5. After four solves, Tarasenko had a best possible average of 33.58, faster than Tymon Kolasiński’s 33.73 world record. A DNF on his final attempt left him with a 34.71 average instead.
Tarasenko closed the weekend by winning 3x3 with a 5.87 average:
(5.16), 5.86, (7.98), 5.60, 6.15 = 5.87
He finished the competition with victories in 3x3, 2x2, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, One-Handed and Megaminx.
Read the full breakdown of Tarasenko’s first day of competition here.
Sujan Feist Ties His Own 2x2 World Record
Sujan Feist tied his own 2x2 world record at Cubing the Coast MS 2026.
Feist recorded a 0.86 average in the second round:
0.85, (2.97), 0.81, 0.91, (0.66) = 0.86
He first set the 0.86 world record at Kids America Christmas Clash OH 2025 in December.
That means Feist now owns the two fastest official 2x2 averages in history, both at exactly 0.86.
The result was also his 17th official sub-1 average. Only seven competitors in WCA history have ever officially averaged below one second.
Feist entered the weekend as the reigning world and North American champion in 2x2. Now he has matched his world record while holding both titles.
Yi Shen Wins a Close Final in Nanning
Yi Shen won a deep 3x3 final at Nanning Open 2026, finishing only 0.03 seconds ahead of Yunzhi Lian.
Yi won with a 5.08 average:
4.84, (6.11), 4.76, (4.24), 5.65 = 5.08
Yunzhi finished second at 5.11, while pre-competition favorite Bofan Zhang completed the podium at 5.42.
The final standings were:
1. Yi Shen - 5.08
2. Yunzhi Lian - 5.11
3. Bofan Zhang - 5.42
Bofan led the psych sheet with a 4.38 personal best, but Yi delivered the strongest average in the final.
Only 0.34 seconds separated the entire podium.
Sameer Aggarwal Becomes Northwest Champion
Sameer Aggarwal won Northwest Championship 2026 with a 6.09 average.
His final solves were:
(7.17), 6.70, (5.50), 5.73, 5.83 = 6.09
Max Siauw finished second with a 6.98 average, while Greyson James placed third at 7.30.
The result reversed the top two eligible finishers from the previous Northwest Championship.
In 2024, Max finished ahead of Sameer and became Northwest champion. Two years later, Sameer finished nearly nine-tenths of a second ahead of Max to claim the title.
The final podium was:
1. Sameer Aggarwal - 6.09
2. Max Siauw - 6.98
3. Greyson James - 7.30
Ryan Pilat Wins Overall, Paul Mahvi Takes the Rocky Mountain Title
Ryan Pilat delivered on his position as the fastest name on the psych sheet, winning Rocky Mountain Championship 2026 with a 6.95 average.
His final solves were:
5.91, (7.62), (5.04), 7.67, 7.33 = 6.95
Jonathan Pelser finished second at 7.74, with Paul Mahvi third at 7.78.
But the regional title had a different winner.
Ryan and Jonathan both represent Texas for CubingUSA championship eligibility, making them ineligible for the Rocky Mountain title.
Paul represents Arizona and was the highest-finishing eligible competitor. That made him the 2026 Rocky Mountain 3x3 champion.
Defending champion Jeremy Bulambot did not compete.
Ryan still left Denver with a dominant overall performance. He won eight events, including 3x3, 2x2, 4x4, 7x7, 3BLD, Square-1, 4BLD and 5BLD.
WCA Moves to 4-Pad Timers and Makes Clock Removal Final
The weekend also closed a major week of WCA news.
Beginning January 2, 2027, every official WCA attempt that uses a speedsolving timer will require a Speed Stacks G5 StackMat Pro Timer in 4-pad mode.
The change is intended to make improper starts and stops much harder. Four-pad mode requires competitors to activate the two smaller thumb sensors in addition to the traditional hand sensors.
Existing records will not be reset or separated from results recorded with 4-pad timers. The WCA also says it will provide new G5 timers to regions that need equipment for the transition.
Read the full story on the WCA’s move to 4-pad timers here.
The announcement came only days after the WCA Board reaffirmed its decision to remove Clock following the 2027 World Championship.
After reviewing community feedback, petitions and additional input from WCA Volunteers, the Board said its decision remained unchanged.
“This decision is final,” the Board said.
Clock will remain generally available through July 18, 2027, before making its final official appearance at the 2027 World Championship. FTO will become an official WCA event on January 2, 2027.
Read the full story on the final Clock decision here.
Between Yiheng’s four-set comeback, Tarasenko’s two world records, Feist matching his 0.86, close championship finals in Nanning and the United States, and two major WCA decisions, the weekend delivered major results both on and off the competition floor.