The Weekend Wrap: July 31 - August 2, 2026
Yiheng Wang came within two hundredths of a sub-4 average, Egypt crowned its first 3x3 national champion since 2019, and Kevin Matthews claimed three BC titles.
Yiheng Wang nearly added another sub-4 average to the record books in Shanghai, Egypt held its first national championship in seven years, and Kevin Matthews swept the three provincial titles awarded at BC Quiet Championship.
Welcome back to the Speedcuber’s Digest Weekend Wrap, where we look at the most significant results and storylines from this past weekend.
Yiheng Wang Wins Shanghai With 4.01 Average
Yiheng Wang won the 3x3 final at Shanghai Summer 2026 with a 4.01 average.
His final-round solves were 4.16, 4.00, (3.58), (5.18), and 3.87. The result left Wang just two hundredths of a second away from recording an official sub-4 average.
Zhen Chen finished second with a 5.36 average, followed by Bofan Zhang at 5.39.
Wang also won 2x2 with a 1.01 average. Kaixi Guo won both Pyraminx and Skewb, recording averages of 1.93 and 2.09.
Zhen Chen Nearly Breaks His One-Handed World Record Again
One week after recording the first official sub-7 3x3 One-Handed average, Zhen Chen won the event in Shanghai with a 7.29 average.
His final-round solves were 7.02, 6.91, 7.93, (8.52), and (6.49). Replacing either the 7.93 or 8.52 with a 7.02 or faster would have broken Chen’s own 6.99 world record average. A replacement time between 7.03 and 7.05 would have tied it.
Tao Wen finished second with a 10.01 average, while Wang completed the podium at 11.07.
Mahmoud Ahmed Abdelsalam Claims Egypt’s 3x3 Title
Egypt National returned to Giza for the country’s first national championship since 2019.
Adam Tiro of Palestine won the overall 3x3 final with an 8.09 average. Mahmoud Ahmed Abdelsalam finished second at 10.22, narrowly ahead of Mikhail Nikitin at 10.24.
As the highest-placing Egyptian competitor, Abdelsalam became Egypt’s new 3x3 national champion.
Tiro won a competition-high four events, taking first place in 3x3, 2x2, 5x5, and Square-1. He also set Palestinian national records in 2x2 average, 4x4 single and average, and 5x5 average.
Tawfik Wael Mohammed Tawfik AbdelAziz Koptan added an Egyptian national record with a 14.50 3x3 One-Handed single.
Kevin Matthews Claims Three BC Quiet Titles
BC Quiet Championship 2026 determined British Columbia’s provincial champions in Fewest Moves, 4x4 Blindfolded, 5x5 Blindfolded, and Multi-Blind. The highest-placing British Columbia resident in each event received the provincial title.
Kevin Matthews claimed all three titles that were awarded.
Matthews finished second overall in Fewest Moves with a 34.33 mean, behind Abdel Issa’s Jordanian national record mean of 27.67. He then won 4x4 Blindfolded with a successful time of 4:53.42 and Multi-Blind with 24 of 27 cubes solved in 52:55.
The 5x5 Blindfolded final ended without a successful solve from any of the five competitors, leaving the event without a winner or podium.