Calamba hosts its first-ever official speedcubing competition

Calamba got its first official speedcubing competition at CityMall Calamba in Laguna, a debut that mattered far beyond one June 13 meet. For a city that had never hosted a WCA event before, Calamba Speedcubing Open 2026 gave local solvers a place to compete without turning every official meet into a trip to one of the usual hubs.

The Cubers and Friends Organizing Team built the event as a full competition, not a test run. Jansen Alvarez, Anika Intal and Marionne Gem Baccay were listed as organizers, with Yuji Yoshida serving as WCA delegate, a lineup that gave the new city meet the structure and oversight expected of an official stop. The program centered on 3x3 and included 2x2, 4x4, 5x5, Megaminx, Pyraminx, Skewb and Square-1, an eight-event slate that made the competition useful for both newer cubers and multi-event regulars.

The logistics were kept tight. The competition capped the field at 50 competitors, used a dedicated venue space inside CityMall Calamba, and required registration and payment to be handled in advance. There were no on-the-spot signups, a choice that kept the entry list orderly and reduced the scramble that can overwhelm volunteer-run first-time meets.

That structure also kept the event accessible. The base fee was set low, and competitors could pay a bundle rate to enter all eight events, which made it easier for Calamba and Laguna cubers to try more than just 3x3 without facing a steep financial hurdle. Foreign competitors were also given cash-payment arrangements if they could show proof of travel, a practical touch that suggested the organizers wanted the meet to stay open to visitors while still keeping administration under control.

For Philippine cubing, the significance was geographic as much as competitive. Calamba’s first official WCA footprint widened the map beyond the major centers and gave Laguna a cleaner entry point for recruitment, travel, and future organizing. If the turnout and volunteer flow hold up, this debut could become the start of a recurring competition hub, not just a one-off city milestone.