A historic day for Cambodia’s cubing community

On November 3, 2019, Cambodia reached an important milestone in its speedcubing history with the Cambodia Cubing Championship 2019 in Phnom Penh.

Recognized by the World Cube Association (WCA), the competition brought official WCA-style speedcubing to Cambodian competitors and created a lasting milestone for the country's growing cubing community.

The official WCA competition page describes the event as Cambodia’s first-ever national cubing championship.

For many Cambodian cubers, it was more than simply another competition. It was the beginning of a new chapter.

A Historic Competition in Phnom Penh

Cambodia Cubing Championship 2019 was held on:

📅 Date: November 3, 2019
📍 City: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
🏢 Venue: Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center
🏛 Hall: Angkor Kizuna Hall
👥 Competitors: 64

The competition was organized by Mey Samorn, with John Edison Ubaldo serving as the WCA Delegate.

Having an official WCA Delegate was essential because WCA-recognized competitions must follow official regulations, procedures and competition standards for their results to become part of the international WCA database.

For Cambodian competitors, that meant their performances could now become official WCA results.

64 Competitors Joined the Championship

A total of 64 competitors participated in the event.

For Cambodia's developing speedcubing scene at the time, gathering dozens of competitors for an official championship represented an important achievement.

The event also provided local cubers with an opportunity to compete alongside experienced international speedcubers.

Instead of only comparing times at home or within local groups, competitors could experience formal competition procedures, including inspection, official scrambles, judging, timing and WCA-recognized results.

Seven Official Speedcubing Events

Cambodia Cubing Championship 2019 featured seven events:

• 3×3×3 Cube

• 2×2×2 Cube

• 4×4×4 Cube

• 3×3×3 One-Handed

• Pyraminx

• Skewb

• Square-1

The main 3×3 event had a first round followed by a final, while the other events were held as finals. The competition ran throughout the day before concluding with the awards ceremony.

The First 3×3 Champion

The main event produced some impressive performances.

🥇 3×3×3 Cube

Tee Kai Yang — Malaysia

Winning Average: 7.99 seconds
Best Single: 7.38 seconds

He was followed by:

🥈 Nipat Charoenpholphant — 8.44 average
🥉 Xinyun Chen — 10.62 average

The 7.99-second winning average became part of the official record of Cambodia's historic championship.

Tee Kai Yang also won the 2×2, 4×4 and 3×3 One-Handed events, while competitors from Thailand and China took victories in Pyraminx, Skewb and Square-1.

Cambodian Cubers Enter the Official WCA Competition System

One of the most important impacts of the championship was not simply who won.

It gave Cambodian competitors the opportunity to record official results representing Cambodia in the WCA database.

The competition results include Cambodian competitors such as Penn Phuthunn, Phai Phasal, Phearom Rithysak and others representing Cambodia in their official results.

For a developing cubing community, receiving a first official WCA result is significant.

It means a competitor becomes part of the international history and statistics of competitive speedcubing.

More Than Numbers and Records

A first national championship is important not simply because of finishing times.

It proves that a local community can organize competitions according to international standards.

It introduces new competitors to proper judging and competition procedures.

It connects Cambodian cubers with the wider international speedcubing community.

And, most importantly, it gives younger and future cubers something to build upon.

Cambodia Cubing Championship 2019 demonstrated that there was a real speedcubing community in Cambodia ready to grow.

From 2019 to the Future

Years later, Cambodia’s cubing community continues to develop.

There are new competitors, younger cubers, community events, training opportunities and growing interest in organized speedcubing.

For CubeArena, remembering Cambodia Cubing Championship 2019 is important because understanding where our community started helps us understand where we want to go next.

Our goal is not simply to sell speedcubes.

We want to help create an ecosystem where Cambodian cubers can learn, practice, compete, connect and develop from beginner level to international competition.

The 2019 championship showed what was possible.

The next chapter is about building on that foundation.

A Milestone That Remains Part of Cambodia's Cubing History

November 3, 2019 will remain an important date in Cambodian speedcubing.

64 competitors.

7 events.

One national championship.

And a new chapter for official competitive cubing in Cambodia.

As Cambodia's cubing community continues to grow, CubeArena is proud to preserve and share the history that helped bring us here.

From the first championship to the next generation.