American speedcuber Tommy Cherry has set a new world record in the blindfolded Rubik's Cube discipline (Blindfolded), posting a time of 11.56 seconds. The result was recorded on June 28, 2026, at a competition held in the state of New Jersey (USA). In doing so, the 21-year-old athlete improved on the previous record held by Australian Charlie Eggins, which stood at 11.67 seconds, by 0.11 seconds — by speedcubing standards, this is a very significant step for a discipline where each tenth of a second is earned through months of training.
How the blindfolded discipline works
The Blindfolded format is fundamentally different from standard speedcubing: the participant is first given an allowed amount of time to memorize the scrambled cube, and then, with their eyes closed, restores it from memory. Therefore, the final result depends not only on hand speed but also on the quality of memorization, concentration, and stress resistance. It is precisely this combination of skills that allows Cherry to maintain his lead in a category where even a one-second memory error voids the entire attempt.
The road to the top: the history of records
The achievement of June 28, 2026, was not Cherry's first world record. He first entered the history of speedcubing in 2021, when he set a world record in the blindfolded discipline with a time of 15.27 seconds. Since then, the athlete has improved his own record several times, steadily reducing the time and ultimately bringing it down to 11.56 seconds. This trajectory demonstrates steady progress and confirms that the new record is a logical stage of years of work, not a one-off "lucky" attempt.
The significance of the result for the community
For the global speedcubing community, the 11.56-second result is a benchmark that competitors will now strive to reach. The Blindfolded discipline is traditionally considered one of the most difficult in cube sports, as it tests not only motor skills but also cognitive functions. Improving the record by 0.11 seconds over Eggins' mark underscores that the barrier around 11.5 seconds has now become achievable, and competition for the top spot in this category is reaching a new level.
