Palisoc, Yoshida shine at Dare to DR Rizal with multiple podium finishes

Homegrown cuber Inigo Miguel B. Palisoc and World Cube Association (WCA) delegate Yuji Yoshida delivered standout performances at the Dare to DR Rizal 2025, hacking out podium finishes across multiple events in Cainta, Sept. 28.

Palisoc, the reigning 5x5x5 champion at the Philippine Nationals, dominated his specialty again by posting the only sub-40-second average to take first in the 5×5 cube, while Yoshida, a WCA Integrity Committee member, seized the spotlight in the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves Challenge with a 28.33 mean to edge a Chinese Taipei rival for the title.

The Rizal event, officially part of the WCA tour, showcased the Fewest Moves Challenge as its centerpiece and promoted the Domino Reduction method, regarded as the most advanced solving technique for the cube.

Palisoc reinforced his supremacy in the 5x5x5 with a 43.51 average, beating Central Luzon Championship 2024 winner Mark Aeron Santos, who had 54.53 for second place.

Robbie Villarica set a personal record of 54.87 to claim third in the 19-man field.

The Bataan standout also proved steady in the 7x7x7 cube, following up on his national-record run at the 2025 Rubik’s Cube World Championship with another win after a 2:10.90 mean.

Dale Palmares finished second at 2:19.51, and Yoshida settled for third at 2:52.60.

In the 3x3x3 cube, Palisoc finished second with an 8.95-second average behind Villarica, the DFW Minicomp B 2024 champion, who notched the only sub-eight average at 7.88. Palmares rounded out the podium with a 10.08.

Yoshida, the national record holder in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 21, stood as the lone Filipino in that category and delivered again with a 28.33 average to top an international field.

Chinese Taipei’s Hsiang-Cheng Kan placed second with a 29.67, while Singapore’s Glen Goh Wee Zhuan finished third at 39.67.