Incident: A competitor uncovered their own puzzle, as the judge failed to do so

DISCLAIMER: Please note that as of 2025, A2e2 explicitly prohibits the competitor from lifting the cover with associated DNF penalty.

A3b2) The competitor starts the attempt by confirming that they are ready, and the judge uncovers the puzzle and starts timing the inspection.

The competitor said "ready" to the judge before inspection, but the judge did not uncover the puzzle. From a video of the incident, it can be seen that the competitor looks visibly confused and stressed after the judge did not uncover the cube. The competitor then lifted the cover themselves and began the solve shortly after. This was only discovered after the competition, meaning no extras were available. The WRC agreed to keep the original result without penalties, for the following reasons: The procedural error was the judge's fault, the video of the competitor showing he was thrown off by the situation, and no advantage gained (as the inspection time was within 15 seconds).