Xuanyi really likes H2H format, but this kind of unfairness is more than he can handle.

A Detailed Account of the H2H Final Incident at Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2026 In the first attempt of the match, Yiheng got 3.83 and Xuanyi got 3.85. At this time, Xuanyi lost by 0.02s, but he was smiling. In the second attempt, Yiheng triggered a 0.02 (suspected timer start malfunction/failure), and Xuanyi's 3.57 solve was cancelled. Both used an extra scramble. There was no argument at the scene at this time. Xuanyi definitely felt upset, but Xuanyi's dad did not make any statement. Extra scramble: Yiheng got a DNF(4.12), and Xuanyi got 3.46. At this point, there was no controversy. Immediately following, Yiheng triggered a 0.04 (suspected timer start malfunction/failure), and at the same time, the delegate penalized him with a DNF for starting prematurely before "go". At this time, the match was interrupted. Yiheng's mom made a statement on the spot for about 3 minutes, roughly saying: others started the timer early without getting a DNF penalty, but Yiheng got a DNF. During these 3 minutes, Xuanyi was already getting a bit anxious on stage. 3 minutes later, both competitors signed the scorecards. We all thought the penalty was valid, and Xuanyi's dad did not make a statement at this time. Immediately following, Yiheng got 3.85 and Xuanyi got 3.31. Both competitors signed the scorecards. Xuanyi thought the match was already over and showed a relieved smile. At this point, the delegate announced a provisional ruling. Xuanyi's dad started to speak up: "Isn't the match already over?" The delegate explained that there was a timer malfunction just now, so an extra scramble would be adopted, and they explained what an extra scramble is. Xuanyi's dad pointed out on the spot: Yiheng was sliding, and the timer malfunction was caused by his sliding stop. We have evidence and will release the video evidence later. Yiheng's mom replied: "Whatever." The match continued anyway. In the next attempt, Xuanyi got a 5.21+2 and lost. At this point, Xuanyi couldn't hold it in anymore and started crying. Then Xuanyi's dad said: "Yiyi, don't cry, dad believes in you." Seeing Xuanyi's emotional change, the delegate explained about the provisional extra scramble and the ruling. This was very important for Xuanyi; he then understood that this was only an extra scramble for a provisional ruling. Finally, Yiheng got 4.69 and Xuanyi got 4.15. The delegate provided an explanation once again. Throughout the entire process, Xuanyi's mom was resting in the hotel due to a severe cold, but she watched the livestream the whole time, rushed to the venue, and filed an unfair appeal on Xuanyi's behalf. During the scrambling interval of Hansen and Zhaokun's match, Xuanyi's mom arrived at the venue and raised the questions: "Why do we have to continue with extra solves? Why are you bullying my son like this?" The on-site staff said: "Do you want your son's victory to carry controversy?" Xuanyi's dad said to Xuanyi's mom: "Others are still competing, let's talk about it after the match." After hearing this, Xuanyi's mom did not argue further, walked out of the venue doors, and under the persuasion of many friends, she lost control of her emotions and cried. (After the match, Xuanyi's mom sincerely apologized to Hansen, Zhaokun, and their parents.) During Xuanyi's 4.32 average at Hangzhou Open 2024, after the community pointed out his non-standard timer stopping, even though the WCA did not issue any penalty, we and Xuanyi took this issue seriously and corrected it. At Xianju NxN 2025, where Xuanyi achieved a 4.26 PR average for 5 solves, after the match we discovered one instance of non-standard timer stopping, voluntarily contacted the delegate, and received a DNF penalty. The handful of extra scrambles Xuanyi has had over these years of competing is enough to demonstrate our attitude towards speedcubing. (The vast majority of extra scrambles were due to misscrambles.) Finally, what we want to say is: when a child makes a mistake, parents should correctly guide and promptly correct them. We also feel that Yiheng has enough capability to cleanly take back the WR average, and at that time, we and Xuanyi will also offer our sincere congratulations. Timestamp 0:18 A1 3.834 vs 3.855 2:50 A2 0.029 vs 3.570 5:01 A3 DNF(4.120) vs 3.460 7:03 A4 0.041 vs 4.721 12:51 A5 3.850 vs 3.310 16:38 A6 4.474 vs 7.212+ 20:28 A7 4.694 vs 4.158