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Microsoft Copilot completed three downloadable Excel World Championship cases in a test reported by PCWorld senior editor Mark Hachman. The reported times ranged from 2 minutes, 5 seconds to 7 minutes, 45 seconds, but this was one author’s experiment—not a controlled benchmark or proof that AI can beat championship competitors. And the official 2026 rules prohibit AI from solving competition cases.
What happened when Copilot was given championship cases?
Hachman downloaded three cases—Whodunnit, Origami, and World of Warcraft—and worked from copies with the answer tab removed. He used the same instruction each time: “Follow all instructions as listed in the spreadsheet. Fill in the answers in the appropriate space in the ‘Questions’ section for each of the levels. Finally, answer the bonus questions and update the current score.”
| Case | Questions and tiers reported | Reported result | Interaction notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whodunnit | 140 questions across seven tiers, plus five bonus questions | 4 minutes, 40 seconds; Hachman reports a perfect result | A first attempt used a workbook that still contained the answer tab. On the repeat attempt, Copilot initially declined, then completed the case after Hachman selected the option to solve the questions. |
| Origami | 130 questions across seven tiers, plus five bonus questions | 2 minutes, 5 seconds; Hachman says the bonus questions were answered correctly | No refusal or correction step is noted for this run. |
| World of Warcraft | 140 questions across seven tiers, plus five bonus questions | 7 minutes, 45 seconds; Hachman says all bonus questions were correct | Copilot initially refused twice, then completed the case after he repeated the original prompt. |
These figures describe Hachman’s reported runs, not a published benchmark. He says earlier informal attempts took longer and sometimes left fields blank, and he could not determine whether the failures came from randomness, the prompt, or the case instructions. The report does not establish repeated controlled trials or independent verification of the results. Read Hachman’s account at PCWorld.
How did other AI systems perform in the reported comparison?
For the World of Warcraft case, Hachman says ChatGPT Pro finished in 6 minutes, 35 seconds. Gemini 3.6 Flash Extended said it could not access or read the workbook’s raw contents and asked for the information to be entered manually.
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The account does not provide enough detail to treat these as like-for-like benchmark results across model versions or setups. Workbook access, the ability to operate on a spreadsheet, successful completion of all tiers and bonus questions, and the need for follow-up prompts all affect what a reported completion time means. The comparison shows different behavior in this particular setup, not a general ranking of AI systems.
Does solving old cases mean AI can compete against Excel champions?
No. The experiment shows that Copilot could complete three selected downloadable cases when given access to the workbook and, in two runs, after additional interaction. It does not establish that AI can solve every championship case, reproduce a competitor’s performance under tournament conditions, or outperform human champions.
The distinction matters because the test involved old practice cases and a prompt that allowed follow-up. A live competition measures performance under its own timed format and rules. Hachman notes that 2024 finals winner Michael Jarman completed four of the seven World of Warcraft tiers and two bonus questions in the 40 minutes allotted. That comparison provides context, but it is not a controlled contest between Jarman and the AI: the settings, conditions, and task circumstances differ.
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No. The official MEWC 2026 rules state, “The use of AI for solving a case is prohibited.” The rules describe an Excel esports tournament with qualification, group stages, and live finals in Las Vegas. The prohibition applies to solving competition cases; Hachman’s experiment examined downloadable cases outside the tournament. Check the official MEWC rules for the current regulations.
Did the test depend on a powerful laptop?
Hachman used a Surface Laptop Studio 2 with an Intel Core i7-13700H, 64 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060. He reports that most processing happened in the cloud. In Task Manager, Excel showed 0 percent utilization except while answers were being filled in, when utilization reached 6 percent. That account does not establish a local hardware requirement for reproducing the results.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should readers conclude from the experiment?
- Copilot reportedly completed three selected cases, but the results come from one author’s workflow rather than independent, repeated testing.
- Completion was not always seamless: the Whodunnit and World of Warcraft runs needed a follow-up action or prompt after initial refusal.
- Other systems behaved differently in the World of Warcraft comparison, and the report does not establish a broad performance ranking.
- The official 2026 competition rules prohibit AI from solving cases, so completing an old downloadable workbook is not the same as competing under tournament rules.
Hachman says he contacted the competition for comment by email and direct message but did not receive a response. The account therefore does not establish organizer endorsement of the experiment or its conclusions. For official competition information, see Excel Esports.
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