How Does a Puzzle Cube Competition Work? | The Cube Shop

How Does a Puzzle Cube Competition Work?

Puzzle cubes have become quite the craze among the most dexterous of puzzle lovers. But only the best of the best aspire to solve these tricky polygonal puzzles in the quickest time possible.

This hobby is called Speedcubing, the practice of solving puzzle cubes in as little time as possible. If you’re not familiar, think of it as a speedrun but for a puzzle cube.

Like any high-skill and highly competitive hobby, there are many groups, events, and of course: competitions. In this article, we’ll go over how Speedcubing competitions work, how you can enter them, and how they began.

Speedcubing: A Brief History

The first puzzle cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian Professor of Architecture Ernӧ Rubik. Back in 1981, the very first speedcubing competition was hosted by the Guiness Book of World Record in Munich. 

Ever since then, puzzle cubes and speedcubing have become a worldwide phenomenon. Twenty years after the first speedcubing competition, a second one was held in 2003, taking place in Toronto.

With the need of organization emerging for such a global craze, Ron van Bruchem and Tyson Mao founded the World Cube Association, or WCA. This group organizes, hosts, and referees every speedcubing competition.

Aside from the world championships, of which there have been a total of 10, there are smaller, regional competitions occurring constantly. The most recent speedcubing World Championship took place in 2018 and was held in Melbourne, Australia.

The next North America-based speedcubing competition is set to take place in Hershey, Pennsylvania on August 20th. The next world championship will be held in December of 2021 in the city of Almere, Netherlands.

Speedcubing is showing no signs of slowing down, with new manufacturers and speedcubers entering the craze. New world records are constantly being set by speedy solvers, with the current world record of 3.47 seconds being held by Yusheng Du.

Gaining Entry

The best way to get yourself into a speedcubing competition is to develop a rapport with the World Cube Association (WCA). The WCA is the most prominent governing body when it comes to all things speedcubing.

Their purpose is to organize all events, and ensure fair competition. The WCA expects sportsmanlike conduct within the ranks of their competitors, and an overall friendly atmosphere.

To enter a competition as a competitor, you need to first go to the WCA website to begin the registration process. From there, you will need to:

Registering yourself to compete in a speedcubing tournament is very quick and easy. You can go it alone, or bring a group to either watch or compete with you.

Rules and Regulations

To ensure that everyone has a fair chance at these competitions, the WCA has a number of rules, regulations, and procedures to follow. Upon entering the competition, you will be assigned a group and wait for your group to be called.

The group you’re placed in depends on the category of competition you registered for. So if you’re competing in 3x3, for example, you will be grouped with other 3x3 competitors. 

Once your group has been called, it’s time to compete! You will be assigned a judge who has a scorecard for you. There are a total of five rounds per competition. Depending on the competition, these rounds may be eliminatory, meaning that slowest competitors are dropped until there is one left.

At the solving area, you will be sat in front of a Slackmat timer. These devices are digital timers that start tracking time once both of your hands have left the two platforms on either side of it.

Here is how the process works from here:

The competitor with the best overall score will win! Speedcube competitions are a rush, and a lot of fun. If you think you have what it takes to compete with the quickest hands in the puzzle cube scene, these events are for you!

Sources

Getgocube.com: All About Speed Cube Competitions (May 05, 2021)

https://getgocube.com/play/speed-cube-competitions/

Worldcubeassociation.org: WCA Regulations (May 05, 2021)

https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/

Worldcubeassociation.com: WCA Guideline (May 05, 2021)

https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/guidelines.html#