When I tell people I can solve a Rubik’s Cube, they often respond they couldn’t even do it if they had the whole day to try. While that might be the case for you too, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are able to complete a Rubik’s Cube and some even solve competitively.
This past Friday and Saturday nearly 50 cubers competed in a Rubik’s Cube competition in Baton Rouge. The competition held at the Main Library at Goodwood had 12 World Cube Association (WCA) events. The events ranged from the classic Rubik’s Cube to the 7×7 to blindfolded solving and even some more interesting puzzles like the megaminx (a 12-sided puzzle).
But how does a competition work? Allow me to explain!
For competitors the first step (besides learning to solve a cube of course) is registering for a competition through the WCA website. You can search for competitions near you by filtering the options by country, or you can filter by certain events if you’re looking to compete in a specific one. Once you find a competition you’d like to attend, you select the events you wish to enter in and pay a small fee.
Next will come competition day. Upon arriving at the venue, you will typically find a table with little slips of paper showing you which round of each event you will be competing in. Right before the first event, the organizers will do a quick tutorial for all new competitors or those looking for a refresh.
First, you will bring your cube up to the front (after your round is called) where a table of cube covers will be laid out with scorecards labeled with that round’s competitors’ names. Next, you will head to the waiting area facing away from the solving stations so as to keep the competition fair. In the meantime, scramblers mix up the cubes according to official scrambles. Each competitor in the same round and group will have the same scrambles – again to achieve fairness. After your puzzle is scrambled, a runner will call your name and place your cube down at a solving station; the cube will be covered with a cube cover so you don’t see the scramble before you start.
Now the fun begins. Before you will be a timer, mat and your covered puzzle. You will tell the judge when you’re ready. The judge then uncovers the cube, and you can begin inspection. During inspection you have up to 15 seconds to plan out your first moves. Having completed inspection, you place your fingertips on the timer and then begin your solve. After solving, drop the cube on the mat and stop the timer. The judge will record your result on the scorecard, and both of you will initial the card to verify the time.
That process will repeat itself three or five times depending on the event. Most events require five solves to yield an “Average of 5.” The fastest and slowest times are removed, and the middle three are averaged together. For a “Mean of 3” all times are counted in the average, but this method is for big cubes like 7×7 and for blind events. For a full list of rules and procedures, visit the WCA regulations page.
The winner of each event is based on the average times unless no one achieves an average. In that case the fastest single solve is used to determine the winner.
Competitions can be nerve wracking; you might not do as well as you hope. But competitions are a great place to meet people who enjoy doing the same thing as you: solving puzzles as quickly as possible. You can at least make some friends and spend the day having fun. So if this competition thing interests you at all, consider registering for an upcoming competition. Or if needed, go lookup a tutorial online for that Rubik’s Cube you have sitting on a shelf at home.
Note: I did compete in the competition.
