Ever tried solving a Rubik’s Cube – the 3-D puzzle invented by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik?
With over forty-three quintillion (10 to the power 8) combinations possible aligning the three layers of the 3X3X3 cube such that each face is covered in a solid colour, is no mean task.
Now imagine doing this at high speed. This is exactly what some 30 odd puzzle enthusiasts who got together Saturday for Vancouver Open Winter 2011, a speed-solving competition organized by CanadianCUBING, aimed to do.
At the Science Theatre in Science World, the whirr and click of cubes being manipulated at high speed was palpable, as the contestants raced against time, aiming to be the fastest.
The winner, Ibrahim Vajgel-Shedid managed it in 14.44 seconds. It was a close contest with runners-up Sittinon Sukhaya and Jacobus Philip Haupt clocking 14.64 and 14.72 seconds respectively.
To keep things interesting, the competition also included variations on the theme with a one-handed solving challenge as well as other puzzles such as the 4-layered Rubik’s Revenge, the 5-layered Professor’s Cube, Rubik’s Magic, and more.
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The fun lies in the challenge said Dan Fast, who took up cubing about two and a half years ago. This is the first time he was participating in the contest, and the rules tripped him up a little bit, he said.
For Christian Baldemor, 14, too the contest was more about testing himself. He took up cubing a year ago and now can solve it at an average of 20 seconds.
“I’ve been fascinated with the cube since I saw it at 9. But a year ago, my cousin gave it to me as a birthday present and since then I’ve been hooked,” said Baldemor who like many other enthusiasts now makes his own cubes.
No one could really explain their fascination, except in terms of a challenge or a drive.
For organizer and contestant Vince Yim, it was simply a matter getting practice.
“It’s like everything else in life: the more time you put into it, the better you get,” he said.
Speed-solving and its variations are an international sport administered by World Cube Association of which CanadianCUBING is a member. The current world record for fastest Rubik’s Cube solve is held by Australia’s Feliks Zemdegs (5.66 seconds), who has set and broken the record seven times since November 2010.
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