From the very beginning of working with the brand, Games Laboratory has been developing and supporting the community of puzzle lovers and, of course, the Rubik's cube! We consider one of our merits to be establishing the tradition of holding Rubik's Cube competitions in Russia at the regional and national levels. We completely organized the first official WCA competitions in Russia in 2009-2011. The Games Laboratory still supports regional and all-Russian speedcubing competitions, the main one of which is MPEI Open, held annually in Moscow at the MPEI University!

After Professor Erno Rubik invented the Rubik's cube in 1974, the puzzle quickly spread throughout the world and already in 1982 the first World Championship was held in Budapest. The American Ming Tai won then with a very long (by modern standards!) time of 22.95 seconds. The participants then used only standard Rubik's cubes, slightly modified. Lars Petrus (Sweden) and Jessica Friedrich (Czech Republic), who later became famous cubers, attended the first competitions. The next World Rubik's Cube Championship took place only 20 years later, in 2003 in Toronto. By this time, the secrets and techniques of high-speed assembly, such as the Friedrich method and the Petrus system, had become well known, so that the average assembly time dropped below 17 seconds, but the cubes themselves remained quite angular (not " cut corners"). Dan Knights became the World Champion in 2003 with a result of 16.71 seconds - a record time at that time! Since 2003, the World Championship has been held every 2 years, alternating with the European Championship and other regional competitions. Now competitions are held on a wide range of puzzles and different options for assembling (blindly, with one hand, with your feet, etc.), but it is the classic Rubik's cube that remains the most popular. Speed ​​​​cubes and assembly algorithms have advanced so much that now participants go beyond the 5 second bar - this is the result of research and improvements! for 30 years. It is the most technologically advanced and fastest. Rubik's Cube for today.

What you need if you want to solve a Rubik's cube really quickly!

Speedcubing is a sport or hobby where people compete to solve Rubik's cubes and other puzzles in the fastest time.
is an international organization that conducts these competitions around the world. National and international competitions are held under special WCA rules. In particular, to determine the best time, each participant must solve the Rubik's cube 5 times, the outer ones (the best and the worst) are removed, and from the remaining 3 times a simple arithmetic average is calculated - this is the very assembly time that is used to determine the best of the best, i.e. Champion! Time is measured accurate to hundredths of a second using special Stack Mat timers. In case of victory at the national championship (i.e., country championship), the champion receives Rubik's main prize: an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Championship.

The current world record for the fastest time to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube is less than 5 second! The fight takes place over tenths and hundredths of seconds.

The main nominations at major world championships - the World or European Championships:

• Rubik's Cube 3x3x3
• Rubik's Cube 4x4x4
• Rubik's Cube 5x5x5
• Rubik's Cube 2x2x2
• Rubik's cube 3x3x3 blind
• Rubik's Cube 3x3x3 with one hand
• Rubik's Cube 3x3x3 feet

To win the next World Championship, our country needs the best of the best - this is the only way we can defeat experienced “fighters” from other countries.

Useful SpeedCubing Resources

• World Cube Association website - we can say that this organization is an analogue of the International Olympic Committee, only for one discipline - SpeedCubing. Information about competitions, rules for holding them, records broken down by region, names of participants and winners.
• The "Cube Explorer" program is a free software used by cubers to create scrambles (entanglement algorithms)

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For the first time in the history of our school, we held the first unofficial competition in speed solving a Rubik's cube! The participants were not only from our school, but also from schools in the city of Sarapul and the city of Izhevsk.

I also saw these competitions for the first time. I was interested in everything. I interviewed some of the participants. Many of them started collecting cubes very recently: just a month or two, and some have been collecting them for about two years. We learned to play from our acquaintances, friends, classmates. Not only boys, but also girls collect cubes.


All students in the competition were divided into two categories: junior and senior. There are special timers for participants, which they press with their palms when they solve their cube. There are guys sitting behind the screen who deliberately confuse all the colors on the cubes. The entire competition is divided into three parts. First, we started solving a 3x3 Rubik's cube. Yakov Korotkov from class 6B took first place. Then there was a 2x2 cube competition. Yakov Korotkov also took first place. After that, they competed in assembling the pyramid. Yakov Korotkov took first place. Yakov Korotkov took second place in solving the 4x4 cube.
In general, almost all the first places were taken by Yakov Korotkov, and the rest also left satisfied. Solving Rubik's cubes is a sport. The athletes are called speedcubers. I advise you to start solving a Rubik's cube, it's very interesting!

Maxim Popugaev, 5th grade,

Sigaevskaya school, Sarapul district

The Rubik's Cube was invented half a century ago. At a time when there was neither mass Internet nor mobile phones. Exclusively brain work. Nowadays you can watch a video on the Internet and solve a Rubik’s cube with grief. Before, you had to figure everything out on your own. Cube creator Erne Rubik at the first ever world cube-solving championship last weekend, he admitted that he was pleased that his invention was still a magnet for young talented people.

What we saw at the tournament in Boston was cool. It was hard to imagine that you could do such tricks with a Rubik's cube. In the most prestigious discipline, Russia was represented by a 20-year-old guy from St. Petersburg Dmitry Dobryakov, who won the national selection. He was unable to compete for a place in the top three, as at one of the stages he ran into the world record holder and future champion, Australian Felix Zemdex. “Championship” talked to Dmitry about how his skills can be useful in everyday life and why he is thinking about moving to the USA.

- Dima, where did such a great interest in the Rubik’s cube come from?
- It all started in 2010, when I was given a cube for the New Year. Initially, I tried to figure everything out on my own. Naturally, nothing worked out. After that, I went online and, with great grief, finally figured it out and assembled the cube. The very first time I managed to do it in three minutes. Then, out of curiosity, I timed it again, and it was already two minutes. Of course, I wondered how much more I could reduce the time. Quite quickly I reached one minute. Then I watched a video on YouTube where a guy solves a cube in 12 seconds. To be honest, I was a little freaked out by this. I wanted the same (laughs).

- How old were you when you entered your first competition?
- I was 13. And the first Rubik’s cube appeared at 12, respectively. All this led to me signing up for competitions, where I made new friends and got great emotions. Everything has gone on and on so much that I can no longer stop.

- Is a mathematical mind a prerequisite for solving this cube so quickly?
- I can’t speak for everyone, but I definitely have a mathematical mind. All my hobbies are somehow related to mathematics. I really love programming. I also play the piano. I would even say that there is something mathematical here too, you need to remember the notes, their combination, and so on.

- How do your parents feel about what you do?
- Oh, at first they were quite skeptical about it. They asked why I needed all this, they say, do something useful. And then when I set the first Russian record, they immediately became quiet (laughs). You could say they changed their shoes.

- How did the kids at school react to your achievements?
- Many people didn’t know about it, I didn’t particularly advertise what I was doing. By and large, only the closest friends were in the know. Now I’m studying at St. Petersburg State University, and the situation is the same. I’m not used to telling everyone about my activities, I feel more comfortable that way.

- How applicable is the ability to solve a Rubik's cube in everyday life?
- This applies to the fact that you make a large number of new acquaintances around the world. Moreover, these new friends stay with you for a long time, even when you are not competing. You can go to one of them in another country and meet. Each tournament brings a huge number of new people with similar interests.

- Do you communicate in English with each other?
- Certainly. At least that's what I try to do (smiles). I am slowly raising my level of language knowledge.

How often do you manage to compete in cube solving competitions?
- On average, once every two months. It is clear that most often these are tournaments in Russia. We travel abroad once or twice a year. I came to America for the first time. We arrived after a long 12-hour flight, we were very tired, but still this did not stop me from taking a walk around Boston in the evening. Half asleep I looked at the city, but there was no time to waste. We were only here for three days, and we had to get the most out of Boston.

- What was the first thing that came to your mind when you left the airport?
- I am in America! I looked around and realized that I seemed to be the hero of some American film. Apparently all the films were filmed here (laughs). You walk around the city, see local cafes, and you have the complete feeling that they are all from TV series.

- When your parents found out that you were going to America, weren’t you afraid that something might happen because of the tense relations between the countries?
- In general, this was not the case. Not even close. They fully supported me. They were more worried when I went to Ukraine to get an American visa. In general, everything went fine there too. Everyone in my family has a good attitude towards America.

- What are your interests besides the Rubik's cube?
- As I already said, I play the piano, I graduated from music school. I know that some were forced by their parents to do this, but I myself always enjoyed studying, I even went to various competitions. I love table tennis and chess. I haven’t played these sports professionally, but for myself I quite enjoy playing. Since I'm studying to become a programmer, I'm interested in it. This is probably the most important thing.

- So the Rubik Cup is more for fun?
- Yes, one hundred percent. This is great entertainment for me, which gives me the opportunity to travel to different places and meet people. The result is important, but not a priority.

- What about football? Did you watch the World Cup?
- Sometimes I can play football purely for myself, I can’t really call myself that much of a fan. Of course, I watched the World Cup. After the match with Spain, I was just in Moscow and managed to immerse myself in this cool atmosphere. I was on the subway, the trains were buzzing to the rhythm of ole-ole-ole. Everyone was shouting, having fun, waving flags, there was actually some kind of rudeness (laughs). Our players were a pleasant surprise. It’s a shame that we didn’t beat the Croats. I even believed in another miracle when Fernandez equalized the score in extra time.

- What funny stories happened to you at tournaments?
- I don’t know what about fun, but in principle it’s cool to visit other countries and cities. Traveling in itself is an event. Well, I can remember how funny it was when on the St. Petersburg metro I met a dude who solved a Rubik’s cube. And then a few weeks later I met him near my house. It turned out that he also lives nearby. It's a small world.

- At tournaments, are all the participants friends or rivals?
- We are all friends, but, of course, during tournaments there is also a serious competitive moment. I don't see any contradictions here at all. Outside of the stage, we all communicate coolly, even showing each other some assembly tricks. There is no such thing as locking yourself in your room and developing some new technologies. There are very rare exceptions when a participant comes to a tournament and sits somewhere in a corner away from everyone. I know several such people, but I won’t name names. (smiles).

The Russian made it to the top 3 at the first ever Rubik's Cube World Championship

- Which countries are in the top for solving the Rubik's cube?
- First of all, this is the USA. There are a lot of Americans who occupy the first lines of the ranking. There is also a cool Australian Felix Zemdex. There are also many excellent speedcubers in Germany.

- Do you often get asked to show and teach how to solve a cube so quickly?
- I try not to advertise this, again. (smiles). When someone finds out, then, of course, they ask to show and teach. No problem.

You and I are talking now, and you are disassembling and reassembling the cube automatically. Is this a warm-up and a way to keep your hands busy?
- I think, yes. Very often I sit at home and sort through the cube. On the street I try not to do this when I walk, because it immediately attracts people's attention. This is not a workout, just a way to keep yourself busy. Great for when watching a movie. Hands free, why not spin? Sometimes it helps to distract from some unnecessary thoughts. Method of Meditation (laughs).

- What are your global goals in life?
- After university I would like to try myself as a programmer. Actually, that’s why I’m studying in the corresponding specialty. I’m thinking of going to America and developing my career there. Silicon Valley? Quite. Why not? I just came to see what’s here and how it’s going. I'm going to go to the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Three days is, of course, very little time to study everything. I’m thinking about returning to the States later and looking at everything more carefully.

On June 5, 1982, the first world championship in speed solving the Rubik's cube took place. This event took place in Budapest, in the hometown of the inventor of this puzzle that has become so popular.

Poster of the first World Speedcubing Championship .

Nineteen of the fastest participants from 16 to 26 years old from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, USA, Germany gathered in the Vigado Concert Hall , Yugoslavia. To qualify for this championship they had to win their national championships.

Rubik's cubes were provided for the championship, which were of low quality and were not intended for use. And if a situation occurred that the Rubik’s cube broke, fell apart, or crashed during assembly, then such a participant was given another chance. In addition, some participants were accustomed to a different color arrangement. Not white versus yellow, red versus orange, and green versus blue, but something else: white versus blue, red versus orange, and green versus yellow. Because of these important moments, not all participants were able to show their best.

Before the start of the competition, each puzzle was randomly shuffled using a computer program and all Rubik's cubes were delivered to the stage in a closed suitcase. Before starting the assembly, each participant was given a fifteen-second opportunity to examine the cube, after which the 3x3x3 puzzle was returned to the starting area. This platform had a light-sensitive diode - when the participant picked up the puzzle, the countdown began and the countdown stopped when the Rubik's cube was placed back on this platform.

Winners of the first World Speedcubing Championship.

The winners were determined from those who showed the best time out of three attempts. They were: Mihn Thai from the USA took first place - 22.95 seconds, second place was won by Razoux Shultz from the Netherlands with 24.32 seconds and Zoltan Labas from Hungary with a score of 24.49 was in third place. Of course, this is significantly different from the records of modern speedcubers, but at that time and taking into account the technical capabilities of those Rubik's cubes, these were the best results.

POSITION

about holding a Speedcubing tournament (solving a Rubik's Cube for a while)

1. Goals and objectives of the TOURNAMENT.

1.1. Collective communication through competitions.

1.2. Identifying and supporting the interests of schoolchildren.

1.3. Involving schoolchildren in physical education and mass sports as an integral element of national culture.

1.4. Popularization and further development of speedcubing as a sport among students of MBOUSOSH No. 2 in the village of Verkhnie Tatyshly.

1.5. Identification of the strongest athletes among students of MBOUSOSH No. 2 in the village of Verkhnie Tatyshly.

2. Place and time of the tournament.

2.1. The tournament is held in one of the classrooms or in the school assembly hall.

3. Tournament participants.

3.1. Anyone from grades 1 to 11 is allowed to participate in the competition.

3.2. During the competition, a protocol is filled out, which indicates the following data: full name, class, time of 5 attempts, best time.

4. Conditions of the tournament.

4.1. The competition is held according to the personal competition of students from MBOUSOSH No. 2 in the village of Verkhnie Tatyshly

4.2. The participant must have a Rubik's cube with him.

5. Competition regulations.

5.1. The classic 3x3 cube solving competition consists of one round. If several students achieve the same result, an additional round(s) is held. Competitions are held in three age groups: 1st - 4th grade, 5th - 8th grade, 9th - 11th grade. In the final, winners of all age categories meet on equal terms.

5.2. In each round, the participant is given 5 attempts, which he must complete (completely collect the cube). The assembly will be considered complete if all edges are assembled. The times of the best and worst attempts are eliminated, and the arithmetic average of the remaining three is considered.

5.3. Depending on the number of participants and the availability of puzzles, one round of solving a 2x2 cube, a Meffert pyramid, and other puzzles can be held.

6. Competition rules

6.1. The participant must have a Rubik's cube with him.

6.2. The tournament is held in accordance with the current rules and these regulations.

6.3. The participant must know and comply with these Rules, discipline, the laws of fair wrestling, and be correct in relation to opponents and officials.

6.4. The contestant must submit a puzzle to the judge that will be puzzled in a certain way.

6.5. The judge must have a working phone with him.

6.6. If a participant completes a puzzle for more than 8 minutes in one attempt, that attempt will be considered incomplete.

7. Determination of winners and awards

8.1. The winner is the participant who wins the individual championship and has the shortest average assembly time.

8.2.Awarding the winners with Certificates and Diplomas of relevant degrees. In the qualifying and final rounds, 3 prize places are determined.