Just when we thought we’d seen everything there is to see in the world brought to our shores, it surfaces that a Rubik’s Cube competition is set to take over the Mediterranean, with Malta acting as host.
Speedcubing, i.e. solving a Rubik’s Cube in the shortest time possible, has gained worldwide popularity in recent years, with over 90 countries hosting at least one annual competition. The worldwide support for the game is extraordinary: not only are there legions of fans and players all across the globe, but World Championships are held bi-annually, and over 1,000 competitions have been organised in 2018 alone.
We’ve all marvelled at videos of people solving the Rubik’s Cube at the blink of an eye, and now we have the opportunity to do that in person – or even sign up if you’re confident in your finger agility levels! Speedcubers James Golding and Ron van Bruchem are organising The Malta Open 2019 Speedcubing Competition.
Acting on behalf of the World Cube Association, they reveal that the competition is open for all ages and will have many exciting categories: 3x3x3 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, 4x4x4 Cube, 5x5x5 Cube, Pyraminx, Skewb, and even a 3x3x3 Blindfolded.
The Malta Open 2019 Speedcubing Competition will be held on 30th November 2019 at the Maths & Physics Building within the University of Malta premises. It kicks off at 9:30 and will run till 17:30. Competitor limit is capped at 60 and registration stands at €4 per person.
Currently, the World Record single for the speedcubing of the 3x3x3 cube stands at 3.47 seconds. With the Maltese national record already set by local speedcuber James Chircop at 37.17 seconds single and 57.57 seconds average - are you ready to crack your fingers and beat that?