Speedcubing is the term used when referring to solving a cube shaped puzzle, most commonly a Rubik’s Cube, as quickly as possible. Speedcubing is not new. In fact, it has been around virtually as long as the Rubik’s cube itself. The first competitions to see who could solve the puzzle the fastest started in the early 1980s with the very first World Championship held in 1982 in Budapest, Hungary.

In the late 80s, after its initial popularity, the cube went into hibernation for many years. There are reasons for this decline. One reason was that millions of people around the globe had already purchased one and reached the point of frustration. This dropped the sales of the puzzle, which causes a manufacturing decline.

Years later, the internet played a big role in its resurgence. First it allowed people all over the world who thought they were alone in their love of speed solving the puzzle, to connect with one another. Second, it allowed these people to exchange ideas and information, allowing them to hone their skills in ways that had never been achieved before. Finally, this freely available information reduced much of the frustration achieved in blindly turning the cube by explaining how to solve it.

Finally, in 2003, over 20 years after the first World Championship, this virtual world created a need for another competition. Dubbed The World Championships 2003, it was held in Toronto, Canada in June of 2003 with the help of many people from several countries. The result was a great success and speedcubing has never looked back.

Today, there is rarely a week that goes by without a competition somewhere, with many weekends having several competitions in different cities on the same date. These competitions are governed by an official organization, the World Cube Association (WCA), formed to bring order and fairness to the game. It is controlled by elected board members and influenced in a democratic fashion by the cubers themselves. There are official regulations that must be followed at every competition that helps to ensure the level of competition is consistent regardless of host location. The WCA employs the use of delegates, trusted members of the cubing community, to act on their behalf to facilitate these competitions all over the world.

The online community is very vast, with virtually thousands of websites dedicated to solving the cube. There have been over 5000 people who have competed in an official competition. Speedcubing is big and has no sign of going away anytime soon. All you need is a cube and a desire to learn; with that you can find a lifetime of enjoyment.

Come play with us.