Speedcubing

Speedcubing is the art of solving twisty puzzles fast, like the Rubik’s cube. Since solving my very first Rubik’s cube, I’ve become very interested in speedcubing.  As of August, 2012, I have attended 15 official competitions (WCA recognized), including 1 World Championship, 4 US National Championships, and 1 UK National Championship.

Currently (August, 2012), my official best average of 5 for the 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube is 12.41 seconds, with my best single solve being 10.09 seconds.  I also compete in 2×2, 4×4, 5×5, 3×3 Blindfolded, 4×4 Blindfolded, 3×3 One-Handed, and much many other speedsolving events.  You can see my full official World Cube Association profile here.

What does it take to solve puzzles fast?  More than anything, passion, time, and practice.  Since 2006, I’ve probably put in close to 10,000 hours practicing different puzzles.  The hobby is growing at a rapid pace, and it is getting much more competitive.  If you’re interested in learning more about speedsolving, I’d suggest checking out speedsolving.com, an online puzzle community with around 15,000 members.  There is a plethora of information there to look at and learn from.

You can find the top official records in all WCA recognized events at the World Cube Association database.

Good Speedsolving Websites:

Speedcubing Forum
Macky
Bob Burton
Chris Hardwick
Lars Vandenbergh
Dan Knight
Chip’s Page
Ryan Heise Applet/Method
Stefan Pochmann (Blindfold)

Methods:
Jessica Fridrich
Gilles Roux
Duncan Dicks
Lars Petrus
Ryan Heise
ZB Method

Solving Larger Cubes:
http://bigcubes.com/
http://www.speedcubing.com/chris/4speedsolve.html