10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPEED CUBING AS A SPORT
Updated: Jan 10
The ultimate goal in the sport of SPEED CUBING is to register the fastest time in solving the Rubik’s Cube. Speed cubing as a sport does not require much of an investment, which makes it an affordable sport that everyone can learn. Just time and patience are key.
Rubik's brand CEO, Christoph Bettin mentioned that over ONE BILLION people play the Rubik’s Cube, a toy that recently turned 40 years old.
Photo via Red Bull
Here are some more interesting facts that kept adding up to the craze and transformed speed cubing into a sport one could dedicate their lives to:
1. Possible Combinations
The Cube contains more than 43 quintillion possible combinations.
2. World Record
The world record for the fastest Rubik’s Cube solved is currently at 3.47 seconds, hit by Yusheng Du, who beat the last record by 0.75 seconds. Interestingly, a robot can solve the same in merely 0.38 seconds.
3. World Championships
Rubik’s Cube World Championships organized by the World Cube Association (WCA) are held every two years with thousands of competitors traveling to compete from all over the globe.
[Red Bull Rubik’s Cube World Championship Finals, Boston 2018 - Teams Arriving]
4. 1982
The first ever Rubik’s Cube World Championship was held in 1982, with 19 entrants.
5. Digital World Cup
Max Park from USA won the first digital Red Bull Rubik's Cube World Cup in November 2020.
Max Park solved the Cube in just 5.90 seconds in the Red Bull Rubik’s Cube World Cup. (Credit: Red Bull Rubik’s Cube World Cup)
6. 4 Steps
CFOP is an acronym for Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL, each referring to the four steps of the method. There are four different methods to perform speed cubing, but none of them has been specifically placed over another.
7. A World Record From India
Krishnam Raju Gadiraju is the first Indian to ever set a world record in speed cubing.
8. Records Are Meant To Be Broken
Gadiraju made his entry into the Guinness World Records on 19 October 2014, when he solved 2,176 Rubik's Cubes within 24 hours using just one hand. This record was beaten by Krishna Sai, who topped Gadiraju’s achievement by solving 2,474 Rubik’s Cubes within 24 hours using just one hand.
Image: thenewsminute.com
9. The God's Number
People attempt to discover the minimum number of moves required to solve the Rubik’s Cube, which is known as the God’s Number.
10. How Many?
450 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold since the toy was introduced 40 years ago. The ongoing pandemic has led to a jump in the sales of this game. 20 million versions of the game are expected to be sold this year.
From initiating its journey as merely a hobby, speed cubing today has become a recognized sport, with a robust global community of players, who are constantly striving to break records.
Rubik’s Cube founder, Ernő Rubik recently stated, “We are all currently trying to solve a puzzle of pandemic. In the face of challenges as complex as the Rubik’s Cube, it takes bravery to rely on our curious, resourceful minds”.
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