Remember the Rubik’s Cube? If you grew up in the 1980s you likely were as addicted to the mechanical puzzle as I was. The colorful 3×3 cube invented in 1974 by engineer Erno Rubik ignited a pop culture craze in the decade made famous by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and plastic jelly shoes.
Today, those same jelly shoes have gone out of fashion, but the popularity of the Rubik’s cube lives on. In fact, this weekend, hundreds of puzzle junkies are in Budapest for the fourth annual Rubik’s Cube world championship–a three-day event offering big prizes to people who can solve the little cube in the shortest amount of time.
According to event organizers, 263 competitors from 33 countries are expected to take part in the event. The championships include 17 different skill categories where participants try to solve the classic cube while blindfolded, with one hand, or with their feet. The current world record for solving the famous six-sided cube with nine tiles each on each side – is 9.86 seconds. A Frenchman set it earlier this year.
These days competitors say they use technology to help them get a leg up on the competition. Most Rubik’s aficionados say there is a ton of cube literature on the Internet, with people sharing moves and techniques. For example, to achieve lightning fast moves, most cubists spray the block puzzles with silicon lubricant so they rotate more easily. Meanwhile, some competitors reveal that they use a nail file to smooth the cube’s rough plastic edges to cut down on solving time.
Among the youngest competitors at this year’s finals is 7-year-old Yoshiki Yumoto from Tokyo. He reportedly can solve the 3×3 cube in around 15 seconds. The United States is expected to have the biggest delegation of nearly 40 competitors. In addition, dozens of cube solvers from Poland, Japan and France are also participating in the event. Organizers say the participants’ average age is 24 and most of them are male.
Winners will walk away with a total of $28,000 in prize money, with the top Rubik’s solver getting $7,000. Not bad for 10 seconds of work.
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