Our whole life is solving puzzles. This quote by Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, adorned the T-shirt of one of the youngest speedcubers — 9-year-old Chitresh Paul — participating at the IVWS Cube Open 2023 in Calcutta recently, which was held under the auspices of the World Cube Association (WCA). Speedcubing is a competitive sport involving solving a variety of cube puzzles, the most famous being the 3x3x3 puzzle, as quickly as possible. A person who practices solving these twisty puzzles competitively is known as a speedcuber, or a cuber.
At the Calcutta event, 61 participants — including two from Chennai and one from Mumbai — mesmerised the audience with their rapid fire moves at the Indus Valley World School.
The entire competition — from scouting for sponsors to getting the word out to handling registrations, logistics and conducting the contest was “of, by and for” school students. School students effectively and efficiently played the roles of judges, scramblers and volunteers. The events — divided into different categories of cubes like 3x3x3, 2x2x2, 4x4x4, Pyraminx, with blindfolded and one-handed feats thrown in — left the spectators, predominantly parents, spell bound.
The tournament was helmed by the “awesome threesome” of high school students and speed cubers Sushant Shah, Sayak Moulic and Ayush Patnaik under the supervision of WCA delegate Spondon Nath, who came all from Guwahati.
Aarya Biswas was the winner of the 3x3x3 competition with an average speed of 8.71 seconds and a single best of 7.36 seconds. Ribin Abraham and Hitesh Kumar Bhuwalka notched up averages of 9.91 seconds and 10.13 seconds to collar the second and third positions. The blindfolded contest was won by Sayak Moulic in an impressive one minute and 57 seconds.
A slew of records was set. There was a triumphant roar when Ayush Patnaik solved the Pyraminx in 2.25 seconds, catapulting him to the All India 37th rank. Aarya Biswas managed a 2x2x2 solve in 1.87 seconds tying him with the National Rank of 9 and Asian Rank of 76. Hitesh Kumar Bhuwalka clocked 34.79 seconds in the 4x4x4 event placing him at No. 31 nationally.
This is the first time I participated in such an event and I enjoyed it so much that I plan to ask my school to start a speedcubing chapter and host contests in the near future. Like many speedcubers I met, I too am self-taught. I have memorised close to 200 algorithms in the last few months to solve cubes. I wish more people like me would take up this sport that develops a high level of concentration, skill and physical dexterity.
Vidan Pinto
Class VII, PSBB Senior Secondary School, Chennai
