Speedcubing competition gathers cube solvers to flex their mental muscles

Dozens of speedcubers came out to Riddell Hall over the weekend to take part in an annual competition.

Avid cube solvers showed their need-to-speed in solving their cubes.

On Saturday, Speedcubing Canada held its annual Winnipeg competition at the Riddell Hall of the University of Winnipeg.

Dozens of cube solvers gathered to find out who solves their cubes the fastest and demonstrate the duality of speed cubing – “calming” and “extremely nerve-wracking,” described by Rowan Salyn.

“Everyone’s so friendly … if you want to walk up to someone with an odd puzzle and say ‘Hey, can I try your cube?’ it’s like ‘oh sure,’” he said on Saturday.

“It’s like you never need to be worried that anyone’s going to be mad at all. Always so happy and friendly.”

Rowan’s dad, Brad, said speedcubing tests people’s mental reflexes.

“If you are somebody like me who lived through the 80s, you remember Rubik’s Cube. These are very similar – except the cubes are designed to be a lot quicker, plus there’s a lot more variation in them,” Brad said.

The competition has different sections based on the cube size. Rubik’s cube – three by three – is the most popular one according to Brad, but other sections feature two by two, seven by seven, pyramid shapes and others.

Brad said the community has been growing and skill levels have evolved a lot.

“It’s great to wow people at a party and say ‘Look, I could solve a cube,’ but there are kids here that are solving it in less than 10 seconds.”

He added that the mental dexterity and amount of memorization make the competition unique.

“The kids who choose to do it are so involved in it and they’re so committed to learn the math behind it, learn the algorithms.

“It really is something that really helps exercise the mind.”