Cubing Competitions - Frequently Asked Questions
Posted by Phil Yu on
What is a speedcubing competition?
A speedcubing competition is an event where cubers and puzzle enthusiasts gather to solve puzzles in a competitive setting. Results are compared to see which speedcuber is the fastest.
The most popular type of speedcubing competition is a World Cube Association (WCA) Competition. These competitions are organized all across the world. All results are kept on the WCA database. This database also keeps track of all world, continental, and national records set by cubers. Each competitor also has a personal profile that stores all their times, ranks, and personal bests.
How can I find competitions?
The best place to find WCA competitions is the competitions tab on the WCA website. This tab lists all the competitions currently announced. You can use this page to sort by region or search for specific events.
You may find other social gatherings or informal competitions in your area. However, only results earned at WCA competitions are kept on your WCA profile.
Can beginners and/or young children enter competitions?
Absolutely. WCA competitions are very accommodating towards beginners. Each event usually begins with a tutorial for first time competitors. Competition delegates and organizers are there to help answer questions and resolve difficult situations.
There are no age or gender divisions in WCA competitions. This means anybody can enter as long as they can solve a cube without help and can follow basic instructions from judges and delegates. Adult supervision is encouraged for young children.
What should I expect when I sign up to a competition?
Our best advice is to sign up for your competition as soon as possible. To do that, pay attention to when registration opens and mark your calendars. In some areas where demand for competitions is high, you may find competitions filling up within minutes after registration opens. You may find yourself on a waitlist if you don’t make it into a competition at first. If competitors drop out, organizers usually allow waitlisted competitors to fill in.
It’s sometimes a good idea to sign up for a competition even if you aren’t 100% certain you can attend. Worst case, you can withdraw from the competition and get a refund (each competition may have different cancellation and withdrawal policies).
What skill level do you have to be in order to enter a competition?
As long as you can solve the cube with no help or reference in under 10 minutes you can likely compete. If you find an event near you that you’d like to try, we recommend checking out the cutoffs for each event so you know what to expect. Lots of events have extremely generous cutoffs (or no cutoffs) for the classic 3x3.
Competitions are extremely fun learning experiences for everyone. Even if you’re not extremely competitive, you can meet many new cubers and potential new friends.
I signed up for a competition. What can I do to improve my chances?
One great way to prepare is to get used to the equipment used in official WCA competitions. All WCA competitions use stackmat timers to measure solve times. Currently, the WCA uses the Speedstacks Gen 4 as well as the Speedstacks Gen 5 timers. If you are more serious about preparing, practicing on a timer with a cube cover can help you simulate what it feels like to compete.
Also, ensure you have at least one cube for each event. For example, if you are competing in 2x2, 3x3, and 4x4, have at least one of each puzzle that you feel comfortable competing on.
If you’d like to learn more about common competition rules, check out this video.
At the end of the day, many consider attending cubing competitions a journey of personal improvement and socialization, not a contest for purely determining winners and losers.
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