Masters Heads to 'Speed Cubing' Competition
Ben Masters, 13, travels Saturday to University of California, Berkeley to participate in an official World Cube Association competition at Wheeler Hall.
Ben, who has been practicing his “cubing” skills about five months, has a personal best time of “about 17 seconds,” which has been perfected as he has practiced during his free time through each day and has worked up to doing five or six “solves” per hour, he said. He attends eighth grade at Dayton Intermediate School.
Hosted by the Cal Cube Club, participants will attempt to solve the Rubik’s Cube in record time, in what is called Speed Cubing. The Rubik’s Cube was invented by Hungarian Professor Erno Rubik, and while many are at a loss to solve the puzzle, the key to unlocking it, Ben said, is memorization.
“There are multiple methods to solve it and some are easier than others,” Ben said. “I like solving cubes because it gives me a sense of accomplishment, and it’s fun to solve new puzzles and get faster.”
The first World Competition took place in Budapest, Hungary in 1982 and was revived in 2003 in Toronto, Canada. People of all ages participate and people from around the world are signed up to compete this weekend.
Ben, who is the son of Stacy and Mark Masters of Dayton is looking forward to Saturday and would like to participate in these events, which take place twice a year at UC Berkeley, at least once a year.
“I feel pretty good; I am not too nervous, but I am a little nervous,” he said. “But I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeing what kind of odd and interesting cubes they have.”