A series of national records have been broken by quick-fingered – and toed – Rubik’s Cube solvers at the UK championships.
Competitors as young as seven tackled the notoriously tricky cubes one-handed, blindfolded and even with their feet in a bid to become the top gamers of the weekend.
Organisers said like all sportspeople, each “speed-cuber” had their own warm-up routines and rituals, like clapping to increase blood flow and running their hands under warm water.
(Rick Findler/PA)
Some 18 events involving speed-solving of 2×2, 4×4, 5×5, 6×6 and 7×7 cubes and extra challenges took place at the annual three-day competition in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, hosted by the UK Cube Association.
Robert Yau regained the UK title of 3×3 Rubik’s Cube Champion that he had previously held, with a new best time of 6.95 seconds.
Callum Hales-Jepp broke a national record for the UK by using his feet to solve the 3×3 cube in 38.9 seconds.
Another UK competitor, Harry Savage, completed the same sized cube with the fewest moves in 26 seconds.
And a one-handed national record was smashed by Ciaran Beahan for Ireland, who took just 13.69 seconds to solve the puzzle.