Australian wins Rubik's Cube World Championship

Australian Feliks Zemdegs took the Rubik's Cube world title for the second time at the 2015 World Championship finals in Brazil.

Feliks Zemdegs

Feliks Zemdegs

Most people have fiddled with a rubik's cube, few have probably ever been able to complete it even without removing the coloured stickers.

But it took 19-year-old Feliks Zemdegs less than six seconds to win his second world title in Sao Paulo. 

"Firstly the competition was really really awesome, well-run, the venue was really nice, all the people were really nice," he said. 

"The win was also really nice as well. Because I won last time, I was sort of less nervous this time because I had already won one so that sort of helped a bit, but yeah it was obviously really cool."

Zemdegs completed the traditional 3x3x3 rubik's cube in a 5.695 seconds, narrowly missing world record holder, American Collin Burns who completed it in 5.25 seconds.

There are a total of 17 different rubik's cube competitions at the event.

Most people are familiar with the standard 3x3x3 rubik's cube, but they might be surprised to know in the world of competitive speedcubing cubers compete with feet and even blindfolded.

However, the main event is the standard 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, a popular toy that was first invented 41 years ago by Hungarian professor Erno Rubik as a way to challenge his architecture students.

The first Rubik's Cube World Championship was held in Budapest in 1982 and the competition is now held every two years, with this year's instalment being the eighth official event.

According to Brazil's best, Gabriel Dechichi, who completed the 3x3x3 cube in 10.050 seconds, the host nation is growing in the sedentary sport with some super speedy cubers. 

"Brazil is growing a lot. It is already very big, but it has to grow a lot for us to win the world title. We have loads of very quick people so I am sure we will get ther," said Dechichi.

Prize money is allotted to the winners of each of the 17 events with 20 percent of the pool going to the winner of the 3x3x3 Cube event -- the main event in the cubing world.


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Source: Reuters, SBS

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Australian wins Rubik's Cube World Championship | SBS News