Pair of CWU students struts stuff at Rubik’s Cube tournament

Two members of the Cubing Central Club both placed among the top three in at least one of their events at the Sleepless in Seattle 24-hour Rubik's Cube Tournament earlier this month.

CWU student Ethan Davis won two events at a February 18-19 competition in Everett, solving 30 out of 37 cubes while blindfolded.

CWU Mathematics major Ethan Davis won two events at the February 18-19 competition in Everett, including 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, where competitors memorize several cubes, put on a blindfold, and try to solve them all without looking.

Davis solved 30 out of 37 cubes in just under an hour. For perspective, the second-place competitor attempted to memorize 18 and got 15 correct. Check out this video of Davis attempting to memorize the 37 different cubes.

Davis' second victory came in an event called Megaminx, in which he solved his puzzle in less than 30 seconds. That feat ranks him among the top 10 competitors in the history of the event. Davis now ranks third in the U.S. and eighth in the world in Megaminx.

Meanwhile, CWU Mechanical Engineering major Eli Kirk solved a Rubik's Cube in less than 9 seconds and took third place in an event called "Skewb," in which competitors try to solve a skewed cube.

The World Cube Association (WCA) governs competitions like Sleepless in Seattle for mechanical puzzles commonly known as "twisty puzzles." The most famous of these puzzles is the Rubik's Cube, invented in the 1974 by Hungarian professor Ernő Rubik. Every year, the WCA selects an assortment of puzzles as its official events.

According to its website, the WCA continues to evolve, with more 100,000 competitors testing their skills at sanctioned events over the past decade. The volunteer-run organization seeks to bring opportunities for community membership and leadership to young people around the world through increasing the accessibility of our twisty puzzle competitions.

Since it was introduced in 2004, the WCA has hosted more than 100,000 unique competitors across 140 different countries. Every two years, they sanction a competition that ultimately determines the world champion.