Rubik's Cube Elite Prepare for South America's First World Championship

Rubik’s Cube elite prepare for South America’s first World Championship Submitted by: Rubik’s Cube Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Brazilians are no strangers to world-class competitions; they hosted the football World Cup in 2014 and are readying themselves for the Olympics in 2016. From Friday July 17 to Sunday July 19 they will host the Rubik’s Cube World Championship (http://www.cuber.com.br/worlds/index.php?location=home), a biannual event that attracts hundreds of the world’s fastest Cubers. It takes place at Colégio Etapa, Rua Vergueiro, Vila Mariana, São Paulo, from 9AM to 6PM on Friday and Saturday and 9AM until 5PM on Sunday. Two years ago in Las Vegas, Australia’s Feliks Zemdegs stunned the competition, solving the Rubik’s Cube with a winning average time of 8.18 seconds, and he will be in attendance at São Paulo, looking to defend his title. Competitors solve the Rubik’s Cube five times. The fastest and slowest attempts are removed and an average time is taken so it’s not always the fastest single solve that wins the competition. The world record for a Single Solve is 5.25 seconds, set by American Collin Burns in April 2015. Chrisi Trussell, from London-based Rubik’s Brand Ltd, said, “The Rubik’s Cube World Championship is a fantastic event which attracts the world’s Speedcubing elite. “The truth is that it’s not just about the competition – it’s a social weekend where participants can meet friends, share tips and watch the fastest Cubers in the world compete. “There is a wide range of categories – for example, some people complete the puzzle blindfolded or with their feet!” Erno Rubik, the inventor of the world’s best-selling toy (http://www.rubiks.com), said, “I first made the Rubik’s Cube when I was a Professor of Architecture, to get my students to think spatially. Who’d have thought that 41 years later, several hundred young-at-heart fans would be competing in São Paulo? It shows that the challenge of completing the Cube is a timeless one!” There are 18 different events at the 2015 Rubik’s Cube World Championship including: •2x2 Rubik’s Cube •3x3 Rubik’s Cube •4x4 Rubik’s Cube •5x5 Rubik’s Cube •One-handed 3x3 Rubik’s Cube •Blindfolded 3x3 Rubik’s Cube •3x3 Rubik’s Cube (fewest moves) •3x3 Rubik’s Cube with feet •4x4 Rubik’s Cube blindfolded

Page 1 •5x5 Rubik’s Cube blindfolded •3x3 Rubik’s Cube multiple blindfolded The highlight of the competition is the 3 x 3 x 3 final, which starts at 4.15PM (São Paulo local time) on Sunday July 19. The championships will be streamed live from the start of the competition and can be viewed via http://cubovelocidade.com.br/worlds/ . Rubik’s Cube World Championship The Rubik’s Cube World Championship was first held in Budapest in 1982 and was won by American Minh Thai with a time of 22.95 seconds. In each of the six Rubik’s Cube World Championships since then, the winning time has been faster than the one preceding it. Since then there have been six World Championships and it is now held biannually, attracting more than 400 competitors. See below a list of contenders to watch at this year’s event and their personal best times: 1Australia - Feliks Zemdegs6.54 2Netherlands - Mats Valk 7.45 3Canada - Antoine Cantin 8.01 4Poland - Micha Pleskowicz8.11 5USA - Anthony Brooks 8.17 6UK - Robert Yau 8.21 7UK - Breandan Vallance 8.32 8USA - Kevin Hays 8.38 9Brazil - Pedro Henrique da Silva Roque8.43 10Poland - Jakub Kipa 8.46 11USA - Justin Mallari 8.61 12Australia - Jayden McNeill8.70 13Brazil - Gabriel Dechichi Barbar 8.80 14India - Kabyanil Talukdar8.90 15Slovenia - Staš Zupanc 9.04 To find out more about the Rubik’s Cube, visit the website at www.rubiks.com, Twitter feed @RubiksOnline (https://twitter.com/rubiksonline) or official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Rubiksonline). Alternatively, join the conversation at #RubiksCube (https://twitter.com/hashtag/rubikscube?src=hash). Links: http://www.cuber.com.br/worlds/index.php?location=home www.rubiks.com https://twitter.com/rubiksonline https://www.facebook.com/Rubiksonline https://www.youtube.com/user/RubiksTV

Page 2 ENDS Images and B-roll from the 2013 Rubik’s Cube World Championship are available on request. We would be delighted to organise interviews with Chrisi Trussell from Rubik’s Brand Ltd. Images and B-roll from the 2015 Rubik’s Cube World Championship will be available to journalists when the event is under way. We have a limited number of Rubik’s Cubes for distribution to journalists, so let us know if you’d like one. Media information provided by Famous Publicity. For more information please contact George Murdoch at 07834 643 977 or [email protected] or Tina Fotherby at 07703 409 622 or [email protected]. WHAT: Rubik’s Cube World Championship 2015 WHO: 426 competitors from across the world (full list of competitors (http://www.cuber.com.br/worlds/index.php?location=heats)) WHEN: July 17-19 2015 WHERE: Colégio Etapa, Rua Vergueiro, Vila Mariana, São Paulo Rubik’s Cube® is a registered trademark of Rubik’s Brand Ltd

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