Fierce competition - cubed Emily Dunn
October 5, 2007 
Three Australians will square off this weekend against some of the world's fastest "speedcubers" at the 25th Rubik's Cube World Championships, to be held in Budapest, the home of the puzzle's reclusive inventor, Erno Rubik.
The reigning Australian champion, Jasmine Lee, holds a personal record of 20.36 seconds for the standard Rubik's Cube.
Even at such lightning speeds, Lee, of Canberra, will be no match for competitors such as Dan Harris, Britain's fastest speedcuber, who can complete the puzzle in just over 10 seconds.
"I barely even have to think about it now," Harris, a 22-year-old university student, says. "I can do it blindfolded, but my success rate isn't great."
More than 30 years after its invention, the Rubik's Cube is enjoying a comeback, with worldwide sales increasing more than 1000 per cent in the past three years.
Speedcubing is the most prominent activity of the international Rubik's Cube community. Speedcubers come together to hold competitions, develop new ways to solve the puzzle, and perfect their technique.
Codes, known as "cube notation", operate as a special language for the speedcubers and allow the algorithms needed for solving the cube to be applied to the puzzle regardless of how the colours are randomly organised.
But the retro plastic toy has been resurrected thanks largely to the internet, where speedcubers post their times, discuss manoeuvres and upload videos of their "solves".
Contests are held across Europe and North America, with the number of competitions also increasing; last year there were 33 official competitions worldwide.
This year all eyes are on Budapest, where 200 fast-fingered contestants from 30 countries are expected to take part in a landmark three-day event hoping to better the world record of 9.86 seconds, set in May this year by Thibaut Jacquinot of France.
Budapest was the site of the first world championship and rumours abound this year that Rubik, an inventor-sculptor and professor of architecture, will make his first public appearance in 10 years to welcome the competition back to its home city.
The Hungarian invented the cube in 1974 and the mechanical puzzle has since spawned numerous versions, including the relatively easy Pocket Cube and the more difficult Rubik's Revenge and Professor's Cube.
Most championship competitors are young men but the number of female entrants such as Lee is on the rise.
As in any sport, there are personal rivalries between cubers, although Harris will admit only to some "friendly" feuding with a German he has nicknamed Zorro. "I don't know why him in particular."
with Telegraph, London
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYJOnyiat4Q[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtqHFZuanaM[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrjkjz1l4qw[/YOUTUBE]
So, has anyone played Rubik's cube before? Are there any speedcubers out there?? Speak up!!! 
Rubik's Cube -
4th October 2007
