Remember the first time you tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube? Shifting and rotating the different colors and sequences of the pattern, attempting to put the puzzle back together. Across the world people have challenged the speed in which their fingers can match the memorization of their brain. 3.47 seconds is the current record held by Yusheng Du.
Junior Silas Emerian placed thirteenth in the Cubing USA Western Championship held in Provo, Utah Nov. 26-28. His best time in the competition was 6.4 seconds averaging 8.49 for the whole competition. This placed him 13th overall out of 147 competitors.
Silas’s mom and FC office manager Silva Emerian knew Silas had a talent for solving cubes around four years ago.
“He started to get into it and began memorizing all the algorithms by watching YouTube videos,” Emerian said. “He basically taught himself; that’s how he learned.”
Emerian finds it captivating to watch her son solve various cubes during competition.
“We didn’t think it would be our type of thing, but we went to his first competition and he was totally in his element and so passionate.”
Speed cubing competitions last a day or two depending on how you do on your events. Everyone has to solve the cube at least five times. There are 43 quintillion possible combinations when trying to solve a 3×3 cube.
Silas Emerian finds speed cubing a unique challenge that over the years he has enjoyed solving.
“It’s really fun. It’s a unique hobby that most people can not do,” Emerian said. “I got into solving cubes about four years ago when I got one as a present. I couldn’t solve it, so I left it on my desk for about two years. Then one day I got tired of seeing it unsolved so I picked it up and started to search how to solve it.”
Max Park won the Western Championship with his fastest time of 4.9 seconds. Emerian has accomplished an unofficial fastest time of 4.7 seconds and hopes to bring that speed into his next competition.
If speed cubing interests you, Netflix has a documentary following the story of two friends, including Max Park, in the speed cubing world titled “The Speed Cubers.”
Trailer below
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