Ghana to host 1st ever Speedcubing Contest in April 6

Edu Learn Ghana in partnership with the World Cube Association(WCA) and partners are poised to bring the entire nation to a halt this April with the introduction of the first ever Speedcubing Competition to be staged in Ghana.

Dubbed "Ghana's 1st ever Speedcubing Competition", the 1-day fun-packed sports event is expected to bring together over 80 top fastest Ghanaian Speedcubers for covetous prizes to be won.

The maiden Speedcubers event is being organized under the auspices of the Hungarian Embassy in Ghana, and will be staged at the Al Rayan International School located at East Legon on April 6, 2019. Time for the event is 9.00 am sharp.

Speedcubing is a sport involving solving a variety of twisty puzzles, the most famous being the 3x3x3 puzzle or Rubik's Cube as quickly as possible. Rubik’s cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture, Erno Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle is solved by achieving a particular combination starting from a random (scrambled) combination.

Often, the solution is required to be some recognizable pattern such as 'all like colors together' or 'all numbers in order'.

For most puzzles, solving entails performing a series of moves that alters a scrambled puzzle into a state in which every face of the puzzle is a single, solid color.

Since 2003, the World Cube Association(WCA), the Rubik's Cube's international governing body, has organized competitions worldwide and recognize world records.

At the Cube For Cambodia 2018 event, a Rubik’s cube competition held in May 6 in Melbourne saw 22-year-old Australian, Feliks Aleksanders Zemdegs, declared the world’s fastest Rubik’s Cube speedsolver by the WCA. It took him 4.22 seconds to break the world record.

Founded by Ron van Bruchem of the Netherlands and Tyson Maoof the United States, the goal of the WCA is to have "more competitions in more countries with more people and more fun, under fair conditions."

In view of the above, Ghana will witness the 1st ever Speedcubing Competition in its history under the authority of the World Cube Association which is anticipated to be conducted by its Senior Delegate, Mr. Philippe Virouleau who will arrive in the country from France.

Touching on the benefits of the Speedcubing event, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Edu Learn Ghana, Puja Gokaldas maintains playing Rubik’s cube is just like playing a chess which comes with so much fun every Ghanaian would love to enjoy not just for the sake of winning a prize but for the fun of it. “It’s not about winning, it’s all about coming to enjoy the experience”.

The Edu Learn CEO maintains solving the puzzles by children exposes them to enormous benefits including improving their concentration level which can help them in their studies. "Once their concentration level is improved, they can apply that in their normal educational studies".

Speedcubing improves reflexes, increase ability to identify patterns, improve hand-eye coordination. It also helps in breaking down complex tasks and increases finger dexterity and agility.

According to the event organizers, the competition is not open to only children but adult as well since the required age for competitors is seven (7) years upward.

Mrs Gokaldas who also doubles as a certified trainer of Speedcubing noted her doors are always open to all who intend to master the art of Speedcubing with aim of becoming speedcubers, not just to compete in the upcoming event but to tap its colossal benefits it offers.

While encouraging all Ghanaians to embrace Speedcubing for its benefits, she averred that one stands the chance to end up as Speedcuber through constant practicing with focus and determination, adding that: "smart children are able to log unto Youtube.com, follow the tutorials and learn by themselves".

The event will offer participants the choice to select and solve any of the four (4) kinds of the Rubik’s cubes available during the competition including the 3x3, the 2x2 and the pyraminx cubes. The competition will rally all contestants to a five rounds show, giving each of them five chances of playtime, out of which the average time will be taken into consideration in deciding winners for the day.

There will be 3 top winners for each competition and winners will presented with certificates and other covetous prizes which will be steered by the Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana, who will serve as the guest of honor for the event.

All participants are encouraged to register online for the event by visiting https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/competitions/GhanaOpen2019/register to complete a registration form with a fee of GH¢30.00. They can also reach Puja Gokaldas on 0244511709 for more information.

Edu Learn Ghana and its partners are calling on corporate institutions, individuals and agencies in the country and beyond to come on board and support them to organize a successful event.

The general public is equally encouraged to either register and participate in the event or come and observe for free.