If you've ever picked up a Rubik's Cube, chances are you've been frustrated. Getting those tiny square pieces to twist into solid-color sides is absurdly difficult.
Or absurdly easy, if you're Alex Clarke of Omaha.
The Millard West freshman can solve the puzzle in 17 seconds. That's 9.2 seconds shy of the world record.
“I keep trying to get faster times,” said Alex, 14. “There are so many combinations.”
Make that 43 quintillion combinations, according to Rubiks.com.
The cube, originally coined the “Magic Cube,” was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernö Rubik but wasn't licensed to be sold until 1980. At the height of the Rubik's craze in the mid-1980s it was estimated that one-fifth of the world's population had played the cube.
Thirty years later, the multicolor cube still has a loyal following, including Alex. In fact, more than 350 million cubes have been sold worldwide — 9.2 million just last year.
Alex and his speedy thumbs have competed in Rubik's Cube competitions — called speedcubing — across the country, from Colorado to Illinois to Minnesota. World Rubik's Cube championships are held every year. Now Nebraska will host its first qualifying event, at 9 a.m. Saturday in the All Saints Episcopal Church retreat center, 9302 Blondo St.
Alex and his mom, Mary Clarke, brought the event home.
“We've been all around and thought ‘Why don't we have one in Nebraska?' So he and I put our heads together,” Clarke said.
So far 23 people, mostly in their teens or college age, have registered for Saturday's competition. The youngest is 4 years old.
A World Cubing Association judge will be on hand to make everything official and to certify any record-setting times.
Alex got his speedcubing start two years ago in Atlanta. He was visiting a cousin who had purchased the toy for fun. They'd have mini-competitions to see who could solve it faster. His more-experienced cousin always won.
“She was way better than me,” he said.
When Alex returned home, he had to have his own cube. He searched online for solving tips. He eventually found a YouTube clip that explained how to manipulate the puzzle, but found the six-minute video frustrating.
“I watched it for two hours straight,” Alex said. With no luck, he tossed the toy aside. A month later, out of boredom, he picked up the cube again.
“I finally got it,” he said.
From that moment on, Alex went into training. Speedcubing was his next goal. He carried the box everywhere he went: on the ride to school, to a friend's house and while shopping at the mall.
Although he recently took up skateboarding, Alex still has a passion for cubes. He spends at least 30 minutes a day toying with the box.
“It's like an appendage of his arm,” his mom joked. “If he sees an unsolved cube, he can't walk past it. He has to solve it.”
Alex owns about 30 cubes. He fiddles with them all the time. He enjoys competitions because that's his time to socialize with other cubaholics. They'll flick through a standard cube at breakneck speed and talk about several amazing “algorithms” (move-sequences) it takes to finish.
Alex entered his first competition two years ago in Kansas City, Mo.
“My parents thought I was fast. I thought I was fast,” he said. He could solve in 30 seconds. When he got there, people were finishing in less than 10.
He didn't get frustrated, though. He got motivated.
“It made me want to work at getting faster,” he said. He hopes he can be the same inspiration to others at the Nebraska event.
“If you want to do the Rubik's Cube, you can do it,” Alex said. “It takes a while to figure out the first puzzle.”
And now, he said, the most difficult part of the cube is making himself stop.
Contact the writer:
444-1075, j.loza@owh.com
