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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did the World Cube Association goer bring a ladder? To take their cube to the next level.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World Cube Association
AbbreviationWCA
Formation18 October 2004 (2004-10-18)
FoundersRon van Bruchem, Tyson Mao
TypeSport Association
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, US
MembersFree
Official language
English
Abdullah Gulab, Ruben Lopez De Juan, Oliver Hexter, Glib Vedmid
Main organ
Board
Staff3 Board of Directors,

11 Committee Leaders (including Board members as a whole),

464 WCA Delegates (excluding trainees),

112 Committee Members
Websiteworldcubeassociation.org

The World Cube Association (WCA) is the worldwide non-profit organization that regulates and holds competitions for mechanical puzzles that are operated by twisting groups of pieces, commonly known as twisty puzzles (a subcategory of combination puzzles). The most famous of those puzzles is the Rubik's Cube.[1][2][3] The WCA was founded by Ron van Bruchem of the Netherlands and Tyson Mao of the United States in 2004.[4][5] The goal of the World Cube Association is to have "more competitions in more countries with more people and more fun, under fair and equal conditions."[6] In 2017, they started work to become a non-profit organization and on 20 November 2017, the state of California accepted the initial registration of the World Cube Association.

The organization is run by the board members. It assigns different teams and committees as well as delegates who can organize official competitions. The presence of a delegate is required to make the competition official.[7] As of March 2026, over 282,000 people from around the world have participated in WCA competitions,[8] and over 16,600 competitions have been held.[9]

Board

[edit]

Current WCA Board Members

[edit]
As of 2026[6]

The WCA Board is responsible for leading the organization as a whole, and fulfilling any duties not fulfilled by other Teams, Committees, and Councils

MemberCountryBoard member since
Abdullah GulabPakistanJuly 2025[10]
Sachin Arvind India May 2026
Glib Vedmid Ukraine May 2026
Oliver Hexter United Kingdom May 2026
Rubén López de Juan Spain May 2026

Former WCA Board Members

[edit]
MemberCountryTerm
Gilles RouxFranceOctober 2004 – November 2008[11]
Ron van BruchemNetherlandsOctober 2004 – July 2018[12]
Masayuki AkimotoJapanSeptember 2005[4] – January 2012
Tyson MaoUnited StatesOctober 2004 – August 2013[13]
Sébastien AurouxGermanyJuly 2012[14] – February 2014[15]
Tim ReynoldsUnited StatesJuly 2012[14] – December 2014[16]
Natán RiggenbachPeruSeptember 2013[17] – August 2015[18]
Olivér PergeHungaryMarch 2015 – February 2016, July 2017[19]
Pedro Santos GuimarãesBrazilMarch 2015 – July 2018[12]
Ilkyoo ChoiSouth KoreaSeptember 2013[17] – July 2017[19]
Chris HardwickUnited StatesJuly 2016[20] – November 2017[21]
Luis J. IáñezSpainJuly 2016[20] – July 2018[12]
Alberto Pérez de Rada FiolSpainNovember 2017[21] – November 2019[22]
Chris WrightUnited KingdomSeptember 2018[23] – September 2020[24]
Bob BurtonUnited StatesNovember 2017[21] - November 2021[25]
Henrik Buus AagaardDenmarkNovember 2019[22] - November 2021[25]
Saransh GroverIndiaSeptember 2020[26] - September 2022[27]
Callum James GoodyearUnited KingdomSeptember 2020[26] - January 2023[28]
Somya Srivastava India July 2022[29] - January 2024[30]
Michael Chai United States July 2023[31] - October 2024[32]
Ethan Pride Australia July 2019[33] - July 2025[34]
Dan Smith United States January 2025[35] - March 2026[36]
Kerrie Jarman Australia July 2023[37] - March 2026[38]

Structure of the WCA

[edit]

WCA Marketing Team

[edit]

The WCA Marketing Team (WMT) is responsible for managing WCA relationships with external partners as well as working closely with the WCA Brand. They are currently seeking help with WCA Merchandise, Sponsorships, and Contracts.[39]

WCA Software Team

[edit]

The WCA website is an open source project on GitHub.[40]

The Software Team develops new software for various tasks within the WCA whenever needed. For example, they created an app that simplifies the process of translating the website, to encourage more people to translate into their language. On 21 August 2012, the WCA Workbook assistant was released.[41]

History

[edit]

Pre-history (1999-2003)

[edit]

In 1982, an unofficial Rubik's Cube World Championships was hosted in Budapest, Hungary by Ernő Rubik, which was won by Minh Thai with a time of 22.95 seconds. In 1999, speedcubers gathered on the Internet via Rubik's Games, a computer game with an electronic version of the Rubik's Cube. Chris Hardwick from Raleigh, NC founded the Yahoo! Group "Speedsolvingrubikscube" and the Unofficial World Records, a place where cubers could post their personal best times. Ron van Bruchem started speedcubing.com together with his friend Ton Dennenbroek, an avid puzzle collector.[42]

Founding (2003-2004)

[edit]

Because the cubers were living all over the world, they wanted to organize a competition at which they could all meet. In 2001, plans to organise a World Championship in New York were underway but it had to be called off due to safety concerns at the time. In 2003, under the guidance of Dan Gosbee, they successfully organized the Rubik's Cube World Championship in Toronto.[42] This first modern-age Rubik's Cube competition was a success, but there were many issues, largely due to the lack of any regulations. After the World Championship, van Bruchem and Tyson Mao started organizing competitions in the Netherlands and Germany, as well as at Caltech in the United States. In 2004, they started the World Cube Association, which today has held competitions in more than 100 countries.[42]

After the founding of the WCA, most competitions in the United States happened in prestigious colleges, though many happened in smaller high schools, middle schools, hotels, malls, amusement parks and other venues internationally. Some of the first official events included most current ones (see Events). However, 6x6, 7x7, and Skewb weren't events when the organization was founded, whereas Magic, Master Magic, and 3x3 with Feet were but are no longer events.[43]

Events

[edit]

Currently, the WCA offers competitions in 17 events. Not all events are offered at every competition, but all are usually offered at national, continental, and global championships. The events are:[44][7]

Additionally, some events have had their official WCA event status removed. They are:[43][45]

  • 3x3x3 Multi-Blind Old Style
  • Clock (from July 25, 2027[46])
  • Magic
  • Master Magic
  • 3x3x3 With Feet
    • Removed due to lack of interest, and cleanliness of equipment.[47]

World Records

[edit]

The following are the official speedcubing world records approved by the WCA as of 25 July 2026.[48]

Note: For averages of 5 solves, the best time and the worst time are dropped, and the mean of the remaining 3 solves is taken. For events where only 3 solves are done, the mean of all 3 is taken. (Times in parentheses are not included in the average calculation)[49]

EventTypeResultPersonCompetition (Date(s))Round Results
3x3x3 Cube Single2.76Poland Teodor ZajderGLS Big Cubes Gdańsk 2026 (7–8 February)4.99 / 5.36 / (5.76) / (2.76) / 5.34
Average3.51China Yiheng Wang (王艺衡)Hefei Cubing League 3x3 III 2026 (17 June)3.68 / (4.61) / (3.39) / 3.41 / 3.45
2x2x2 Cube Single0.39China Ziyu Ye (叶梓渝)Hefei Open 2025 (25 October)(1.94) / 1.31 / 1.38 / 1.46 / (0.39)
Average0.86United States Sujan FeistKids America Christmas Clash OH 2025 (13 December)0.86 / 1.02 / (0.56) / (1.42) / 0.70
4x4x4 Cube Single15.18Poland Tymon KolasińskiSpanish Championship 2025 (6–8 December)20.27 / (22.54) / 19.57 / (15.18) / 20.34
Average18.56Seoul Winter 2026 (17–18 January)19.16 / 18.01 / 18.51 / (21.64) / (16.09)
5x5x5 Cube Single29.49All Rounders Katowice I 2026 (1–3 May)35.94 / (42.62) / 36.67 / 40.82 / (30.45)
Average33.7336.46 / (36.67) / (31.67) / 33.11 / 33.36
6x6x6 Cube Single57.69United States Max ParkBurbank Big Cubes 2025 (26 April)57.69 / 1:11.14 / 1:09.39
Mean1:05.04Malaysia Lim Hung (林弘)UniKL MIAT Cube Open 2026 (9–10 May)1:08.11 / 1:03.68 / 1:03.04
7x7x7 Cube Single1:30.59United States Max ParkRubik's WCA North American Championship 2026 (2–5 July)1:44.78 / 1:44.92 / 1:30.59
Mean1:36.86Nub Open Trabuco Hills Fall 2025 (4 October)1:33.48 / 1:41.36 / 1:35.75
3x3x3 Blindfolded Single11.56United States Tommy CherryMid-Atlantic Quiet Championship 2026 (27–28 June)15.98 / 14.26 / (11.56) / 14.95 / (DNF)
Mean14.05United States Tommy CherryRubik's WCA European Championship 2024 (25–28 July)13.48 / 14.42 / 14.24
Australia Charlie EgginsCubing at The Cube 2026 (9–11 January)14.34 / (DNF) / 13.95 / 13.85 / (11.67)
3x3x3 Fewest Moves Single16Italy Sebastiano TrontoFMC 2019 (15–16 June)16 / 26 / 24
United States Aedan BryantAshfield Summer Challenge 2024 (23 June)26 / 16 / 26
United States Levi Gibson26 / 16 / 24
United Kingdom Jacob Sherwen BrownRubik's UK Championship FMC 2024 (26 October)33 / 31 / 16
Mean19United States Brian JohnsonEvanston FMC Spring 2026 (2 May)17 / 18 / 22
3x3x3 One-Handed Single5.66Switzerland Dhruva Sai MeruvaSwiss Nationals 2024 (4–6 October)(12.25) / 9.77 / 10.02 / (5.66) / 8.93
Average6.99China Zhen Chen (陈震)Wuhu Open 2026 (25 July)7.27 / 7.07 / (6.12) / (9.48) / 6.64
Clock Single1.53New Zealand Lachlan GibsonHasty Hastings 2025 (27 September)3.52 / 2.33 / (7.02) / (1.53) / 3.08
Average2.14GAN New Zealand Nationals 2026 (10-12 July)2.10 / (2.07) / 2.22 / 2.09 / (2.33)
Megaminx Single21.04China Ziyu Wu (吴子钰)Quanzhou Summer 2026 (30 May)(21.04) / 27.74 / 28.66 / 26.11 / (29.29)
Average24.38Russia Timofei TarasenkoTashkent Open 2025 (6-7 December)(21.99) / (27.44) / 23.81 / 23.67 / 25.65
Pyraminx Single0.73United States Simon KellumMiddleton Meetup Thursday 2023 (21 December)4.94 / 2.36 / 1.76 / (0.73) / (DNF)
Average1.14China Lingkun Jiang (姜凌坤)Zhengzhou Zest 2025 (27 December)1.04 / (3.22) / (0.97) / 1.21 / 1.16
Skewb Single0.73Czech Republic Vojtěch GrohmannGłuszyca Open 2026 (7–8 March)(3.25) / 1.57 / 1.70 / (0.73) / 1.56
Average1.37Poland Ignacy SamselskiCube Factory League Justynów 2025 (14–15 June)1.22 / 1.43 / (1.16) / 1.46 / (2.93)
Square-1 Single2.85United States Brian JohnsonEvanston Qualifier 2026 (17 May)(2.85) / 4.39 / (9.36) / 6.40 / 5.23
Average4.63United States Sameer AggarwalCubing in Southern Oregon 2025 (1 February)(8.08) / 6.20 / (3.42) / 3.81 / 3.88
4x4x4 Blindfolded Single51.96United States Stanley Chapel4BLD in a Madison Hall 2023 (28–29 January)1:17.62 / DNF / 51.96
Mean59.39New York Multimate PBQ II 2025 (13–15 June)57.83 / 1:04.79 / 55.54
5x5x5 Blindfolded Single1:58.59Multi Mayhem VA 2026 (2–4 January)2:22.85 / DNF / 1:58.59
Mean2:27.63Michigan Cubing Club Epsilon 2019 (14 December)2:32.48 / 2:28.80 / 2:21.62
3x3x3 Multi-Blind Single63/65 58:23United States Graham SigginsPlease Be Quiet Reno 2025 (18 October)63/65 58:23 / 58/68 1:00:00

World Championships

[edit]

Every two years starting from 2003, the WCA holds the Rubik's Cube World Championships. (except for the 2021 World Championships, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.) The Championship ultimately determines the world champion of the puzzle. Every official event is held at the Championship. The Rubik's Cube World Championship requires extremely careful planning by several volunteers, as well as a large financial commitment to reserve the venue and make necessary preparations.[6] The latest championship was held in Seattle, United States from 3 to 6 July 2025. The next Championship is scheduled to be held in Uppsala, Sweden from 22 to 25 July 2027.[50] The 2021 World Championship was to be held in Almere, Amsterdam from 28 to 31 December 2021, already delayed[51] from its initial July dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before being ultimately cancelled by the association in August 2021.[52]

Championship Year Host Date(s) Nations Puzzles Events 3x3 Winner Average Ref
I 1982 Hungary Budapest 5 June 19 1 1 United States Minh Thai 22.95[note 1] [53]
II 2003 Canada Toronto 23–24 August 15 9 14 United States Dan Knights 20.00 [54]
III 2005 United States Lake Buena Vista 5–6 November 16 9 15 France Jean Pons 15.10 [55]
IV 2007 Hungary Budapest 5–7 October 28 10 17 Japan Yu Nakajima 12.46 [56]
V 2009 Germany Düsseldorf 9–11 October 32 12 19 United Kingdom Breandan Vallance 10.74 [57]
VI 2011 Thailand Bangkok 14–16 October 35 12 19 Poland Michał Pleskowicz 8.65 [58]
VII 2013 United States Las Vegas 26–28 July 35 10 17 Australia Feliks Zemdegs 8.18 [59]
VIII 2015 Brazil São Paulo 17–19 July 37 11 18 Australia Feliks Zemdegs 7.56 [60]
IX 2017 France Paris 13–16 July 64 11 18 United States Max Park 6.85 [61]
X 2019 Australia Melbourne 11–14 July 52 11 18 Germany Philipp Weyer 6.74 [62]
- 2021 Netherlands Almere Cancelled - 11 17 - - [63]
XI 2023 South Korea Incheon 12–15 August 57 11 17 United States Max Park 5.31 [64]
XII 2025 United States Seattle 3–6 July 74 11 17 China Yiheng Wang 4.23 [65]
XIII 2027 Sweden Uppsala 22–25 July - - - - - [66]
  1. ↑ The 1982 World Championship used a best of 3 method to determine the winner, so Minh Thai's winning time is actually a single time.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Bowman, Emma (20 June 2023). "He once had motor skill challenges. Now he's the world's fastest Rubik's cube solver". NPR. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  2. ↑ Walrath-Holdridge, Mary. "Seeking therapy, they found a Rubik's Cube community instead. It saved their son's life". USA TODAY. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  3. ↑ Branch, John (15 August 2018). "Children of the Cube". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 "New WCA board member". World Cube Association. 24 September 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "The 3 Best Speed Cubes (And Why the Rubik's Cube Isn't One)". The New York Times. 19 November 2025. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "About the WCA". World Cube Association. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "WCA Regulations". Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "WCA database export". World Cube Association. Retrieved 5 January 2026. See in table "Persons". Multiply the page count by 10, as there are 10 competitors per page.
  9. ↑ "Number of Competitions". WCA Statistics. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "Changes in the WCA Board of Directors (June 2025)". World Cube Association. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Gilles Roux retires as member of WCA Board". World Cube Association. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 "Changes in the WCA Board". World Cube Association. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  13. ↑ "Tyson Mao retires as member of WCA Board". World Cube Association. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Tim Reynolds and Sébastien Auroux in WCA Board". World Cube Association. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  15. ↑ "Sébastien Auroux retires as WCA board member". World Cube Association. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "Tim Reynolds retires as WCA Board Member". World Cube Association. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  17. 1 2 "New WCA Board Members". World Cube Association. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "Natán Riggenbach resigns from the WCA Board". World Cube Association. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  19. 1 2 "Changes in the Board of Directors (WCA Board)". World Cube Association. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  20. 1 2 "New WCA Board Members". World Cube Association. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  21. 1 2 3 "Changes in the Board of Directors – November 2017". World Cube Association. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  22. 1 2 "Changes in the Board of Directors (November 2019) | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  23. ↑ "Changes in the Board of Directors – September 2018". World Cube Association. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  24. ↑ "Changes in the Board of Directors – September 2020". World Cube Association. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  25. 1 2 Clement, Lauren (9 November 2021). "Changes in the Board of Directors (November 2021)". World Cube Association.
  26. 1 2 Reis, Rui (1 September 2020). "Changes in the WCA Board of Directors". World Cube Association.
  27. ↑ Clement, Lauren (10 September 2022). "Changes in the Board of Directors (September 2022)". World Cube Association.
  28. ↑ Garriga Gea, Albert (2 February 2023). "Changes in the Board of Directors (January 2023)". World Cube Association.
  29. ↑ "Changes in the Board of Directors – July 2022". World Cube Association. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  30. ↑ Ali Behzaad, Zain (25 January 2024). "Changes to the WCA Board of Directors (January 2024)". World Cube Association.
  31. ↑ "Changes in the WCA Board of Directors (July 2023) | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  32. ↑ Ali Behzaad, Zain (22 October 2024). "Changes to the WCA Board of Directors (October 2024)". World Cube Association.
  33. ↑ Reis, Rui (3 July 2019). "Changes to the Board of Directors (July 2019)". World Cube Association.
  34. ↑ Renatus, Kyle Kayden (6 June 2025). "Changes to the WCA Board of Directors (July 2025)". World Cube Association.
  35. ↑ Ali Behzaad, Zain (4 January 2025). "Changes in the WCA Board of Directors (January 2025)". World Cube Association. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  36. ↑ Renatus, Kyle Kayden (10 March 2026). "Dan Smith Appointed Chief Operating Officer of the World Cube Association". World Cube Association. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  37. ↑ "Changes in the WCA Board of Directors (July 2023)". World Cube Association. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  38. ↑ Tao, Sherry (15 March 2026). "Changes in the Board of Directors (March 2026)". World Cube Association. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  39. ↑ "WCA Marketing Team Appliances & About". World Cube Association. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  40. ↑ "WCA Github Repository". World Cube Association. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  41. ↑ "WCA Workbook Assistant versions". World Cube Association. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  42. 1 2 3 "History‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Speedcubing‌ ‌Community‌ ‌&‌ ‌WCA‌ | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  43. 1 2 "WCA Regulations History". World Cube Association. Retrieved 1 May 2021. WCA Updated Regulations Page
  44. ↑ "How to Find Rubik's Cube Competitions | Intro to WCA Competitions". SpeedCubeShop. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  45. ↑ "World Cube Association Competition regulations, history of changes". Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2021. Final version for 2007: Article 9a/d
  46. ↑ "Changes to the WCA's List of Official Events (June 2026) | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  47. ↑ "Removing official status for 3x3x3 With Feet | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  48. ↑ "Records | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  49. ↑ "WCA Regulations | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  50. ↑ "WCA World Championship 2027 Host City Announcement (July 2025) | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  51. ↑ "Postponement of WCA World Championship 2021 (December 2020) | World Cube Association".
  52. ↑ "WCA World Championship 2021 Cancellation | World Cube Association".
  53. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 1982". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  54. ↑ "World Rubik's Games Championship 2003". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  55. ↑ "Rubik's World Championship 2005". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  56. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2007". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  57. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2009". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  58. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2011". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 22 December 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  59. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2013". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  60. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2015". World Cube Association. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  61. ↑ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2017". World Cube Association. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  62. ↑ "WCA World Championship 2019". World Cube Association. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  63. ↑ "WCA World Championship 2021 Cancellation". World Cube Association. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  64. ↑ "Rubik's WCA World Championship 2023". World Cube Association. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  65. ↑ "Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025". World Cube Association. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  66. ↑ "WCA World Championship 2027 Host City Announcement (July 2025)". World Cube Association. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
[edit]
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