European speedcubers compete in Netherlands championship

Competitive Rubik's Cube solvers from 53 countries are taking part in the 11th European speedcubing championships in Arnhem, in the eastern Netherlands.

The event has 1,200 competitors and includes disciplines such as blindfold solving and solving cubes while wearing oven gloves. The competition is supported by 250 volunteers and officials.

French national champion Juliette Sebastien, a 25-year-old student, is among the competitors. She recorded 25.03 seconds in a 4x4 event, using a cube that is larger and harder to solve than a standard Rubik's Cube. Sebastien said she normally trains for at least an hour a day and had increased her practice to three or four hours a day before the competition, despite a wasp sting to her hand. She said she trains in blocks of 100, 200 or sometimes 300 solves and that there are always new techniques to learn.

The fastest events are much shorter. Chinese speedcuber Ziyu Ye holds the 2x2 world record at 0.39 seconds.

The competition is tightly regulated. Before competitors go on stage, they give their cubes to scramblers, who secretly set each cube to the same position so competitors face the same challenge. Two competitors sit side by side, watched by referees and cameras, while a digital clock records their times to the hundredth of a second. Competitors receive the scrambled cube concealed in a box, then have 15 seconds to inspect it before starting the clock with a hand sensor.

Participants at Arnhem were still discussing a recent cheating case known as the "Sliding Scandal". The technique involved players sliding their hands from the sensor toward the cube to gain fractions of a second. World records were removed after the scandal.

Equipment preparation is also part of the sport. Loes Wentink, a 21-year-old electrical engineering student staffing the lubrication stand, said competitors use precise amounts of lubricant to make cubes turn at their preferred speed. She said some lubricants increase friction because some cubes are too fast when new, while others reduce a rough feeling when the cube turns.

Some players use GoPro cameras on their heads in training so they can review their solves. Smartcubes with Bluetooth sensors can track each move in an app and suggest improvements, but they are not allowed in competition.

Blindfold solving is one of the 17 disciplines. Players have one hour to memorise as many cubes as possible and then solve them blindfolded. The record is 63 correctly solved cubes.

Organiser Yinte Dik, a 25-year-old accountant who has competed since 2017, said the championship includes players aged from eight to 71. She said Poland is the team to beat at European level, while the United States and China are strongest globally. Dik said speedcubing can be stressful but has a strong community and can be learned by anyone through practice.