RuwixThe most influential Rubik’s Cube speedsolvers of all time
Whilst there are hundreds of thousands of people who can solve the cube worldwide, and tens of thousands that can solve it quickly, not many get to see fame. There are hundreds of solvers who rarely solve above 10 seconds, and even they aren’t always recognised. Today we’re going to look at the 10 speedsolvers who made the greatest impact in their time within the community, both with the introduction of methods and overall records.
5) Erik Akkersdijk
Erik has helped carry speedcubing to places thought previously unreachable. He has held several world records across a wide range of events since his debut in 2005, and set what was then the longest standing world record for the 3x3 cube, when his 7.08 single (which was in fact the first solve to break the 8 second barrier) survived over two years before it was beaten. He still attends competitions today, but surprisingly hasn’t managed to break his 7.08 single since it was set in 2008.
4) Minh Thai
Minh was the winner of the first speedcubing competition in the world, with a best time of 22.95 seconds. This competition was organised just two years after the cube was released, and the idea of speedcubing was still relatively new. No companies had produced cubes designed to be solved quickly, so Rubik’s brand puzzles were the only option. Many people today still can’t solve an original Rubik’s brand cube in this time; Minh set a new goal for cubers everywhere. Unfortunately, speedcubing didn’t grow much until the creation of the WCA in 2003. However, Minh’s record stays standing as the first of its kind.
3) Jessica Fridrich
Jessica attended the 1982 World Championships along with Minh Thai, but is better known for her speedsolving method. Its simplicity and easy-to-learn style means that it is the most well-known and favourite method for all, whether new or veteran. Despite having doubts about the limits of the method (she predicted that her method could not be used to solve the cube in under 13 seconds), it still is considered the most efficient method of all time.
2) Ron van Bruchem
Ron Van Bruchem has held three world records in his speedsolving career, including the coveted 3x3 single. He is most known for co-founding the World Cube Association with Tyson Mao, one of the most well-known cubing organisations in the world. The organisation lists all past and upcoming competitions, updates results regularly, and assigns competitors IDs so they can check their own results and rankings within different locations. It has widened the knowledge of competitions and has helped the competitive aspect of speedcubing grow much larger than it ever was.
1) Feliks Zemdegs
Feliks Zemdegs is arguably the best speedcuber of all time. With world-dominating skill across almost all events offered by the WCA, he is a powerful opponent for anybody who challenges his records. He is the current two-time World Champion (both in 2013 and 2015), and helped carry the world record 3x3 single down from 7.08 to 5.66 single-handedly. Despite not holding the single record for a long time, Feliks still holds the average world record which he set in 2017. Read more about Feliks Zemdegs here.
