Seventh grader Karina Ermakova (section 7M2) and 3rd grader Dmitry Salakhov participated successfully in the Qualification Vlapostok 2019 speed cubing competition, with Karina taking 3rd place in the Rubik 3x3 class (eyes closed) in a time of 8.37 minutes and Dmitry finishing 23rd in the 3x3 high-speed event with a time of 27.37 seconds.
Participants competed in ten different classes: Rubik 3x3 and various modifications including 2x2, 4x4 and 5x5, as well as contests with other types of puzzles.
Karina explains: “My goal was to solve the 3x3 cube in 2 minutes with my eyes closed. With my eyes open I can solve it much faster, and I can solve a 2x2 cube in 4 seconds, but I would like to do it even faster than that.”
The children reported that their goals are to solve the Squire cube in 10 seconds, the Megaminx in one minute or less, and the 7x7 cube in two minutes.
Speed cubing is a hobby for true intellectuals,” says ILS Principal Olga Shevchenko. “Solving Rubik’s cubes is excellent training for the brain, as it develops spatial thinking, attention and concentration, as well as logic.”
