TM TM

RUBIKS CUBE
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
13-16 JULY 2017 IN DOCKS DE PARIS
97 avenue des Magasins Gnraux 93300 Aubervilliers

P RE SS KI T
13-16 JULY 2017 EVENT ORGANIZER
DESIGN YOUR CUBE
Julien Selz:
Opening Times:
julien@designyourcube.com
Thursday 13 July: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Jean-Louis Mathieu:
Friday 14 July: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM jeanlouis@designyourcube.com
Saturday 15 July: 8:00 AM - 12:00 MN
Friday 16 July: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
Yannick Ladeiro:
Visitor entrance fee: 5/day/visitor cm@designyourcube.com
PRESS CONTACT:
FAMOUS PUBLICITY
George Murdoch:
george@famouspublicity.com
+44 (0) 3333 442 341
Adam Betteridge
adam@famouspublicity.com
+44 (0) 333 344 2341

www.rubiksworldparis2017.com

WC2017 - Press Kit - 1

 Schedule

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

13 14 15 16
July July July July
9:00 AM 10:00 AM 9:00 AM 1:30 PM
Beginning of 5x5x5 blindfolded final Beginning of 2x2x2 Square-1 final
competitions competitions
1:45 PM
5:00 PM Skewb final
10:00 AM 6x6x6 final 11:00 AM
Fun Village opening : Beginning of 3x3x3 2:00 PM
Retro video games 5:20 PM competitions 5x5x5 final
Board games Megaminx final
Rubiks Photo Cube 2:20 PM
7:15 PM Pyraminx final
Color Me colouring Ian Scheffler talks:
contest 5:40 PM
7x7x7 final Cracking the cube 2:35 PM
Puzzles, stickers...
Rubiks Photo Cube solver 3x3x3 blindfolded final

11:10 AM 6:00 PM presentation 2:50 PM

3x3x3 with feet final Rubiks Clock final 4x4x4 final
8:00 PM
Rubiks Nations Cup 3:10 PM
3:00 PM World Team 3x3x3 one-handed final
4x4x4 blindfolded final
Championship Relay
3:20 PM
2x2x2 final

4:00 PM
3x3x3 final

5:10 PM
AWARDS

WC2017 - Press Kit - 2

 The incredible story of a cube
THE RUBIKS CUBE? You surely all know this classic puzzle and its difficulty to solve.
Indeed, a best-seller as soon as it was released, it still reigns and can still be found in our living rooms
or childrens rooms and is one of the pillars of the pop culture in the last 30 years. However, have you
ever tried to solve a cube? Do you know the history behind this object?

g What is a Rubiks Cube?

Invented in 1974 in Budapest, by a young Hungarian professor of sculpture and architecture, Ern Rubik, the
concept and first prototype of the cube was intended to explain to his students the concept of 3-dimensional
geometry. This cube, which is difficult to understand at first glance, is composed of 6 faces with 9 squares on each
side.

Following the suggestion of a friend, Ern Rubik

colored each face with a different color. After mixing
the cube, he finds that the initial order of the cube is
very difficult to find. It took him more than a month
to solve his puzzle. He then comes to the idea of
marketing this object in the form of a mathematical
puzzle. Thus, in 1977, the Magic Cube is found in
Hungarian shops and was a remarkable success.
The inventiveness of this new toy is such that in
1980, it was exported from Hungary to try to
conquer the international market under the name
we all know today: the Rubiks Cube.

The success of the toy was achieved with over 100 million cubes sold between
1980 and 1982. It won the prize of British toy distributors (1980 and 1981) two
years in a row. In 1981, a 12-year-old British schoolboy, Patrick Bossert, offered
a detailed You can do the cube solution that quickly became a bestseller with 1.5
million copies sold worldwide.
In addition to the classic version often called the 3x3x3, new cubes appeared such
as the Pocket Cube, a 2x2x2 version of the cube, the Rubiks Revenge, the 4 4
4 version, the Professors Cube, the 5x5x5 version. Non-cubic versions are
also developed. After a brief pause from the general public, the internet boom in
the early 2000s allowed the return of a very active online community around the
cube, as well as the organization of international competitions.
Currently, the performances of the best speedcubers and their sharing on social
networks have made it possible to launch a second wave of passion among young
people. As proof, in France alone, the largest European cube market in 2015,
500,000 Rubiks cubes have been distributed and 450 million have been sold in
the world since 1980!
Initially thought of as a modular work of art and a reflective medium for students,
the Rubiks Cube has become much more.

WC2017 - Press Kit - 3

g Rubiks cube and pop culture
From toy to sports challenges tool it has undoubtedly become a
standard of POP culture.
Many celebrities have publicly shown an interest, saw passion for the
cube. If Will Smith being among the most popular, his demonstrations
during the promotion of the film the Pursuit of happyness, Justin Bieber
tried not to be outdone as he also showed his prowess during some
televised appearances.
The actor Chris Pratt made himself talked-about by being able to answer
questions during an interview while solving a cube in 3 minutes. The
Spanish footballer David Silva also showed off some talent in the field.
In the field of the arts, Rubiks cube also marked a prominent place. The cinema gave it
a place of choice, either by placing it in the setting to illustrate that the story is taking
place in the 80s or by showing a character solving it (the most famous scene being
in the film Pursuit of happyness) often synonymous with intelligence or technical
prowess.
As far as the visual arts are concerned, the French street artist Invader, a fan of the
80s, launched Rubikcubisme in the early 2000s. His art form consists of reproducing
paintings of masters, portraits of personalities or creating his own visuals using
hundreds of cubes while keeping within the original six color constraint.
Google also paid tribute to the 40th anniversary of the cube on May 19, 2014 by
placing on its homepage an animation allowing users to manipulate the puzzle, virtually.

g One cube, ten surprising facts

2 3
There are All combinations of the cube can be resolved
43.252.003.274.489.856.000 in a maximum of 20 movements. This

1
(43 quintillions) ways to number is called Gods number and the
An original cube is made-up
scramble a Rubiks Cube. associated combination is called Gods
of 26 cubelets, 6 centers, 8
corners, 12 edge pieces and algorithm.
54 stickers.

7
More than 450 million

4
official 3x3x3 Rubiks cubes
If there was one cube
sold worldwide making it the
scrambled for every
best selling toy of all time.
permutation and they were
laid end to end they would Behind this colorful cube
stretch approximately hides various surprising facts or
261 light years.
fun anecdotes. Here are a few.

8
During a competition, when

5
solving with the feet, if parts
or they could cover
are detached from the cube,
the earth in 273
the player has the right to put
layers of Rubiks
them back ... but only with his
Cubes.
feet!

6 9
5.8% of the worlds
If you were to turn a Rubiks population already owns
Cube once every second, it a Rubiks Cube.
would take you 1.4 trillion

10
years to go through all the 0.637 seconds. It is the fastest cube
permutations. solve ever realized ... by a robot. The
human record is held by Feliks Zemdegs
at 4.73 seconds.

WC2017 - Press Kit - 4

g Speedcubing, the race against the time
As Ian Scheffler, journalist and speedcuber, wrote in his excellent book Cracking the Cube, speedcubing is like a
game of chess played at the speed of Ping Pong. The search for the best algorithms to solve the cube launched
users in a race against the clock. If it is impossible for the uninitiated to finish the cube, but once a few algorithms
are memorized, it is possible to take between 20 minutes and just a few seconds to solve it.
This improvement has been made possible thanks to the development of methods of resolution requiring fewer
and fewer rotations. The reference method is by far the Fridrich method, developed by Jessica Fridrich. Also
referred to as CFOP (Cross, First Two Layer, Permute the Last Layer), this is a systematic method to solve the Cube
in approximately 60 moves. Once mastered, it can take less than a minute to complete Rubiks Cube. However, the
stars do much better!
The rankings in competitions are made by taking the average of 3 solves out of 5 attempts from cubes mixed
differently (the 2 excluded are the best time and the worst). In recent years some competitors are above the rest,
however only one flies over the others for several years, the Australian Feliks Zemdegs, 21 years old. He holds 8
world records in 6 disciplines to date including the world record of solving the cube in just 4.73 seconds.

FELIKS WORLD RECORDS AS OF MAY 2017

4.73 6.88 21.54 41.27 127.85 222.55

49.32 134.68
Rubiks Cube One-hand 4x4x4 5x5x5 6x6x6 7x7x7

Best time Best average

However, the competition remains tough for Feliks, facing stiff competition.
To challenge these titles, attention will be focused on the eternal rival of the
finals, the Dutch cuber, Mats Valk or the young rising star, the American Max
Park, only 15 years old, who has just taken from him one of his most prestigious
record held since 2010, the average Rubiks Cube 3x3x3 in 6.39!

In order:
Mats Valk, Max Park
and Feliks Zemdegs

WC2017 - Press Kit - 5

 The Rubiks Cube World Championships
g 1982, the first world championship in Budapest
Surfing on the craze around the cube, and on the speed that some developed
to solve the puzzle, a world championship was organized in 1982. Nineteen
independent competitions were first organized to select the fastest among the
19 countries and have them compete in the finals.
Naturally it was held in Budapest, Soviet Hungary and in the presence of Ern
Rubik, this competition saw 15 national records, 3 continental records and set
a world record. It was the American Minh Thai who had the honor to hold the
first world record of 22.95 seconds. The speedcubing was born...

g A 21-year break...
The passion for the cube felt its decline in 1983. It was not until the advent of the internet in the early 2000s
that an online community was formed. Under the drive of Ron Van Bruchem, Tyson Mao, Chris Hardwick and Ton
Dennenbroek, the community grew and the idea of organizing a new championship reappeared.
This was in 2003 with the WC2003 held in Toronto. This time there were 83 competitors and, in addition to the
Rubiks Cube, many variations were introduced like the one-hand and even the foot. New puzzles also emerged,
offering a plethora of categories as compared to the first edition.
The total success of the event brought promise in the new development of the cube at a resolutely sporting level.

g Creation of the World Cube Association and the advent of speed cubing
On the strength of this success, Ron Van Bruchem and Tyson Mao persevered and organized other events in
Europe and in the United States. In 2004, they embarked in the creation of the World Cube Association (or WCA),
which is the sole reference organization in the Rubiks Cubes competitions and the like. As of today, WCA has
been established in 70 countries. Thanks to the profusion of competitions organized by the WCA, the speedcubing
took off and the records broken one after the other. The world championship is now organized every two years
passing from one continent to another. Lake Buena Vista in 2005, return to Budapest in 2007, Dusseldorf in 2009,
Bangkok in 2011, Las Vegas in 2013 and Sao Paulo in 2015. The number of participants also skyrocketed. From 19
participants in 1982, the last championships amassed nearly 500 competitors to compete. The resolutions times
even begin to regularly fall below the 10 second barrier in the 2010s!

WC2017 - Press Kit - 6

 RUBIKS CUBE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

FROM 1982 TO 2015

8 championships held in
3 continents and 6 countries

2003 2009
2017 1982 & 2007
2013
2005
2011

2015
Number of Competitors
1982 - Budapest, Hungary 19
2003 - Toronto, Canada 83
2005 - Lake Buena Vista, USA 148
2007 - Budapest, Hungary 213
2009 - Dsseldorf, Germany 327
2011 - Bangkok, Thailand 292
2013 - Las Vegas, USA 580
2015 - Sao Paulo, Brazil 428

2017 - Paris, France 1100

RACE AGAINST TIME

25 Evolution of Rubiks
22.95
Cube World Records
20
16.53

15
Time (in seconds)

12.1 11.75
10.48
10 9.55
7.08 6.77
5.66 5.55 4.9 4.73
5

0
82

03

04

05

06

07

08

10

11

13

15

16
19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

Years

WC2017 - Press Kit - 7

 The 2017 World Rubiks Cube Championship

For the first time since 1982, France will be hosting the world championships. It is in Paris
that the event will take place, in the prestigious Dock de Paris. We expect 1100 competitors
this year which is more than twice the number of participants in the 2015 edition. All
continents will be represented from 13 to 16 July 2017.

g The Dock de Paris

Located at the threshold of Paris, near the metro station
Front Populaire (line 12), within the mythical warehouses
and general stores of the City of Paris, renamed Parc des
Portes de Paris, the Docks de Paris is one of the biggest
meeting centers in the capital. Created in 1860, the brick
and stone buildings typical of the 19th century have been
completely renovated and classified as National Cultural
Heritage site. Two of the three buildings make up
the venue to host the championships, the Dock
Pullman and the Dock Eiffel.

Dock Pullman set-up

WC2017 - Press Kit - 8

 THE EVENT IN A FEW FIGURES

90 %
3200 SQM
DEDICATED FOR
THE COMPETITION
4
DAYS OF 70 COUNTRIES
1100
COMPETITORS
10 %
COMPETITION

5 YE A RS 21.8 3 DISTINCT
YOUNGEST CANDIDATE
YEARS 18 EVENT
ZONE S
62 YEARS AVERAGE
CATEGORIES
(COMPETITION,
A N I M AT I O N ,
OLDEST CANDIDATE
FOOD SERVICE)

g The Competition
The Dock Pullman will host the competitions for 4 days. The space will be divided into two zones, the preparation
area and the competition area, separated by an auditorium with 1000 seating capacity, allows the maximum
enjoyment within the atmosphere of the competition.
Access to this building will not only be reserved for competitors, coaches, staff and journalists but also to more
than 200 visitors per day wishing to discover this next level competition. Only two events that require immense
concentration efforts will take place in isolated rooms away from the euphoria of the event: the Blindfolded and
Fewest Moves Challenge where competitors are tasked to find and write down the shortest possible solution to
a scrambled cube. In addition, the entirety of the finals will be filmed and broadcast live in the Dock Eiffel and on
social networks to make the experience accessible to all.
Eighteen events will take place during these 4 days. Even if the major event remains the solving of the classic
Rubiks Cube or 3x3x3, resolutions using the feet, one-handed, blind and other puzzles disciplines will become the
joy of competitors and will stir up the curiosity of the novices.

THE 18 OFFICIAL COMPETITIONS

CUBE SPEEDSOLVING BLINDFOLDED SOLVING SPEEDSOLVING OTHER

PUZZLE TYPES
Rubiks Cube 3x3x3 Blindfolded
Megaminx

Cube 2x2x2 3x3x3 Multiple-blindfolded

Pyraminx
4x4x4 Blindfolded
Cube 4x4x4
Rubiks Clock
5x5x5 Blindfolded
Cube 5x5x5 Skewb

OTHER TECHNIQUES
Cube 6x6x6 Square-1
3x3x3 One-handed
Cube 7x7x7
3x3x3 Solving with feet

3x3x3 Fewest moves

WC2017 - Press Kit - 9

 The First Rubiks Nations Cup
Design Your Cube, organizer of the First World Championships in Paris, is
once again innovating by creating the first Rubiks cube world championship
by team.
Unlike the official competitions, competitors will compete with the same
cube in an unprecedented team relay of 3. Nearly 40 nations will take part in
this event. They will try to qualify for the finals on the big stage of the Dock
Pullman. The first title in the history of speedcubing which will designate THE
FIRST COUNTRY WORLD CHAMPION OF RUBIKS CUBE!
Of course, the speedcubing champions will be present, breaking down an

Nations cup already fierce competition. However, this kind of team competition being the
first of its kind, will certainly provide us with lots of surprises.

More than 30 Nations* will participate to the first Rubiks Nations Cup.
Participants who ranked from the worlds top 10 will represent their own teams.

Rank Nation Average Rank Nation Average

1 United States 1 6.77 25 Brazil 10.04
2 Germany 1 7.02 26 Argentina 10.15
3 Canada 1 7.61 27 Mexico 10.21
4 Australia 7.70 28 Belgium 10.22
5 Netherlands 7.74 29 Colombia 10.41
6 Poland 7.74 30 Ireland 10.44
7 Germany 2 7.79 31 Japan 2 10.47
8 China 7.90 32 United Kingdom 2 10.57
9 United Kingdom 1 7.97 33 Taiwan 2 10.70
10 Korea 8.17 34 Italy 1 11.07
11 France 1 8.18 35 Mongolia 11.15
12 Spain 1 8.33 36 Italy 2 11.46
13 Canada 2 8.41 37 United States 2 11.76
14 Taiwan 1 8.57 38 Finland 2 11.98
15 Norway 8,61 39 United Kingdom 3 12.12
16 India 8.69 40 Belarus 12.15
17 Japan 1 8.71 41 Hong Kong 12.53
18 Hungary 8.90 42 New Zealand 12.95
19 France 2 9.02 43 Romania 13.85
20 Denmark 9.11 44 Algeria 14.45
21 France 3 9.19 45 Tunisia 17.38
22 Finland 1 9.57 46 Russia 21.64
23 Philippines 9.80 47 Latvia 28.27
24 Spain 2 9.93 *Official tabulation updated on the website

WC2017 - Press Kit - 10

 Activities Outside the Competition
In addition to the biggest world championship ever, visitors will be interested to find other activities
in the two villages, close to Dock Pullman, throughout the 4 days. Indeed, we put at their disposal
two venues dedicated to games, the animations and gourmet!

g The Fun Village

The Dock Eiffel will house the Fun Village, where visitors can discover animations, commercial stands, fun and
educational booths linked to the world of Rubiks Cube in a 1600 sq.m. area. Also, the World Cube Association and
its volunteers will be there to initiate novices the delights of puzzles. We will also welcome members of Inter Rubik,
the great Rubiks Cube French interschool tournament.
In the introduction to the Rubiks Nations Cup, Ian Scheffler will talk about his book
Cracking the Cube, which will be translated into French this autumn (french copies
will be exceptionally available for purchase during the Worlds). Northwest Designs
Ink will be present and will offer custom t-shirts to competitors.
Board games and puzzles will also be part of the event, including the presence of Gregs
Puzzles and Olivrs Stickers. Rubiks Photo Cube, created by DESIGN YOUR CUBE
will likewise be onsite to make customized Rubiks cube prints.
UNITED SQUARE will present different versions of its game and new challenges. The
Fun village will also propose to the public a series of games made from wood to help
occupy both young and old between each competition. Entertainments will also be
scheduled during these four days of competition.

Ian Scheffler

g The Gourmet Village

Gourmet Village, the appetite-challenging competition,
will offer a restaurant where everyone can find
something to satisfy their hunger. Accessible to both
competitors and visitors, this site will be made up of
various Food Trucks proposing varieties of food taking
into account the cultural diversity that makes up the
strength of the world championships.

WC2017 - Press Kit - 11

 The Organizers

g Design Your Cube

DESIGN YOUR CUBE, under Rubiks brand license for the world since 2014, is a
French start-up who, with the launch of the first Rubiks Photo Cube, created the
Rubiks 2.0 concept. A fully customizable Rubiks cube. DYC innovates today with a
very event-oriented format and 6 strong product signatures of its Rubiks Photo Cube
brand (see below), direct on-site cube printing, a 3D website and mobile applications
as well as a solving tool unique in the world.
8 http://www.rubiksphotocube.com/fr

DYC also proposes a design & fun advertising

Animation object, from consulting to the creation of
large series of individually personalized
cubes for your company, to the organization
Corporate Designer of events within your company.

Event OpenMind

Design Your Cube will soon release

its new version: the Color Me, a
series of color-it-yourself Rubiks
Photo Cube!

g World Cube Association

The World Cube Association governs competitions for all puzzles labelled as Rubik puzzles, and all other puzzles
that are played by twisting the sides, so-called twisty puzzles. Most famous of these puzzles is the Rubiks Cube. A
selection of these puzzles is chosen as official events of the WCA.
The World Cube Association organizes competitions all over the world, supported by regional organizations
responsible for organizing competitions in their countries.
The spirit of the World Cube Association is that people from all over the world have fun together in a friendly
atmosphere, help each other and behave sportsmanlike. 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.
8 https://www.worldcubeassociation.org

WC2017 - Press Kit - 12

 The PARTNERS
g SPONSORS/ ORGANIZERS g PARTNERS

g OFFICIAL SPONSORS

g OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Speedcubing Terminologies
Cube fans require certain vocabularies. Heres how to decode them during discussions in the corridors during
the events.
3x3x3: The Rubiks Cube, the classic 3-layered cube.
4x4x4, 5x5x5,...: Cube puzzle variants whose names correspond with the number of its layers.
Algorithm: The sequence of movements that allows the precise movement of pieces on the cube.
CFOP: Also known as the Fridrich Method, is a sequence of algorithms that allow the resolution of a Rubiks Cube
in 4 steps C= Cross, F= First Two Layers, O= Orientation of Last Layer, P= Permutation Last Layer.
DNF : Did Not Finish. Is the condition if the puzzle is unsolved and the timer is stopped.
PB: Personal Best. It is when a speedcuber solves a puzzle faster than they have ever done before.
Pop: Caused by rapid manipulation of cube during solve, one or more pieces come out of contact with the cube
causing the puzzle to become loose. The competitor is allowed to fix his puzzle and continue with the solve.
Pyraminx: Is a regular tetrahedron (triangular pyramid) puzzle in the style of the Rubiks cube.
Megaminx: Is another form of puzzle in the form of a dodecahedron or having 12 flat faces
Sub...: From Latin meaning under, means a single solve or average that is under a certain time. A solve under 10
secs for example is called sub 10.

EVENT ORGANIZER:
DOWNLOAD GRAPHIC
DESIGN YOUR CUBE ELEMENTS
Julien Selz: julien@designyourcube.com
Jean-Louis Mathieu: jeanlouis@designyourcube.com
PRESS CONTACT: FAMOUS PUBLICITY
George Murdoch: george@famouspublicity.com
+44 (0) 3333 442 341
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
Yannick Ladeiro: cm@designyourcube.com Follow us on

WC2017 - Press Kit - 13