A COMPETITION with a difference is coming to Limerick this weekend.
In a first for Limerick, a speedcube competition, titled ‘Solving by the Shannon’, will be held in St Munchin’s College in Corbally on July 22 and 23. The unique event will see over 300 people descend on the Treaty County across the weekend.
Speedcube is a competitive sport that sees participants compete to see who can solve a combination puzzle – like a Rubik’s Cube – the quickest.
One of the organisers of the competition, Kevin Timmons, spoke to the Limerick Post about the variety of different events going on as part of the speedcubing.
“We have 12 events on over the weekend, the main event would be the 3×3 (the normal Rubik’s Cube), but we’ve also got the smaller one, the 2×2, as well as the 4×4, the 5×5, and 6×6.”
“We’re doing the 3×3 blindfolded. You get to look at your cube and then you’ve go to blindfold yourself and solve it. We’ve also got a one-handed 3×3.
“We’ve have a puzzle like a clock, it’s got nine faces on each side and you’ve got line everything up,” Kevin explains.
Speedcubing is growing in popularity across Ireland, and following the Irish Speedcube Championships that were held in Waterford earlier this month, Kevin decided to host an event in the Treaty County.
“I’m only involved in it the last couple of years, when my son (Ben) got into it,” Kevin said.
“This year is the first year that I’ve organised competitions, there’s a crew of people there from Speedcubing Ireland and they’re top notch at what they do organising these events.”
Kevin said that he wanted to bring the competition to Limerick to raise the awareness of speedcubing in the area and to get more people, young and old alike, involved.
“I compete myself now and I love it, the atmosphere at these events is brilliant as well.”
“It’s a lot of kids as well who may not be the most social kids in the world, they’ll spend a lot of time at home with their cubes instead of out on the street with their friends, but when they get together it’s brilliant because they’re all the same,” Kevin said.
The competition in Limerick will see 125 competitors take part, with both kids and adults competing.
“In Waterford we had kids as young as seven and adults in their 70s competing,” Kevin explained.
The demand for the competition has been huge and with it now sold out, Kevin says they’ve had to open a waiting list.
“It’s getting more popular all the time,” he said.
Solving by the Shannon takes place at St Munchin’s College in Corbally on Saturday July 22 from 9am to 6.30pm and on Sunday from 9am to 5.45pm. Spectators are welcome to attend.
