Cracking the Cube: Going Slow to Go Fast and Other Unexpected Turns in the World of Competitive Rubik's Cube Solving

(Paperback)

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Ian Scheffler, journalist and aspiring speedcuber, attempts to break into the international phenomenon of speedsolving the Rubiks Cubethink chess played at the speed of Ping-Pongwhile exploring the greater lessons that can be learned through solving it.

When Hungarian professor Ern Rubik invented the Rubiks Cube (or, rather, his Cube) in 1974 out of wooden blocks, rubber bands, and paper clips, he didnt even know if it could be solved, let alone that it would become the worlds most popular puzzle. Since its creation, the Cube has become many things to many people: one of the bestselling childrens toys of all time, a symbol of intellectual prowess, a frustrating puzzle with 43.2 quintillion possible permutations, and now a worldwide sporting phenomenon that is introducing the classic brainteaser to a new generation.

In Cracking the Cube, Ian Scheffler reveals that cubing isnt just fun and games. Along with participating in speedcubing competitionsfrom the World Championship to local tournamentsand interviewing key figures from the Cubes history, he journeys to Budapest to seek a meeting with the legendary and notoriously reclusive Rubik, who is still tinkering away with puzzles in his seventies.

Getting sucked into the competitive circuit himself, Scheffler becomes engrossed in solving Rubiks Cube in under twenty seconds, the quasi-mystical barrier known as sub-20, which is to cubing what four minutes is to the mile: the difference between the best and everyone else. As Scheffler learns from the many gurus who cross his path, from pint-sized kids to engineering professors, its not just about memorizing algorithms or even solving all six sidesits about discovering how to solve yourself.

Reviews

"A brilliant journey into that magical toy that took over our lives, set world records and continues to fascinate kids and adults the world over. We've all had one. We've all played with one. Finally there's a book that explains 'why'." Morgan Spurlock

Author Bio

Ian Scheffler has written for The New Yorker, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. He holds a degree in English from Columbia University, where he co-edited the Columbia Review. Cracking the Cube is his first book.