Rubik's Cube Craze Makes Comeback
2009-10-12 7:16
The Rubik's cube was an 80s phenomenon
— nearly everybody tried their luck in getting those colorful little squares to line up correctly on every side of the cube.
Now, the craze is being revived at the fifth World Rubik's Cube Championship in Duesseldorf.
Some 450 participants from more than 40 countries have come together, their ages starting from twelve.
Competitions vary: different disciplines apply to different kinds of cubes.
4x4x4, for example, is a contest involving a cube that has 16 squares on each side. The classic variety is 3x3x3 with nine squares on each side.
Winners are rewarded with gold, silver and bronze medals as well as receiving prize money with a total value of 20,000 euro.
Syuhei Omra from Japan beat out the competition in 16 square, finishing the cube within an average time of 45 seconds.
[Syuhei Omra, 4x4x4 Winner]:
"In past competitions, I could not do my best performance. But today's result is my best. I am very happy."
One of the youngest participants, Durben John S. Virtucio, came with his father all the way from the Philippines.
[Durben John S. Virtucio, 3x3x3 Winner]:
"I am very nervous, because I want to try to break records, not only in my country, but also in the world."
Rubik's cube fans might strike onlookers as nerds, but that is not necessarily true.
[Caroline Paessens, German Participant]:
"We do party as well; we (are) not absolute freaks. But sometimes, we do meet in someone's living room with our cubes… I always get all yellow lined up. There are various algorithms one has to memorize. Once I got the yellow, I start twisting the corners. Then I am twisting the corners again in a certain way that I have memorized. But really, it is quite simple."
Millions might disagree.
