Speedcubing to return to south Wales this summer

Rubik’s Cube competitions will return to south Wales for the first time since the Covid pandemic, with competitors from across the UK invited to take part in a two-day event this summer.

Speedcubing, or solving a Rubik’s cube as fast as possible, has been the subject of competitions since the early 1980s. The first world championship of speedcubing was held in Budapest, the birthplace of Doctor Rubik, in 1982.

However, other than an event in Abergele in 2023, Wales’ speedcubers have needed to travel to England to show off their skills.

Now, thanks to the World Cube Association, a non-profit governing ‘mechanical puzzle’ competitions, and their UK equivalent, the UK Cube Association, Llanelli will host the south Wales 2026 speedcubing event.

Across two days of events from the 1 to 2 August, competitions will include:

• 2 x 2 x 2,
• 3 x 3 x 3
• 4 x 4 x 4
• 5 x 5 x 5
• 3 x 3 x 3 One Handed
• Clock (a 2-sided puzzle with 9 clock faces on each side)
• Megaminx (a 12-sided dodecahedron cube)
• Pyraminx (a 4-sided pyramid cube)
• Skewb (a cube that features diamonds and triangles rather than squares)

There will also be a new competitor tutorial at the start of the event to ensure those who have not taken part in a WCA competition before are informed of the process and rules.

For those unsure whether their speedcubing meets competitive standards, UKCA guidance suggests checking the event time limits. “If you can make the time limit for the events you want to compete in,” they explain, “then you’re fast enough!”

There are spaces available for 70 competitors, with all ages welcome and competing at the same level. Registration opened on 6 May and will close at 5pm on 27 July, with a registration fee of £30.

Spectators can attend for free, although the UKCA advises those coming to watch that afternoons are often a lot less hectic than mornings.

The South Wales Summer 2026 event will be held from 1 – 2 August at Canolfan Pentre Awel, Llanelli, SA15 2EZ. For more information and to register, visit the WCA site here.

For further information on speedcubing, the UKCA provides a parents’ guide.