Quebec teen breaks national record for fastest cubing solve while blindfolded
A Quebec teen has broken a national record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik's cube while wearing a blindfold.
In a flurry of colour, Elliott Kobelansky twisted a three-by-three cube into order in just 15.86 seconds – a period which includes studying the unsolved puzzle before putting on the blindfold.
"I feel great," he told CTV News Saturday afternoon, just hours after breaking former world champion Jake Klassen's previous record of 16.56 seconds.
"I've been working towards this for a while, and it's good to see all my practice pay off," he said.
Kobelansky first picked up a Rubik's cube when he was six years old. After solving it the first time, his father says, he was hooked.
These days, regular practice can take up to five hours every day.
"It's a lot of training," said his dad, Allan Kobelansky. "This is not something you can take lightly."
For the blind category, there are no physical markings on the cube to help its solver. In other words, after Kobelansky peeks at the scrambled cube, he solves it completely from memory.
"In my head, I have sort of a mental image of the cube. Not the colours, just a blank cube, and I'm seeing the moves as I do them," he said.
"I have a method to transform the cube into letters, a string of letters that I memorize. Then, when I put the blindfold on, I have a way of transforming those letters into moves on the cube to solve it."
He says he was proud of the record, adding that he's been able to do it even faster at home.
He was one of dozens competing in a competition hosted by the World Cube Association. His talents have taken him far from home in Canada and south of the border. There are plans to compete in Korea next year.
Kobelansky said his success was made possible by the support of his father, who accompanied him to the event Saturday.
"Basically I told him any event we can drive to we will go to without question," said Allan Kobelansky.
Several competitors told CTV Saturday that they felt happy to appear at the event after a two-year pandemic hiatus.
Athletes of all ages signed up, and none were turned away for a lack of experience.
"Cubing is a very inclusive sport, everyone is invited to join no matter how fast or how slow you are. I don't feel any different being relatively new," said Maxence Leboeuf, a young cuber who picked up the sport in December.
It's a philosophy shared by the event's organizers.
"Competitions are meant to be fun for everyone," said World Cube Association Delegate Nathan Dwyer, who specializes in four-by-four and five-by-five categories.
"Even though it is technically a competitive event, everyone is just here to support each other and have fun," he said, adding that most people come to "race against their own personal times rather than being cutthroat with others."
"It's very welcoming and it's a lot of fun."
The event continues Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.