Forest Lake’s Charlie Eggins, 14, competed at the National Speedcubing Championships in Moreton Bay last weekend. In a blistering solve, he set a new world record of 12.10 seconds in the 3×3 blindfolded event.
Charlie Eggins sets new world record by a wide margin
Charlie’s sensational time shattered the previous blindfolded world record by 680 milliseconds. According to the teenager, he did not expect to break the record going into the event.
Here’s his record-breaking solve, as posted on his YouTube channel:
Speedcubing is the art of solving Rubik’s cubes quickly. In blindfolded solving, competitors have only a few seconds to memorise the cube before donning a blindfold to complete the puzzle.
Charlie uses visualisation techniques and his synaesthesia to help him remember the positions of the cubes. He says he trains for at least an hour a day in the run-up to major tournaments.
Friends with national champion Toby Seufert
Charlie’s friend and rival Toby Seufert of Kippa-Ring Ring also excelled at the competition. The 14-year-old took home the national title in the 3×3 non-blindfolded event with an average solve time of 6.69 seconds.
Toby’s fastest individual attempt was 5.71 seconds, making him Australia’s fastest Rubik’s Cube solver. The two boys met at a competition in Townsville in 2021 and have been pushing each other to improve their skills ever since.
Charlie and Toby have turned their passion for speedcubing into budding careers. Eggins earns an income from his popular YouTube channel, Swift Cubing, where he teaches speedcubing techniques. Seufert also coaches others in speedcubing and analyses winning methods on his own channel.
Published 7 October 2023