This isn't for the cubers — it's for you. If your child wants to compete and you have no idea what any of it means, start here.
No — there's no minimum or maximum age, and no separate categories by age. A seven-year-old and a fifty-year-old compete in exactly the same round, under the same rules.
Beyond the classic 3x3 cube, the WCA recognizes 17 official events — things like 2x2, solving blindfolded, or solving one-handed. Most local competitions only run a handful of these in a day. Our Learn page is the place to start with 3x3 itself.
Not at all. There's no qualifying time for most competitions — first-timers regularly compete in the same room as national record holders.
Yes. Spectating is usually free, and it's a great way to see what a competition actually feels like before signing up to compete.
Check our Competitions page, or follow @cubing.am — every new competition is announced there as soon as it's approved by the WCA.
Your child will need a free WCA account, then you register for the specific competition through the official WCA website. Spots can be limited and registration usually opens weeks ahead, so don't wait too long once one's announced.
Formal identification — a passport, ID card, or birth certificate — so a WCA ID can be issued if this is your child's first competition. Also bring their own cube(s) for whichever events they've registered for.
Usually only if you cancel before the deadline stated on that competition's page — after that, refunds typically aren't possible, since the organizer has already committed to venue costs.
Completely normal, especially before a first competition. Just message the organizers via @cubing.am as early as you can, so someone on the waiting list can take the spot.
You check in at the registration desk with ID, then wait to be called up in a group. When it's your child's turn, they get up to 15 seconds to inspect the scrambled cube, then start the timer and solve. A judge watches the whole thing and records the result.
Every competition has a WCA Delegate overseeing it, plus a judge at every table. That said, especially for a first competition, most parents choose to stay nearby — competitions typically run a few hours in one room.
Results are entered live during the competition on WCA Live, so you can watch times come in as they happen, right from your phone.
