Newtownabbey man solves Rubik's Cube blindfolded to record fastest time for Ulster competitor

Alexander Baine (22), who is preparing to commence the final year of his Computer Science degree at Queen’s University in Belfast, recorded a time of 1:12.34 in the 3x3 classification at the event on August 6 in Loreto Secondary.

Alexander, who hails from Glengormley, got his first Rubik’s Cube when he was aged around 15 and started entering speedcubing competitions earlier this year.

Speaking to the Newtownabbey Times, Mr Baine, who also plays as goalkeeper for Parkview Hockey Club’s first team, explained: “I like puzzles. Once I had worked out how to solve the cube, I stopped.

"However, in November 2022 I found out about speedcubing and decided to enter a competition in Belfast in January of this year. This was the first tournament to be held in the city for around a decade.

"I started practising and I now would do around an hour every day. I don’t see it as training, I enjoy doing it and even if I’m not preparing for an event, I would still be solving my Rubik’s Cube.

"As you get faster solving the Rubik’s Cube, it helps with solving problems in everyday life. You start to do things by intuition and you figure out things for yourself. The skills are really beneficial, not just for being able to solve a Rubik’s Cube quickly.

"Hopefully I’ll be able to develop my speedcubing and better my times and compete in the Irish Nationals and other prestigious events in the future. Ciarán Beahan is the top competitor from the island of Ireland and I’d encourage any aspiring speedcubers to check out his record-breaking times online.”

The former Ballyclare High student is hoping to raise the profile of ‘speedcubing’ in Northern Ireland and is in the process of setting up a Rubik’s Cube society at QUB.

He stated: “Speedcubing is popular in the Republic of Ireland, Britain and in a number of countries around the world. Competitions are held frequently in other countries, but they’re rare in Northern Ireland.

"If I wanted to compete, I’d have to travel quite far. Last week’s competition, where I recorded the fastest time for an entrant from Ulster and second overall was in Kilkenny for example, and others have been in Tiperarry, Mayo and the national championships were in Waterford.

"I’m hoping to see an increase in speedcubing’s popularity in Northern Ireland and more competitions being held here.

"We got our paperwork completed before the end of last term and will be setting up a stall at the upcoming freshers’ fair. We already have around 40 to 50 people wanting to join and this is even before doing any real recruitment.

"Other than me, I only know of around three other speedcubers locally, so it’s great to see this interest in the new society. We’ll be offering beginners’ classes. We’ve applied to be able to open the society up to non-Queen’s students, so hopefully this will be able to happen.

"For anyone wanting more information about the rules of speedcubing and the various disciplines, visit the Speedcubing Ireland site, the UK Cube Association site or the World Cube Association site.”