Competitors from across the world flock to Waterford for Rubik’s Championships

200 competitors from 20 countries will be gathering in Waterford next week for the Rubik’s Irish Championships, where competitors attempt to solve Rubik’s cubes and other twisty puzzles as quickly as possible.

300 spectators are expected to attend the three-day competition at SETU Arena.

Cubers from Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, China, Mongolia, Malaysia and more will be competing.

The reigning Champion of Ireland is teenager CJ Furey, who won last year's final with an average time of 7.03 seconds.

CJ was the first new national champion in ten years. 

He is due to face stiff competition from his old rival Ciaran Beahan and underdog Cillian Hainbach.

Over the course of the competition, 17 new National Champions will be crowned across all of the official events.

Official events include one-handed solving, blindfolded solving, solving different-sized cubes other than the regular 3x3, such as 2x2, 4x4, and up to 7x7, and solving different-shaped puzzles such as the pyraminx and the megaminx, a 12-sided puzzle.