Exeter’s Most Three-Dimensional Club

In 1974, Ernö Rubik designed a 3-D combination puzzle, equipped with an internal pivot mechanism that allows its faces to turn independently and mix the colors. Rubik’s invention took off in popularity quickly; it provided an endlessly self-entertaining and complex challenge of restoring each face of the cube to a single color. The invention of the Rubik’s Cube has grown to become considered the world’s bestselling toy.

Rubik’s invention became prominent on campus in 2014 when upper Brandon Liu noticed all the puzzle games in the classroom of retired math instructor Philip Mallinson. Seeing those puzzles inspired Liu to create a club for like-minded students interested in solving and learning more about Rubik’s Cubes and other puzzles. From this, Liu founded the Exeter Cube Club. “Mr. Mallinson was very receptive to the idea… I have him to thank for helping me get the club up and running,” Liu said.

Liu himself has been interested in Rubik’s cubes for years; he solved his first cube in the third grade and became immediately hooked. From there, he began competing in speed solving competitions in 2012. Since then, Liu has refined his technique and, with a single hand, can solve a cube in 17.19 seconds. When using two hands, he can find a solution in 12.23 seconds. The two-handed world record lies in the five-second range.

“I’d say the best part of Cube Club would be learning new ways to solve a seemingly impossible puzzle, and watching the joy others have when they learn how to solve the puzzle as well.”

Math instructor Tim Whittemore took over the position of club advisor upon Mallinson’s retirement from the Academy. Whittemore, too, has had a longstanding and vested interest in Rubik’s cubes and their solutions. “I did my final math project in college on Rubik’s cubes, the mathematics behind them and how it all pieces together,” he said. Whittemore can solve a cube in approximately 45 seconds.

Even though the club head and advisor both have spent time improving their solving speed, both said club participation, interest and inclusion have little to do with the time it takes to find the cube’s solution. “The club is very inclusive and very supportive. It is not competitive, and that’s a key positive attribute,” Whittemore said.

Upper and fellow co-head Michelle Ramiz said, “the club is open to anyone and everyone! Cube Club is a very open atmosphere for all skill levels.” Ramiz lauded one of its greatest attributes as the ability and culture of encouraging novice cube-solvers to come to the club and improve their skills.

A number of the club members have no cube experience, and other members help them as they learn how to solve Rubik’s cube. During a typical meeting, Liu and other members solve puzzles together, discussing solutions and technique.

Upper Somto Ejinkonye said he joined the club to share ideas and meet other Exonians with a shared interest in Rubik’s cubes. “I’d say the best part of Cube Club would be learning new ways to solve a seemingly impossible puzzle, and watching the joy others have when they learn how to solve the puzzle as well,” Ejinkonye said.

Lower Isaac Browne concurred and said that when he first joined the club, he was able to solve the cube, but only very slowly. As he continued to practice solving in the meetings and learned tactics from his fellow club members, he began to improve his skills and methods, culminating in his 1:03.39 finish of the Rubik’s cube at Cube Day.

But Cube Club does not only solve puzzles together. On May 3 of the 2014-2015 school year, the club traveled to Boston to participate in an Cube Tournament held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In an eye opening competition, Whittemore said that the Exeter club was inspired to host a competition of its own, which Liu facilitated this year on Oct. 3.

“It was really fun to see a collection of more than 100 kids solving Rubik’s cubes,” Whittemore said. “On the bus back, [Liu] said he might want to organize a competition [at Exeter] too. He put in a ton of work this summer to figure that all out and plan it.”

In New Hampshire’s and Phillips Exeter’s first official speed solving competition, a total of 86 Rubik’s cube solvers participated in competitions ranging from 2×2 to 7×7 cubes.

http://theexonian.com/2015/10/08/cube-day-attracts-rubiks-enthusiasts-from-across-nation/

With a strong start to the academic year with this successful event, Cube Club hopes to continue its rise and participate in more competitions and events this year. Currently, the club is looking to compete in Northeastern University’s Cube Contest, as well as the MIT Contest.

Addtionally, they hope to continue holding informative meetings during which the more experienced members assist the less experienced members with tactics and skills required to solve a Rubik’s cube under time pressure. This year, the club aims to play around with more complex puzzles and learning the quickest method of solving them in partciular.

“As we go on in the year, we’ll be playing around with any crazy puzzles members bring in, making plans for competitions in the future and learning different, better ways to solve old and new puzzles,” Liu said. “I hope that in the future more students interested in puzzles or speed solving will join us.”

The club hopes that this year, more members will join the club and will add to the plethora of participants at competitions. In only its second year since being founded, Cube Club has already accomplished so much and it hopes to continue this steep growth.

“Cube Club has been a ton of fun so far,” Liu said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the club flourish these next two years and after I graduate, too.”