Master of cubes

Under normal circumstances, it takes an average of 48 to 100 tries to solve a rubik’s cube. And with practice, one can master it in a total of 17 turns. However, third-year BCs (IT) student of KES Shroff College, Chinmay Prabhu, set a new record of solving nine pyraminx underwater in less than two minutes.

It took the 20-year-old, who just completed his final year exam, a total of one minute and 48 seconds to bring the nine cubes in order under the water, setting a new Guinness World Record. “Previously, there wasn’t any record of solving pyraminx underwater. So Guinness gave me the target of solving four pyraminx underwater. And if I solved more than four, it will be a new world record,” shares Chinmaya and adds, “I didn’t want to stop at four or five because that anyone can surpass pretty easily.”

Since swimming is also something that he enjoys the most, besides solving the cube, Prabhu decided to merge the two and prepare himself for the challenge. “I wanted to come up with something very creative and unique that no one has ever tried. Solving a pyraminx cube under water is a completely different challenge as you have to hold your breath and solve cubes at the same time,” he says.

For the challenge, Prabhu underwent training at the Goregaon Sports Club for five months, which he defines as an arduous task. “The practice wasn’t easy. Initially, I couldn’t hold my breath beyond 30-35 seconds. But, gradually with practice, I could hold my breath for one minute and 40 seconds. That very moment I realised that I was ready to set the record,” he shares.

Firm on solving more than four cubes, Prabhu during his training period made a point to exceed his number of solved cubes and didn’t give up till he reached a number higher than four.

Chinmay Prabhu holding the Guinness World Record certificate.

“I gave my best, I didn’t stop my practice and kept going till I reached seven-eight pyraminx. Finally, on the main day, I went on to solve nine pyraminx,” shares an elated Prabhu.

For someone whose fascination took shape when he saw his friend shifting the layers of cube effortlessly, Prabhu began his training by learning from Youtube videos. As he didn’t give up on his practice, he went on to solve multiple variants of Rubik’s cube, mirror, fisher, gear, void, and 2X2, namely.

“When I started in 2015, all I wanted to learn was to solve the cubes. I started with the videos and ended up learning two-three different method of solving. After I could solve one cube, I tried solving different variants,” says Prabhu.

According to him, one needs to master the art of patience. “While learning, it is very difficult to get the right algorithm all the time. At times, the algorithm doesn’t sit right or we end up doing a wrong move. So, one shouldn’t give up so easily. Rather keep trying till you get the perfect solution for the cube,” he says.

For beginners, Prabhu advises that the aim shouldn’t always be to look at setting records. “It improves your hand-eye coordination and your concentration power. At the end of the day, it is pretty easy to solve but one has to stay focused and be patient till you solve a cube,” he adds.

While Prabhu will be joining an IT company, he aims to continue with cubing and intends to take part in more competitions. In the meantime, he is teaching the tricks and techniques of cube solving to children who find the activity, fun learning.