Photo at left: Alexei Sinyavin solved the Megaminx puzzle in under a minute at the World Cubing Association competition Saturday at the Westport Library. He is the North American record holder in Megaminx and ranks third worldwide in the event, with a time of 28.67 seconds. At right: Krish Shah-Nathwani solves a 2x2x2 Cube at Saturday’s competition. He also placed third in the 3x3x3 Cube Blindfolded and Pyraminx events. / Photos by Mia Bomback

By Mia Bomback

A Rubik’s Cube

WESTPORT — Competitors of all ages and from all over the United States gathered Saturday at the Westport Library with one thing in common: an affinity for the Rubik’s Cube, the classic 3-D puzzle dating to 1974. 

More than 75 puzzle-solvers participated in the second annual World Cubing Competition, sponsored by the World Cubing Association and hosted in the library’s Trefz Forum.

The event was organized by Westport resident Krish Shah-Nathwani and longtime friend Alexei Sinyavin, of Scarsdale, N.Y. Proceeds benefited the American Parkinson Disease Association in tribute to Shah-Nathwani’s grandmother. 

Competitors at the World Cubing Association event included, from left: Kymberlyn Calderon, 18, third place; Timothy Yang, 20, first place, and Daniel Gutierrez, 16, second place in the 3x3x3 Cube, the main event. 

With five different categories, the competition for many entrants was a way to qualify for the 2023 CubingUSA National Championship in Pittsburg, Pa., scheduled July 27-30. 

Participants faced off in a series of challenges, each with a different cube: the 3x3x3 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, Megaminx Cube, Pyraminx Cube and 3x3x3 Cube Blindfolded categories. 

In each round, contestants tackled five different configurations, carefully crafted using a computer program and scrambled by fellow competitors not involved in that particular round or event. The highest and lowest scores for each participant were discarded, and their remaining three times determined their average time and subsequent advancement. 

Sinyavin, 17, the competition’s co-organizer, placed first in the Megaminx category. It was a familiar achievement since he also currently holds the North American record in the event and is ranked third in the world for Megaminx. 

He discovered cubing by accident: When a family vacation was rained out, he spent the trip in his hotel room configuring a Rubik’s Cube his brother happened to bring along. 

“I’ve been in love with cubing ever since,” he said. “And when I discovered the Megaminx [cube], I really gravitated toward it because it gives me the freedom to try out a lot of cool solutions.”

Daniel Karnaukh, 22, from Princeton, N.J., who placed third in the 2x2x2 Cube competition, started solving cubes in middle school. Like many kids that age, he was fueled by the competitive drive to beat a friend. 

“I had a friend come into school one day with a solved Rubik’s Cube, and this wave of competitive energy came over me,” Karnaukh said. “So I learned to solve [a cube] by watching YouTube videos, and within a week I could do it faster than he could.” 

Now, Karnaukh has a YouTube channel of his own where he posts solves, tips and Rubik’s challenges. His channel, @DerpyCuber, which he launched at 13, now has more than 40,000 subscribers. He also started a teaching program on the channel to coach aspiring solvers around the world. 

Westporter Sanjiv Nathwani, father of Krish Shah-Nathwani, got into cubing through his son. Now, they will head to nationals together. 

Nathwani said the most rewarding thing about cubing is how their interest in the puzzle has helped get to people from all over the world.

“It’s an incredible community,” he said. “They’re always online together, sharing strategies and timing each other. The best thing about the cubing community is that they both compete and collaborate.”

Westport Journal intern Mia Bomback is a Staples High School student.

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