A particularly puzzling competition

Speedcubing took over the Queenstown Memorial Centre last weekend as the South Island speedcubing competition was held in the resort for the first time.

The three-day event attracted 63 competitors, mostly aged between 7 and 16, some from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia and South Korea.

Pictured is Wakatipu High Year 11 student, Oscar Childs, 15, who was second South Islander in the multi-blind category and third in the 3x3 blindfolded.

The podiums featured the top three competitors in each category and the top South Islanders in each.

Speedcubing most commonly employs the 3x3x3 puzzle, known as the Rubik’s Cube, which was invented 50 years ago by Hungarian professor Erno Rubik.