Photo essay: Abu Dhabi school gets to grips with Rubik's Cube competition

Fans of the puzzle game showed off their skills at Raha International School

From left, contestants Niila Kauppi, 13, Nitesh Siva,12, Kirill Michenko, 12, and Zohair Imad Ahmed, 10, show off their Rubik's Cube skills at the Raha Open 2023. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

The Raha Open 2023, a speedcubing competition, is held at the Raha International School, Khalifa City campus in Abu Dhabi

Contestant Armax Zander Guevara Laurel, 13, a pupil at British Modern International School in Qatar

Marshals at the competition use a laptop to guide them on how to scramble the competitors cubes

Gabriel Mansour, 8, a pupil at American School Dubai, during the speed competition

Speed Stacks is a mat used for speeding competitions and has a G5 timer that accurately measures the start and stop times for competitors

Zohair Imad Ahmed, 10, a pupil at Safa Community School in Dubai, during the speed-cubing competition

Cubers practising on the sidelines before attempting to solve a Rubik's Cube as fast as they can

Pupils from different schools around the UAE taking part in the Raha Open 2023

Aidan Dobrowski, 9, a student at American School Dubai, proudly displays his solved Rubik's Cube

Niila Kauppi, 13, at the cube submission table, where his cube is randomised and then given back for him to solve

The table where competitors pick up their scrambled cube

A competitor lubricates his cube before he competes

Remi Thiemens, 14, a pupil at Gems Winchester School in Fujairah

Krill Michenko's parents supporting their son in the competition

The Raha Open 2023 cubing competition attracts pupils from all over the UAE

Nitesh Siva, 12, a pupil at Woodlem Park School in Ajman, after his speedcubing attempt

Aidan Dobrowski and Nico Dyet wait their turn to compete

Rubik's Cube enthusiasts from all over the UAE gathered at Raha International School in Khalifa City for a unique speedcubing competition to show off their skills.

Called the Raha Open 2023, the event attracted 76 participants to the one-day competition on May 21. Winners were given awards in categories such as 3x3x3 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, 4x4x4 Cube, Pyraminx (a cube shaped like a pyramid) and Skewb (a cube that has different axes of rotation). The event was open to participants of all ages.

Organised by Baha Alshwaiki, Niila Kauppi and Sasha Giuliano, the event was officially recognised by the World Cube Association, a volunteer-run non-profit organisation. The Raha Open was the first time the event had been held in the UAE capital, with plans afoot to potentially host a future event in Al Ain.

Mihir Narayan won with an average of 8.36 seconds in the 3x3x3, France Bautista won the 2x2x2 with an average of 2.64 seconds and Yerkin Assylbek won with an average of 32.29 seconds in the 4x4x4. Narayan also won the Pyraminx event with an average of 4.45 seconds while Bautista took top spot in Skewb with a 5.35-second average.

Alshwaiki, who was also involved in the Sunmarke Dubai Open at Sunmarke School in JVT last year that had 145 participants, says he wants to continue hosting the events all around the UAE.

“We will keep putting on these competitions in Abu Dhabi,” he says.