On Jan. 27, Brendan Lee, a sophomore at Lexington High School, hosted and competed at the Battle of Lexington Rubik’s Cube-solving (“cubing”) tournament. He placed first in Skewb and third in Megaminx, which are categories of competitive cubing. 

Lee, who has had almost nine years of experience, describes cubing as a sport for those looking to break both individual and community records on the Rubik’s cube. 

“Cubing is trying to solve different Rubik’s cubes as fast as possible. There are also a variety of different types including the 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, Megaminx, and Skewb,” Lee said.

Lee’s best Megaminx single time of 39.60 seconds currently ranks him 58th in the world. However, the path to success has not always been easy. Lee acknowledges that at some competitions he is unable to meet his expectations, and he notes the difficulty of dealing with inconsistent results.

“It can be disappointing when times in competitions are worse than those that you get at home. Additionally, you get good times for a little while and then start getting bad times. It can be annoying because it’s difficult to figure out why that is,” Lee said.

Nevertheless, Lee is constantly finding ways to optimize his moves by utilizing resources on social media such as YouTube and Discord. 

“The main things I do are timed solving and focusing on looking ahead. I also learn algorithms, which are sequences of moves,” Lee said.

While he is already among the top cubers in the world, Lee hopes to continue to improve in various aspects of the sport and aims for faster solves, particularly in his Megaminx time.

“I would like to get a sub-35 second Megaminx average of five, which would rank me top 50 in the world and number one in the state,” Lee said.

Despite the competitive and individualistic nature of cubing, Lee appreciates the supportive community..

“Even though it’s called a ‘competition’, everyone is happy for people when they have a good time,” Lee said. 

Reflecting on his cubing journey, Lee emphasizes how he has been able to surprise himself.

“The best part about cubing is getting better, and getting times I never thought I would be able to get,” Lee said.