Duncan revives magic of Rubik's (From Stroud News and Journal)

Duncan revives magic of Rubik's

BEING a child of the 80s, I'm familiar with what a Rubik's Cube is, but always thought it was just a puzzle that sat at the back of the shelf, never to be solved.

That was until I met Duncan Dicks, the one-time world record holder for solving the puzzle one-handed.

Duncan, 43, of Folly Lane, Stroud, is a self confessed Rubik's Cube addict who sees solving the puzzle as a logical mathematical problem-solving exercise.

For 21 years, Duncan - who has a Phd in maths - held the one-handed record for solving the puzzle, managing it in an awe-inspiring 52.4 seconds.

But the one-handed world record now stands at around 25 seconds, with the record for two hands being an unbelievably fast 12 seconds.

Duncan was studying maths at Warwick University when the cube was first launched in the 80s, and became an immediate fan, setting up the university Rubik's Cube society with a friend - who at the time held the record for solving the puzzle behind his back.

But despite his obsession with the sport, Duncan's wife Catharine, 41, and two sons Dominic, 10, and Patrick, nine, are not fans.

He said: "I think they probably get a bit fed up with me doing it, because I do it all the time - there's a constant clicking sound because I just sit and do it all day.

"There's a lot of maths behind the Rubik's Cube and a lot of algebra involved in solving one."

As well as the basic cube, Duncan is also a fan of other Rubik's games and cup stacking, but says in general he is not interested in gadgets.

He added: "I only just got a mobile phone last week and still don't really know how to use it."

Like all 1980s phenomena at the moment, the Rubik's Cube is once again growing in popularity, and to mark its renaissance Duncan is hosting a meeting of all the British speed-cubers on Saturday, July 16.

For more information about the sport, or to attend the meeting, contact Duncan on 01543 750434 or visit his website at www.mysite-members.co.uk/cubertscubicle for advice and tips.

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Not really having a mathematical brain, I've never been into solving puzzles, but I was amazed when I saw how fast Duncan was able to do it.

I had never previously realised that there were established techniques for solving the cube, and began just turning random parts round and round. Then Duncan showed me how it was supposed to be done.

Apparently if you begin by making a cross on one panel and then work through the puzzle layer by layer rather than colour by colour, you eventually get every piece in place.

With Duncan's help I actually managed to get two layers completed, but was totally perplexed when it came to the final few pieces.

Knowing how difficult it is to solve with all the time in the world, it really is impressive watching someone complete it easily in less than a minute.

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Fact file:

Hungary's Erno Rubik first had the idea for the cube in 1974.

In 1975, he applied for a patent.

The brightly coloured puzzle was first launched in 1980.

It was originally called the Magic Cube.

It is estimated that more than 100 million cubes were sold by the end of 1982.

If done correctly, any Rubik's cube combination can be solved in 17 turns.