Frequently Asked Questions About WCA Competitions

[biscuit]

thx dene, so those few regs are just saying you dont have to have one but if you do, it must be like this.

Yep! On nxnxn cubes have only one, have it on a center piece and you should be good.

 

[Fazza2602]

cool, thx

 

[jackrusso]

US Nationals Question

Nationals 2016 is coming close to me this year. I'm super in to cubing but my average 3x3 is only 43 seconds. I want to go to nats but I dont necessarily want to compete. Is it still fun? Or should I practice and try to compete?

 

[WACWCA]

You should compete, its fun plus most likely you will improve a lot by then

 

[jackrusso]

Ok thanks! I've never been and dont know what to expect

 

[newtonbase]

It would be a great first comp. Don't worry about times. Whatever you get can be your target for the next comp.

 

[YouCubing]

You should compete at this level, the slowest times there were ~1:30 iirc, and it's super fun to compete and just to be there

 

[jackrusso]

Thanks, im just a little nervous because I know I'm not the fastest or anything.

 

[EntireTV]

Now it is, because of new regulations!

 

[morax86]

Question about going to a WCA compeititon

Hi there, I don't know if this is the right place to post something like this but I have a question about going to competitions. In the regulations, it states that anyone under 18 must have parents permission to compete. Do I have to bring my parents to the competition in order to compete?

 

[biscuit]

Nah. Just ask your parents if you can go.

 

[JoshJumble]

Question about judging

When the competitor reaches 12 seconds of inspection, does the judge call "12 seconds" or "Go"? At my last competition, they said "12 seconds", but in the CubingUSA competition guide, as well as in Drew Brads' 2.56 former Pyra WR average, the judge says "Go". So, which one is it supposed to be? Or can it be either?

 

[Cale S]

Question about judging

When the competitor reaches 12 seconds of inspection, does the judge call "12 seconds" or "Go"? At my last competition, they said "12 seconds", but in the CubingUSA competition guide, as well as in Drew Brads' 2.56 former Pyra WR average, the judge says "Go". So, which one is it supposed to be? Or can it be either?

I thought of this a few days ago, the regulations say "12 seconds", but the competitor should know what you mean either way so it doesn't really matter.

 

[JoshJumble]

I thought of this a few days ago, the regulations say "12 seconds", but the competitor should know what you mean either way so it doesn't really matter.

'K, Thanks!

 

[TcubesAK]

Question about judging

When the competitor reaches 12 seconds of inspection, does the judge call "12 seconds" or "Go"? At my last competition, they said "12 seconds", but in the CubingUSA competition guide, as well as in Drew Brads' 2.56 former Pyra WR average, the judge says "Go". So, which one is it supposed to be? Or can it be either?

This is section A3d of the WCA regulations.

• A3d) At the end of the inspection, the competitor places the puzzle on the mat, in any orientation. Penalty for placing it outside the mat: time penalty (+2 seconds).
  • A3d2) When 8 seconds of inspection have elapsed, the judge calls "8 SECONDS".
  • A3d3) When 12 seconds of inspection have elapsed, the judge calls "12 SECONDS".

 

[mark49152]

I have a related question. Sometimes when judging, the competitor has their hands already on the timer at 8 seconds. When I was new to judging, I felt that if I call 8 seconds just as they start to solve, I might distract them, so I would not call it. However, occasionally the competitor pauses with their hands on the the timer for 2-3 seconds. If I did not call 8 seconds, what should I do?

I once asked a delegate and he said if I miss 8 and they pause, call 9 or 10, but that might be even more distracting. These days, I just always call 8 seconds regardless, but I'm curious what other people think.

 

[TcubesAK]

I have a related question. Sometimes when judging, the competitor has their hands already on the timer at 8 seconds. When I was new to judging, I felt that if I call 8 seconds just as they start to solve, I might distract them, so I would not call it. However, occasionally the competitor pauses with their hands on the the timer for 2-3 seconds. If I did not call 8 seconds, what should I do?

I once asked a delegate and he said if I miss 8 and they pause, call 9 or 10, but that might be even more distracting. These days, I just always call 8 seconds regardless, but I'm curious what other people think.

If you were to miss calling "8 seconds" and they pause, you might as well just wait to call "12 seconds" if they pause for long enough.

 

[JoshJumble]

I have a related question. Sometimes when judging, the competitor has their hands already on the timer at 8 seconds. When I was new to judging, I felt that if I call 8 seconds just as they start to solve, I might distract them, so I would not call it. However, occasionally the competitor pauses with their hands on the the timer for 2-3 seconds. If I did not call 8 seconds, what should I do?

I once asked a delegate and he said if I miss 8 and they pause, call 9 or 10, but that might be even more distracting. These days, I just always call 8 seconds regardless, but I'm curious what other people think.

I think that instead of calling 9 or 10, just call 8. I mean, no competitor is gonna count to make sure that 4 seconds pass between 8 and 12. This way, the competitor won't get confused.

 

[cubizh]

Question about judging

When the competitor reaches 12 seconds of inspection, does the judge call "12 seconds" or "Go"? At my last competition, they said "12 seconds", but in the CubingUSA competition guide, as well as in Drew Brads' 2.56 former Pyra WR average, the judge says "Go". So, which one is it supposed to be? Or can it be either?

The correct way to do it was already posted as reply. The reason why you see people say "Go!" in older videos is because tbat was the way the regulations were written, they had "Go!" defined for 12 seconds. That was fixed.

I think that instead of calling 9 or 10, just call 8. I mean, no competitor is gonna count to make sure that 4 seconds pass between 8 and 12. This way, the competitor won't get confused.

You should always say 8 and/or 12 seconds regardless if the competitor is deeply focused or snoring.
Those regulations don't depend on what the competitor is doing.

 

[JoshJumble]

The correct way to do it was already posted as reply. The reason why you see people say "Go!" in older videos is because tbat was the way the regulations were written, they had "Go!" defined for 12 seconds. That was fixed.


You should always say 8 and/or 12 seconds regardless if the competitor is deeply focused or snoring.
Those regulations don't depend on what the competitor is doing.

Okay, my post about 8 seconds might have been unclear. What I meant was you should call 8 later if you end up forgetting to call 8 seconds. Also, about the first question, someone posted the answer before I even asked the question?