One-Answer WCA Competition and Regulations Question Thread

[Mrhashtagpickle]

Yes they are allowed

I would like to know if it is possible to use a Rubik's Brand at the competition, even though we all use speedcubes for competitions? Are Rubik's Brands even permitted at competitions? I was simply curious.

 

[drgs]

Hey there. Going to my first competition- Mallorca 2022.

read the rules- think I more or less know what to expect.
2 questions though.
1) the clock (timer) and mat. Do I need to bring my own? Or is that provided? And if I have to get my own- I’d there and “official” or “approved” one to buy? And

2) I’m bringing 2 cubes. But with so many cubes there, I imagine people “mark” them somehow- but I think no marks are allowed (3x3x3). So, dumb question…. How does one mark/label/differentiate one’s cube(s)?

3) last question. What do people bring to competitions? Backpack? Water? Snacks? Nothing?

thnx!

 

[DynaXT]

1. Timers and mats are provided by the delegates and organizers
2. Just keep them with you as much as possible
3. Depends on the person, although some venues do not allow outside food or drink (I'm sure a water bottle would be fine though).

 

[KellanTheCubingCoder]

The timers are supplied for the offical solves, but it is a good idea to bring one for when you are not competing.

 

[ProStar]

(not sure how "2 questions" turned into 3 questions, but alright lol)

1. Timers and mats are provided by the delegate and/or organizers, but puzzles are supplied by the competitor

2. Whenever a puzzle is at the scrambling table, it will be associated with your score sheet, which will have your name on it. Whenever you're not competing and the puzzle is out of your view for some reason (it's common for people to let others try out their puzzles, but definitely not necessary), I usually just rely on knowing my puzzle. It's not super common for two people to have the exact same puzzle and get them confused, and whenever it does happen I can usually identify mine via the unique setup and potential scratches, etc. (Fun fact though: I accidentally traded Valk 2s at a competition, and theirs was imo a better setup, so I kinda lucked out on that)

3. I'd recommend bringing any puzzles you want, even if you aren't competing in that event (for example, even if there's no megaminx being held at the comp I'll still bring my megaminx, and I bring non-WCA puzzles), a timer (if you have one; it's nice to be able to practice with a stackmat before you compete), water, and maybe some snacks depending on the time/length of the competition.

 

[Luke Solves Cubes]

Answer for #2, you can write your initials under the center cap, which is legal.

 

[Ayce]

Hey there. Going to my first competition- Mallorca 2022.

read the rules- think I more or less know what to expect.
2 questions though.
1) the clock (timer) and mat. Do I need to bring my own? Or is that provided? And if I have to get my own- I’d there and “official” or “approved” one to buy? And

2) I’m bringing 2 cubes. But with so many cubes there, I imagine people “mark” them somehow- but I think no marks are allowed (3x3x3). So, dumb question…. How does one mark/label/differentiate one’s cube(s)?

3) last question. What do people bring to competitions? Backpack? Water? Snacks? Nothing?

1. All provided

2. When you submit your cube, your name is in the cup/box that you put it in, so scramblers know whos cube goes where. The only time this is an issue is if you do clock and 90% of the time everyone has the exact model of the clock. Which actually just happened to me this weekend.

3. I brought a backpack that had my bag of cubes, a book, snacks, water bottles, and battery packs because you will often use your phone a lot to check results.
If you can, bring small towelettes to wipe your cube down when done competing. Bring some cash incase if you want to buy something from the vendors. If you have a chromebook or tablet, that works well as a timer when you warm up before a competition.

 

[fdskljgrie]

How long should a 2x2 scramble be?
How long should a 3x3 scramble be?
How long should a Pyraminx scramble be?

 

[xyzzy]

How long should a 2x2 scramble be?
How long should a 3x3 scramble be?
How long should a Pyraminx scramble be?

For a WCA competition? You just take the scrambles TNoodle generates and use them. (4f) (TNoodle is the official scramble generating software.) TNoodle has the final say; as an organiser of a competition, you're not allowed to generate scrambles multiple times if you don't like them for whatever reason (too easy / too hard / etc.) (4b1).

The way scrambles are generated for these three events is to start with a random legal state (imagine doing a billion random moves), then find a sequence of moves to get a solved puzzle into that state. (And that is done by solving the scramble, then inverting the solution.) The scrambles are then filtered to take at least 4 moves to solve (2×2×2), 6 moves to solve (pyraminx), or 2 moves to solve (3×3×3). (4b3)

 

[DGCubes]

Echoing what @xyzzy said above, but I think it's also worth mentioning that the info about the minimum-length optimal solutions for every event can be found in regulation 4b3 (click).

 

[Imsoosm]

Echoing what @xyzzy said above, but I think it's also worth mentioning that the info about the minimum-length optimal solutions for every event can be found in regulation 4b3 (click).

Honestly I think it's kind of dumb for the WCA to make 2 moves for 3x3 suffice, and 4 moves for 2x2. I know it's impossible to get a 2 move scramble, but shouldn't bigger cubes require more moves to solve?

 

[Thom S.]

Honestly I think it's kind of dumb for the WCA to make 2 moves for 3x3 suffice, and 4 moves for 2x2. I know it's impossible to get a 2 move scramble, but shouldn't bigger cubes require more moves to solve?

Probably only a theoretical rule. If anybody gets a solve with less than 30 moves, everybody will check if it's a misscramble.
So a 17 move solution will be known in no time.

 

[Nevan J]

Can anyone pls tell how do I delete my WCA account? what happened was I accidentally made a duplicate account, so I want to delete this one
btw both of them have different emails. pls help

 

[Deleted member 72949]

You can't sadly.

 

[Nevan J]

You can't sadly.

oh... then what should i do

 

[Deleted member 72949]

did you register in any WCA competitions with the old account?

 

[Nevan J]

did you register in any WCA competitions with the old account?

nope

 

[Deleted member 72949]

Then you can just use the new one and enter a comp.

 

[GenTheSnail]

Have you tried contacting the WCA or asking on the WCA forums?

 

[Nevan J]

Have you tried contacting the WCA or asking on the WCA forums?

no