Mats Valk

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Mats Valk
Mats Valk.jpg
Mats Valk in !
Background Information
Alias(es):
Country: Netherlands
Born: 4 May 1996 (age 27)
Occupation(s): Student
Years Active: 2007-current
WCA ID: 2007VALK01
Claim to Fame: 3x3 WR, 4x4 WR


Mats Valk is a Dutch speedcuber. He has been one of the fastest 3x3 and 4x4 solvers in the world since 2009. He has set 4x4 single and average world records in 2011 and 2012 and the 3x3 single in 2013 and 2016. He has also set European records in 3x3, 4x4, 2x2, and 3x3 OH.

History

Mats was the first significant Dutch challenger to Erik Akkersdijk. Their rivalry between 2009 and 2012 was compared to that of French cubers Jean Pons and Edouard Chambon during 2005-2007.

From 2011 onwards he was the most significant challenger to the supremacy of Feliks Zemdegs. He was runner-up to Zemdegs in the 3x3 event at both the Rubik's world championships of 2013 and 2015.

Mats broke the 3x3 world record with a time of 5.55 seconds at the Zonhoven Open 2013 in Belgium on 3 March 2013. This record stood for over 2 years. He broke the world record again with a time of 4.74 seconds at the Jawa Timur Open 2016 in Indonesia on 6 November 2016.

VLS

Mats is the creator of the VLS (Valk Last Slot) 3x3 algorithm set, which correctly orients the last layer while inserting the last corner-edge pair of the first two layers. Valk used one of these algorithms to complete the cube in his 2016 3x3 world record.

The Valk

Mats collaborated with QiYi to set up his own brand, The Valk, creating cubes according to his own specifications. The design of the mechanism and the performance of the cube has to be approved by Mats himself before the cube is mass-produced and sold. The first cube released under this brand was the Valk 3 on 15 August 2016. Since then, several more cubes have been released in the Valk Line, including the Valk 2, Valk 4, and the Valk 5, as well as several new 3x3s, the Valk Power, and the Valk Elite.

Achievements

World records

Mats currently holds no world records. He has previously held the following world records:

Single

  • 3x3x3 cube: 4.74 at Jawa Timur Open 2016
  • 3x3x3 cube: 5.55 at Zonhoven Open 2013
  • 4x4x4 cube: 26.77 at German Open 2012
  • 4x4x4 cube: 30.02 at Dutch Nationals 2011

Average

  • 4x4x4 cube: 33.57 at German Open 2012

Titles

Continental titles
Preceded by
Giovanni Contardi
2010
4x4 Speedsolve European Champion
2012
Succeeded by
Sebastian Weyer
2014
Preceded by
Philipp Weyer
2016
3x3 Speedsolve European Champion
2018
Succeeded by
Tymon Kolasinski
2022

Notable videos

See also

External links