WCA Cubing Competitions: Rules, Averages and How to Enter

What is the WCA?

WCA stands for World Cube Association, the organisation founded by Ron van Bruchem and Tyson Mao in 2004 (Wikipedia). The WCA writes the competition rules, sends a representative (a WCA Delegate) to oversee each competition and keeps every result in one shared database (WCA FAQ). That is why only results set at WCA competitions count as official records.

What events are there at a WCA competition?

The WCA Regulations recognise 17 official events (WCA Regulations, article 9b):

• Cubes: 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7.
• 3x3 variations: One-Handed, Blindfolded, Multi-Blind (several cubes blindfolded) and Fewest Moves.
• Big cubes blindfolded: 4x4 Blindfolded, 5x5 Blindfolded.
• Other puzzles: Clock, Megaminx, Pyraminx, Skewb, Square-1.

Each competition picks its own events. A small one might only hold a few, while a national championship usually has nearly all of them. For newcomers, 3x3 is the most popular event.

What happens during a solve?

A 3x3 attempt goes through these steps under WCA rules:

1. The cube is scrambled from a computer-made scramble. Scrambles come from the WCA's official scrambling program (article 4b). Everyone in the same group uses the same scrambles (article 1h), so nobody gets an easier cube than anyone else.
2. The cube is covered. The scrambler puts a cover over the cube so no one can see it early (article A2c1).
3. 15 seconds of inspection. Once the cover comes off, you have less than 15 seconds to pick up the cube, look at it and plan (article A3a1). During inspection you must not turn any face; if you do, the attempt is disqualified (article A3c1).
4. Start the timer. You put the cube down, place your fingers on the timer's two sensors and lift your hands to start (article A4b). If you start after 15 but before 17 seconds of inspection, you get a 2-second penalty; at 17 seconds or more, the attempt counts as a DNF (Did Not Finish) (articles A4d1, A4d2).
5. Solve and stop the timer. When you finish, you put your hands back on the sensors to stop the clock.
6. Sign the score sheet. You check the time the judge wrote down and sign to confirm it. Your signature ends the attempt (article A7c).

Here is what a 3x3 scramble looks like. This is an EasyRubic example, checked on our simulator, not a scramble from a real competition:

D2 F' R2 U' L2 B2 U F2 D' R2 B L' U2 F' R D' B2 R' U L

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

The picture on the left is the cube after the scramble, the cube you see when the cover comes off. The picture on the right is the goal: the solved cube. To scramble at home exactly as they do at competitions, see How to scramble a Rubik's Cube the WCA way. For what to look at during those 15 seconds, see 15-second Rubik's Cube inspection.

!A competition timer and mat used at Rubik's Cube competitions Photo: [Protocoldoug / Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stackmatresized.jpg), CC0

How are results worked out?

There are two kinds of result, and each has its own records:

• Single: your fastest attempt.
• Average: a measure of how consistent you are.

For 3x3 and most other events, each round has 5 attempts. The best and the worst attempt are dropped, and the average of the 3 left decides your ranking (article 9f8). Cubers usually call this "Ao5". 6x6 and 7x7 have only 3 attempts, and all 3 are averaged (article 9b2a). 3x3 Blindfolded is ranked by the best of 5 attempts (article 9b3a).

A real example: in the 3x3 final of the 2025 World Championship, Yiheng Wang's 5 attempts were 5.45, 3.80, 4.31, 3.94 and 4.43 seconds (WCA). Drop 3.80 (the best) and 5.45 (the worst), and you have 4.31 + 3.94 + 4.43 = 12.68. Divide by 3 and you get 4.23 seconds, enough to win the title.

This means one bad attempt does not ruin your whole round. But with two or more DNFs, your average becomes a DNF too (article 9f9), because only one worst attempt can be dropped.

How +2 penalties, DNFs and rounding are handled, with step-by-step examples, is in What is Ao5? How to work out Ao5 and Ao12.

Rounds, cutoffs and time limits

Big competitions are split into rounds, up to 4 rounds per event (article 9m). Between two rounds in a row, at least 25% of competitors are knocked out (article 9p1), and the last round is the final.

To keep a competition from running too long, the organisers can set:

• A time limit: 10 minutes per attempt by default. If you go over it, the judge stops the attempt and records a DNF (articles A1a1, A1a4).
• A cutoff: in 5-attempt events, you do the first 2 attempts first. If at least one of them beats the cutoff time, you get to do the rest (articles 9b1b, 9g). For 6x6 and 7x7, the cutoff part is just 1 attempt (article 9b2b).

Each competition sets its own cutoffs and time limits and posts them on its page. Read them carefully before you register.

Entering a Rubik's Cube competition in Vietnam

According to the WCA FAQ, there is no minimum age to compete, but children should check with their parents before registering (WCA FAQ). Many competitions let you register right on the WCA website, while some use their own system. You do not need a WCA ID yet: it is created when the results of your first competition are published.

How to find a competition near you:

1. Go to the WCA competition list and filter by Vietnam.
2. Open a competition's page to see the dates, venue, events, entry fee and competitor limit.
3. Register early, because competitions often fill up.

Example: Vietnam Championship 2026 took place from 14 to 16 August 2026 at Trang An Palace, Hanoi, organised by Cubing Hanoi and the Vietnam Rubik Association. It had a limit of 275 competitors and a base entry fee of 500,000 VND (WCA). The page for any upcoming competition has the same sections.

Upcoming competitions and step-by-step registration are in Rubik's Cube competitions in Vietnam.

If you are curious about the top level in the country: according to WCA data, the Vietnamese record for 3x3 is 4.53 seconds single and 5.74 seconds average, as of 13 October 2026 (WCA API).

Watch two World Championship finals

The 2023 final: won by 0.01 seconds

The 2023 World Championship took place in Incheon, South Korea, from 12 to 15 August 2023 (WCA). In the 3x3 final, Max Park won with an average of 5.31 seconds, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Yiheng Wang (5.32). Tymon Kolasiński came third with 5.42 (WCA). It is the clearest example of why cubers practise consistency, not just fast singles.

The 2025 final: an average under 4.3 seconds

The 2025 World Championship took place in Seattle, USA, from 3 to 6 July 2025 (WCA). The top three in 3x3 were Yiheng Wang with 4.23, Xuanyi Geng with 4.49 and Tymon Kolasiński with 4.98 (WCA). The video below, from the official WCA channel, puts all three averages side by side.

Watching a record solve: what to look out for

A 3-second solve is over in a flash. When you watch it back slowly, look out for:

• The 15 seconds of inspection. The competitor turns the whole cube in their hands to look at it, without turning any face. This is when they plan their first moves.
• Hands on the timer. The timer only starts when the competitor lifts their hands off the sensors, so the published time is the real time on the clock.
• The solving steps. Many top cubers use the CFOP method: the cross, the first and middle layers, then two algorithms for the top layer. See What is CFOP? to spot each step while you watch.
• The pauses. Beginners stop to look for the next piece. Top cubers hardly stop at all, because they look ahead while their hands keep turning.

Max Park's 3.13-second solve at Pride in Long Beach 2023 (WCA), the world record at the time, is an easy one to watch. The current record is 2.51 seconds by Xuanyi Geng (WCA); see Xuanyi Geng breaks the 3x3 record with 2.51 seconds.

For more record solves in other events, see Rubik's Cube world records 2026.

Getting ready for your first competition

You do not need to be fast to compete. What matters is that you can solve the whole cube without looking at a guide, and that you know the rules.

1. Get the hang of a full solve. Follow EasyRubic's layer-by-layer guide, one step at a time.
2. Read the notation. See the Rubik's Cube notation page if you still mix up R and R'.
3. Practise with 15 seconds of inspection. When you practise at home, time 15 seconds before each solve and do not turn the cube while you look. 15-second Rubik's Cube inspection shows you how to use all 15 seconds.
4. Practise all 5 attempts. Use the 3x3 timer page and work out your average of 5 the way the rules do, so you get used to the idea that one bad solve is not the end.
5. Read the competition page. Check the cutoffs, the schedule and when you need to arrive.

Get EasyRubic and get the hang of solving the cube before competition day.

Sources

• WCA Regulations
• WCA – Frequently Asked Questions
• WCA – Vietnam Championship 2026
• WCA API – 3x3 results, World Championship 2023
• WCA API – 3x3 results, World Championship 2025
• WCA API – Records
• WCA API – Rubik's WCA World Championship 2023
• WCA API – Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025
• WCA API – Max Park's results
• WCA – Xuanyi Geng
• World Cube Association – Wikipedia