By Our Reporter
Shillong, Dec 16: Affiliated to the World Cube Association, the yearly edition of the Indian Nationals Cubing Championships is held after a gap of three years, and for the first time in Shillong, from December 14–17.
The event is presented by AVENUES in partnership with the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs and brought to Shillong through organising clubs, CIPHER, IT, NEHU, and SpeedCubing Guwahati.
According to a statement here, over 100 cubers of all ages from across the country and four young first-timers from Meghalaya are vying in the competition held at the premises of the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
Multiple rounds for each cubing event have been conducted to take the finalists forward.
In his address at a function here on Saturday, Director of School Education and Literacy, Department of Education, Swapnil Tembe, said, “Games and sports teach us that when we put in 100 per cent effort, amazing things happen. Just as solving a Rubik’s Cube requires the right order with the right effort in the right direction, so too in life, we need the right approach and mindset”. “I hope that we can integrate mind sports like chess and cubing into the school curriculum in an effort towards ensuring holistic, inclusive education,” he added.
NEHU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla expressed his commitment to helping the youth “churn their minds”.
Aryan Chhabra, India’s fastest cuber on record, is looking to break his national record of 4.81 seconds in the 3x3x3 challenge.
Vice-Chair & Board Member, World Cube Association, Somya Srivastava is glad to see the presence of many new cubers at the event held in the city.
Founder & CEO, AVENUES, Shillong, Mark Laitflang Stone said this year’s theme “Beat Your Best” speaks volumes of the correlation between cubing and personal excellence, which is at the heart of what we do at Avenues. He thanked the parents for coming all the way to cheer for their children, and the state government for their partnership in organising the Indian Nationals in Shillong, with the hope of encouraging and promoting the local cubing community.
Other faculty members of NEHU were also present at the event.
The final events will take place on December 17 followed by an award ceremony to mark the conclusion of the competition, the statement informed.
