Feliks_Zemdegs

Feliks Zemdegs

Feliks Zemdegs

Australian speedcuber (born 1995)

Feliks Aleksanders Zemdegs[1] (/ˈfɛlɪks ˈzɛmdɛɡz/, Latvian: Fēlikss Zemdegs; born 20 December 1995) is an Australian Rubik's Cube speedsolver. He is one of the only two speedcubers ever to win the World Cube Association World Championship twice (the other being Max Park), winning in 2013 and 2015, and is widely considered the most successful and greatest speedcuber of all time.[2][3] He has set more than 350 records across various speedcubing events: 121 world records, 214 continental records, and 7 national records.[4][5]

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...

Biography

Feliks Zemdegs is of Latvian descent, and his maternal grandmother is Lithuanian.[6] Zemdegs bought his first speedcube in April 2008 after being inspired by speedcubing videos and tutorials on YouTube.[7] The first unofficial time he recorded was an average of 19.73 seconds on 14 June, 2008.[8]

Zemdegs won the 3×3×3 event at the first competition he attended, the New Zealand Championships 2009 on 18 July, 2009, with an average of 13.74 seconds in the final round. He also won 2×2×2, 4×4×4, 5×5×5, 3×3×3 blindfolded, and 3×3×3 one-handed.[9] He set 11 Oceanic records at this competition.

At his next competition, the Melbourne Summer Open 2010 on 30 January, 2010, Zemdegs set his first world records for 3×3×3 average and 4×4×4 average, with times of 9.21 seconds and 42.01 seconds, respectively.[10] He held the 3×3×3 average world record continuously from then until 23 April, 2017, improving it 8 times, eventually to 6.45 seconds. The most world records he has held at one time is 12 in May 2011. As recently as 28 January, 2017, he held 11 of those records concurrently.

At the World Championship 2011 in Bangkok, Zemdegs won 2×2×2, 4×4×4, 5×5×5, and 6×6×6. He also took third in 3×3×3 after winning the first three rounds and placed third in 7×7×7.[11]

At the World Championship 2013 in Las Vegas, Zemdegs won 3×3×3, 4×4×4, and 3×3×3 One-handed. He also placed second in 5×5×5 and third in 7×7×7.[12]

At the World Championship 2015 in São Paulo, Zemdegs won 3×3×3, 2×2×2, 4×4×4, and 5×5×5. He also placed second in 6×6×6, 7×7×7, and Megaminx.[13]

At the World Championship 2017 in Paris, Zemdegs won 5×5×5 and 7×7×7. He also took second in 6×6×6, 3×3×3 One-handed, and Megaminx, and placed third in 4×4×4.[14]

At the World Championship 2019 in Melbourne, Zemdegs only placed in the top three in one event, getting third in 5x5x5.[15]

In 2020, Zemdegs was one of the primary subjects of the Netflix documentaryThe Speed Cubers.[16]

On June 5, 2021, Zemdegs lost his last world record (his 5.53 3x3x3 average) to Chinese speedcuber Ruihang Xu.[17]

At the World Championship 2023 in Incheon, Zemdegs failed to place top 3 in any event and did not make the semi-finals in the 3x3x3 event, his first time failing to do so since beginning in 2011.[18]

Zemdegs is currently ranked 11th in the world for 3x3x3 average with a result of 5.53, set in 2019.[19]

Zemdegs has a website, CubeSkills, which includes tutorials on solving the Rubik's Cube and other puzzles. There are free algorithm sheets and speedsolving tutorial videos. The site also offers a premium membership which enables access to advanced speed solving videos.[20]

Zemdegs attended St Kevin's College, Toorak and graduated in 2013 with a perfect study score in VCE English and an ATAR of 99.90.[21][22] Zemdegs has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, majoring in economics, with a breadth study track in mechanical engineering.[23]

As of March 2024, Zemdegs' YouTube channel has more than 479,000 subscribers.[24]

World records


World records by Zemdegs.[25]

More information Event, Type ...

Official personal records

Listed below are Zemdegs' personal records achieved in official World Cube Association competitions.[4]

More information Event, Type ...

Media appearances

References

  1. [1]
    "Current details for ABN 40 697 737 850 (Feliks' ABN entry, linked to his company "Cubeskills International"". abm.business.gov.au. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  2. [2]
    "2015 WCA World Championship Results". 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. [3]
    "2013 WCA World Championship Results". 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  4. [4]
    "Feliks Zemdegs". World Cube Association. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  5. [5]
    "The top 5 most influential Rubik's Cube speedsolvers of all time". ruwix.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Latviešu izcelsmes austrālietis Zemdegs kļūst par divkārtējo pasaules čempionu Rubika kuba salikšanā (Latvian-Australian Zemdegs becomes two-time world champion in Rubik's Cube speedsolving)" (in Latvian). Lsm.lv. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  7. [7]
    Saunokonoko, Mark (11 September 2015). "Feliks Zemdegs: cracking the Rubik's Cube". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  8. [8]
    "First posted average".
  9. [9]
    "New Zealand Championships 2009 results". 18 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  10. [10]
    "Melbourne Summer Open 2010 | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  11. [11]
    "Worlds 2011 podiums".
  12. [12]
    "Worlds 2013 podiums".
  13. [13]
    "Worlds 2015 podiums".
  14. [14]
    "Worlds 2017 podiums".
  15. [15]
    "Worlds 2019 podiums".
  16. [16]
    Bajgrowicz, Brooke (29 July 2020). "'The Speed Cubers' takes on the world of competitive Rubik's Cube solving". Mashable. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  17. [17]
    "Records | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  18. [18]
    "Rubik's WCA World Championship 2023 | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Rankings | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  20. [20]
    "Cubeskills.com".
  21. [21]
    Saunokonoko, Mark (12 September 2015). "Feliks Zemdegs: cracking the Rubik's Cube". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  22. [22]
    "St Kevin's College Toorak - VCE Study Score Archive 2013". www.quppa.net. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  23. [23]
    "About Feliks". CubeSkills. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  24. [24]
    "Feliks Zemdegs". YouTube. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  25. [25]
    "History of WCA world records". Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
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    "Rubik's cube craze sweeps NZ (1:40)". Television New Zealand. 18 July 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
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    "Rubik's cubers a breed apart". The Dominion Post. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
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    King, Simon (17 July 2010). "Golfers line up for bad boys' club". The Australian. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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    Masanauskas, John (21 July 2010). "Melbourne schoolboy Feliks Zemdegs the 'Usain Bolt' of Rubik's cube". Herald Sun. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  32. [32]
    "Can you Cube it? Feliks can". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 27 July 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  33. [33]
    Nolan, Kellee (27 July 2010). "Feliks speeds his way to top of the cubist world". The Age. Melbourne.
  34. [34]
    Younger, Emma. "MULTIMEDIA: Fingers fly at the National Rubik's Cube competition – Arts & Entertainment – Lifestyle – Melbourne Leader". Melbourne Leader. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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    "Feliks Zemdegs – Rubiks cube – National IQ test Channel 9 9 November 2010". YouTube. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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    Lin, Anne (16 November 2010). "Aussie teen breaks Rubik's cube record". ninemsn. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
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    Spurr, Chris (2 June 2011). "Catalyst: God's Algorithm – ABC TV Science". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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    Greenbaum, Hilary; Rubinstein, Dana (9 February 2012). "Who Made That Rubik's Cube?". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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    "Rubik's Cube Wizz Feliks Zemdegs – Shows – Brig & Lehmo for Breakfast – GOLD104.3 – Good Times & Great Classic Hits". GOLD 104.3. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  40. [40]
    Scheffler, Ian (3 May 2014). "Beyond the Rubik's Cube: inside the competitive world of speedcubing". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
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    Mposo, Nontando (27 November 2014). "Fastest finger to solve colourful puzzle". Independent Online. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  42. [42]
    Strachan, Maxwell (23 July 2015). "Rubik's Cube Champion Feliks Zemdegs On Whether Puzzles And Intelligence Are Linked". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  43. [43]
    "Gianfranco Huanqui and Feliks Zemdegs: "The Brain" China – Semifinal 14 April 2016". YouTube. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  44. [44]
    "The Speedcubers". Netflix. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  45. [45]
    "Rubik's Cube's second coming". The Guardian. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  46. [46]
    "Netflix star speed cuber fights it out at Perth contest". PerthNow. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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