# Rubik Speedsolving Association - A message from Ernő Rubik



## cmhardw (Dec 22, 2016)

Hello cubing community!

Ernő Rubik has just made public his interest in speedcubing and its educational benefits. Rubik's representatives have requested that we divulge this message and future (!) messages from the Professor to the community (see bottom of this post).

Speedcubing as a phenomenon owes its thanks to all of the people that help make it possible. If you have attended a competition before, then you are a part of this. If you have organized or participated as staff at a competition before, then you are a part of this. To all the WCA Officials and volunteers, you are a part of this.

On behalf of the WCA Board I would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible! We look forward to more exciting things to come for our community!

Regards,
Chris Hardwick

Please share this message and subscribe!
https://plus.google.com/+ErnoRubik/posts/YMRf9fPoBBF


----------



## genericcuber666 (Dec 22, 2016)

yay cubings becoming mainstream


----------



## Dom (Dec 22, 2016)

Thank you, Mr. Rubik , for acknowledging us.


----------



## pjk (Dec 23, 2016)

Great to hear this. It would be great to work with Erno and Rubik's to better the community and provide more educational opportunities, amongst other things, for people around the world.


----------



## Kotra25 (Dec 23, 2016)

I have waited awhile for something like this to happen


----------



## Selkie (Dec 23, 2016)

A great read and great that Erno has taken the time to commend the speedcubing movement.

As a solver who has had the pleasure to have been solving for over 35 years since the cube was originally released I have to say that the movement today with the structure and framework the WCA gives the past time and communities such as this forum make speedsolving an excellent hobby that I am proud to be a part of and I enjoy solving as much today as I did in the early 80's.


----------



## Loiloiloi (Dec 23, 2016)

Risky move for him to endorse speedcubing, considering as the Rubik's Brand and speedcubing rarely overlap. 

Also, this isnt the first time he has mentioned or promoted speedcubing, I posted this video on sightings in the media a while back.


----------



## cmhardw (Dec 23, 2016)

A second message from Professor Rubik:
https://plus.google.com/collection/wmU5ME

He is starting up a non-profit organization to support speedcubing worldwide!

Exciting things are happening 

Chris


----------



## Loiloiloi (Dec 24, 2016)

Rubik Speedsolving Association? Call me a downer but I'm quite happy with what we have right now. Nothing wrong with the WCA and the way things are going, people compete, and some people organize, that's the way it should be. If this is just meant to act as a catalyst to what we already have then by all means I welcome this, but I really don't want to have competing systems for competitors, we saw in Jessica Fridrich's accounts of 1982 how that went wrong.


----------



## 1973486 (Dec 24, 2016)

Loiloiloi said:


> Rubik Speedsolving Association? Call me a downer but I'm quite happy with what we have right now. Nothing wrong with the WCA and the way things are going, people compete, and some people organize, that's the way it should be.



Depends how the RSA will work


----------



## Dom (Dec 24, 2016)

Yeah, it's probably not going to be a competition-governing organization. It'll probably just help take cubing to new places and introduce cubing into schools. Just like it says..... hopefully.


----------



## mDiPalma (Dec 24, 2016)

Hopefully the RSA will actually value their mission statements, unlike the WCA.


----------



## YouCubing (Dec 24, 2016)

mDiPalma said:


> Hopefully the RSA will actually value their mission statements, unlike the WCA.


try not to cut yourself on that edge


----------



## Kotra25 (Dec 24, 2016)

I hope he will fill a place in the community but I don't want him to take over everything we already have


----------



## Mastermind2368 (Dec 24, 2016)

Cool to see the person who invented the cube taking an interest in the cubing world .


----------



## Ollie (Dec 24, 2016)

I'll reserve judgement until we see a few more details about what the RSA will actually do and how it will work alongside the WCA (if it even needs to). It's an interesting idea, though! The guy has influence and resources, I assume.


----------



## AlexMaass (Dec 24, 2016)

mDiPalma said:


> Hopefully the RSA will actually value their mission statements, unlike the WCA.


_shots fired_


----------



## Tony Fisher (Dec 26, 2016)

Seems kind of strange considering he / they tried to get 99.9% of Rubik's Cubes used in competitions banned.


----------



## shadowslice e (Dec 27, 2016)

If the RSA tries to enforce Rubik's brand only I reckon that they may run into a few problems with the current cubing community.


----------



## Dom (Dec 27, 2016)

shadowslice e said:


> If the RSA tries to enforce Rubik's brand only I reckon that they may run into a few problems with the current cubing community.


No, man. They gave up on that already. It's about more than money to Ernö. It's about his legacy. It's about how his creation has influenced the entire world. I'm glad I'm able to be a part of it. Aren't you? 
Ernö Rubik wants to continue to be a positive influence in cubing, too.


----------



## DTCuber (Dec 28, 2016)

A person dies when he is no longer remembered. This is all about his legacy.


----------



## MentosCubing (Dec 28, 2016)

Loiloiloi said:


> Rubik Speedsolving Association? Call me a downer but I'm quite happy with what we have right now. Nothing wrong with the WCA and the way things are going, people compete, and some people organize, that's the way it should be. If this is just meant to act as a catalyst to what we already have then by all means I welcome this, but I really don't want to have competing systems for competitors, we saw in Jessica Fridrich's accounts of 1982 how that went wrong.


I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there already are competitions and educational kits made and sponsored by Rubik's. Go to YouCanDoTheCube.com to find out more.
Nobody really seems to know or worry about these, but I just wanted to let you know it has been done before and it may help you to know what to expect.


----------



## EntireTV (Dec 28, 2016)

"It is my ambition to create the best speedcubes made available to enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds. During my recent trip to China, I met the gifted young designer, Gan (creator of the world champion speedcube), and invited him to take part in this effort. 

Of course, I keep looking for other puzzle talents and plan to develop collaborative design platforms at RSA."
________________________________________________________________________________________

So now he's talking to cube designers and I'm gonna be pissed if they start making standardized cubes. But I beg everyone (including myself) to try to keep and open mind about this change.


----------



## RB (Dec 28, 2016)

I see a lot of growth opportunities in this RSA & WCA cooperation, if it happens.

Behind RSA & Erno Rubik are sponsors, the world Name, and (maybe) some political support.
Behind WCA is the great organized system of the competitions.

How they cooperate (just couple ideas):

what WCA can do for RSA, for example, is to add the extra event "3x3 (only Rubik's Cube (tm)".
In other words, there will be one 3x3 "sport" event with the latest and the greatest cubes (which we have now), and there will be one with the "original" Ribik's Cubes. In this case, in terms of sport, there will be an event with equal rights for all cubers around the world as they have exactly same cubes. For the Erno's sponsors it will be huge boost of "Rubik's"(tm) cubes sales.

what RSA can do for WCA is to finance some competitions. Not all of them, but most important in each country, as national championships. Bigger prizes will attract more cubers to participate, and this may boost speedcubing as well.

another niche that RSA can fill is "Cube for shows". It can be the place where cubers could get some ideas what to do for "Talent Shows" at schools, universities or on TV. A lot of students around the world would be interested in discussing simple tricks with the cubes to impress people, like Steven Brundage did on American Got Talent. Speedsolving forum is the bad place for those discussions, maybe RSA will create the good one.

one more area where RSA may earn a lot of money is to develop a cheap version of the cube for mosaic building (with price less than $1). This is also a huge market for sales as a simple portrait needs at least 300 cubes, and this may impact growth of cube-art around the world.

This is, I would say, a peak of the iceberg of the possible win-win opportunities.

I'm not sure whether for RSA or WCA those ideas could be interesting, but they could be a starting point of future cooperation development.


----------



## Sion (Dec 28, 2016)

I would've loved to work with rubiks on the tempest. THey still have yet to respond to my inquiry from 8 months ago. Qiyi just took 3 hours.


----------



## mark49152 (Dec 28, 2016)

If Rubik's license a decent speedcube design from one of the accomplished design houses, that would be interesting. Next year we might be rating Rubik's alongside Moyu and Gan as a credible speedcube brand. And they have the money and means to expand the market too.


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 28, 2016)

mark49152 said:


> Next year we might be rating Rubik's alongside Moyu and Gan as a credible speedcube brand. And they have the money and means to expand the market too.



Based on the above quote from the RSA via @EntireTV it looks like Rubik might be working on a partnership with Gans. A likely result of that is licensed cubes that, while still prohibitively expensive, are well up to modern standards. If there are such cubes, what's the possibility of a detente between WCA and Rubik/Seven Towns and a ban on "knockoff" cubes in competition?

Edit: @4Chan you're getting quite good at being a tease. You've got my curiosity up as to just what you knew/know.


----------



## Loiloiloi (Dec 29, 2016)

RB said:


> one more area where RSA may earn a lot of money is to develop a cheap version of the cube for mosaic building (with price less than $1). This is also a huge market for sales as a simple portrait needs at least 300 cubes, and this may impact growth of cube-art around the world


Guanlong


RB said:


> In other words, there will be one 3x3 "sport" event with the latest and the greatest cubes (which we have now), and there will be one with the "original" Ribik's Cubes. In this case, in terms of sport, there will be an event with equal rights for all cubers around the world as they have exactly same cubes. For the Erno's sponsors it will be huge boost of "Rubik's"(tm) cubes sales.



How do you regulate what is and isn't an original brand cube? People modify their Rubik's brand these days by removing hardware such as the core and replacing it with a good core. How would this be regulated? Each cube must be popped open to check for different internals?


----------



## Dom (Dec 29, 2016)

Loiloiloi said:


> Guanlong
> 
> 
> How do you regulate what is and isn't an original brand cube? People modify their Rubik's brand these days by removing hardware such as the core and replacing it with a good core. How would this be regulated? Each cube must be popped open to check for different internals?


They might provide cubes for the competitors. That would be a major fail.


----------



## Torch (Dec 29, 2016)

Guys, Rubik's has sponsored the World Championships before and allowed all cubes to be used even when they were cracking down on "knockoff" cubes. Why on earth are people suddenly worried that they're going to demand that all competitors use Rubik's brands, when it sure looks to me like they're starting to accept other cube brands much more than in the past?


----------



## Kit Clement (Dec 29, 2016)

Torch said:


> Guys, Rubik's has sponsored the World Championships before and allowed all cubes to be used even when they were cracking down on "knockoff" cubes. Why on earth are people suddenly worried that they're going to demand that all competitors use Rubik's brands, when it sure looks to me like they're starting to accept other cube brands much more than in the past?



Because I own this hobby and it was soooo much cooler before it got mainstream.


----------



## mark49152 (Dec 29, 2016)

One Wheel said:


> what's the possibility of a detente between WCA and Rubik/Seven Towns and a ban on "knockoff" cubes in competition?


Well this is all speculation of course, but my two cents is that Rubik's and Seven Towns have tried and pretty much failed to limit the use of non-Rubik's brand cubes, and following the recent lost case in Europe perhaps this is a sign that they are ready to redirect their efforts toward growing the market instead, by leveraging the appeal of speedcubing. They have a reach that the other players don't, and ultimately they could make more money by aggressively growing the market and taking a share of it, than by continuing to fight an uphill battle to monopolise a small market.


----------



## Robert-Y (Dec 29, 2016)

RB said:


> what WCA can do for RSA, for example, is to add the extra event "3x3 (only Rubik's Cube (tm)".
> In other words, there will be one 3x3 "sport" event with the latest and the greatest cubes (which we have now), and there will be one with the "original" Ribik's Cubes. In this case, in terms of sport, there will be an event with equal rights for all cubers around the world as they have exactly same cubes. For the Erno's sponsors it will be huge boost of "Rubik's"(tm) cubes sales.
> 
> one more area where RSA may earn a lot of money...


From a post from Erno:
"I would like to personally support speedcubing to become a true sport on a global scale. As its first sponsor, I am launching a new *non-profit* organisation with the mission of promoting speedsolving, support competitions, competitors and organizers as well as the introduction of puzzles in education."
Source: https://plus.google.com/+ErnoRubik/posts/TYsSvLRbo7g


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 29, 2016)

mark49152 said:


> Well this is all speculation of course, but my two cents is that Rubik's and Seven Towns have tried and pretty much failed to limit the use of non-Rubik's brand cubes, and following the recent lost case in Europe perhaps this is a sign that they are ready to redirect their efforts toward growing the market instead, by leveraging the appeal of speedcubing. They have a reach that the other players don't, and ultimately they could make more money by aggressively growing the market and taking a share of it, than by continuing to fight an uphill battle to monopolise a small market.



Mine is a doomsday scenario. I strongly suspect you are absolutely correct.


----------



## Elo13 (Dec 29, 2016)

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but afaik the RSA is not connected to Seven Towns in any way.


----------



## Dom (Dec 29, 2016)

MentosCubing said:


> I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there already are competitions and educational kits made and sponsored by Rubik's. Go to YouCanDoTheCube.com to find out more.
> Nobody really seems to know or worry about these, but I just wanted to let you know it has been done before and it may help you to know what to expect.


So this might be an interesting event to add to WCA competitions. Everyone take a look at this PDF of rules and guidelines for You Can Do the Cube competitions. It's a team solve. And you have to use Rubik's brand cubes. Oh, and a 180-degree turn counts as two moves, so a U2 would be a DNF. And a 90-degree turn would not be a +2, it would be +5! WOW!

What would ya'll think about adding a team solve to the WCA competitions? I think it would be fun. Kinda like a just-for-fun thing like theCubice.us did at US Nationals with the Sail Challenge.


----------



## Dash Lambda (Dec 29, 2016)

I hope Rubik has more genuine respect for the cubing community than Seven Towns.
I don't know what to think of this because I don't know how it will unfold, it could be an honest effort to support the cubing community or it could be a cash grab.

I hope for the best.


----------



## EntireTV (Dec 30, 2016)

RB said:


> For the Erno's sponsors it will be huge boost of "Rubik's"(tm) cubes sales.



I think Rubik's is already getting the money from the viral cubing videos and competitions watched by non-cubers. When a non-cuber sees any cube, whether it be a speedcube or not, and are intrigued by cubing, what will they do? *They will buy a Rubik's (tm) cube either way.* We have all done it, and I'm pretty sure most non-cuber's transitioning to becoming a speedcuber's first cube is a Rubik's brand cube. They are getting money nonetheless.


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 30, 2016)

Elo13 said:


> Please correct me if I'm wrong, but afaik the RSA is not connected to Seven Towns in any way.



I believe they are connected via Ernő Rubik. I don't know how important that connection is operationally or philosophically. Hopefully RSA is more about Ernő Rubik's legacy than marketing, but traditionally Seven Towns has always been about marketing.


----------



## cuberkid10 (Dec 30, 2016)

Dom said:


> Everyone take a look at this PDF of rules and guidelines for You Can Do the Cube competitions. It's a team solve. And you have to use Rubik's brand cubes. Oh, and a 180-degree turn counts as two moves, so a U2 would be a DNF. And a 90-degree turn would not be a +2, it would be +5! WOW!.


I actually think the best part about this is that if you aren't currently enrolled in K-12, you're not even allowed to compete! WOW!


----------



## Sion (Dec 30, 2016)

Well then! I'm lucky im modding my rubiks brand nonstop. Apparently the professor is fliping the bird to my Chun 2


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 30, 2016)

cuberkid10 said:


> I actually think the best part about this is that if you aren't currently enrolled in K-12, you're not even allowed to compete! WOW!



Not to wax all philosophical here, but I think the best part about the WCA is that people of vastly different ages can actually compete against each other on an even footing. My favorite competition moment ever in any competition is from the antique tractor pull at the county fair: a 60-something guy drove the tractor his dad bought new back in the 1950s, then he backed the tractor up to hook up again immediately so that his 12-year old nephew could drive it next.


----------



## DGCubes (Dec 30, 2016)

cuberkid10 said:


> I actually think the best part about this is that if you aren't currently enrolled in K-12, you're not even allowed to compete! WOW!



Maybe the WCA should add this to their regulations: "The *Competitors* should be a fun experience"
I think this is a key factor to the overall enjoyability of a competition which should not be overlooked.


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 30, 2016)

DGCubes said:


> "The *Competitors* should be a fun experience"



I'm not even sure what this means, and I'm guessing it's just the fault of autocorrect, but that's a spectacular typo.


----------



## Loiloiloi (Dec 30, 2016)

EntireTV said:


> *They will buy a Rubik's (tm) cube either way.* We have all done it



Speak for yourself, my first cube was a guanlong and everyone I've gotten into cubing I've told to buy a guanlong or sail.


----------



## EntireTV (Dec 30, 2016)

Loiloiloi said:


> Speak for yourself, my first cube was a guanlong and everyone I've gotten into cubing I've told to buy a guanlong or sail.



True. But most people aren't willing to work that hard to research


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Ollie (Dec 30, 2016)

Loiloiloi said:


> Speak for yourself, my first cube was a guanlong and everyone I've gotten into cubing I've told to buy a guanlong or sail.



Not everyone comes into speedcubing by talking to speedcubers. People will watch videos of speedcubers and won't necessarily think to look in the description to buy the cube they used (quite understandably.) Their first instinct will be to buy Rubik's, because that's all they know.


----------



## mark49152 (Dec 30, 2016)

Ollie said:


> Their first instinct will be to buy Rubik's, because that's all they know.


And because that's what they'll find in the local toy store or supermarket.


----------



## YouCubing (Dec 30, 2016)

y'all are being really apocalyptic here
I think even if the RSA does only allow certain cubes (which I highly doubt), it's not like the WCA is going away


----------



## Dom (Dec 30, 2016)

Loiloiloi said:


> Speak for yourself, my first cube was a guanlong and everyone I've gotten into cubing I've told to buy a guanlong or sail.


I'm starting a cube club at our mosque. I sent an email to all the parents with cube recommendations, pointing out that a Warrior W is way cheaper, but better than a Rubik's brand. I even said in the email, "Let me start by saying DO NOT BUY A RUBIK'S BRAND CUBE! They are difficult to turn and are a huge waste of money!" 
And one of the parents replied to the email and later he went to Walmart and bought one anyway. He was like, "I looked in every store to try to find that one you emailed us about, but I couldn't, so I just bought this one from Walmart." Some people won't listen. I said, "dude, trust me, take that one back to the store and use that money to buy a couple cheap speed cubes." 
\rant


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 30, 2016)

Dom said:


> I'm starting a cube club at our mosque. I sent an email to all the parents with cube recommendations, pointing out that a Warrior W is way cheaper, but better than a Rubik's brand. I even said in the email, "Let me start by saying DO NOT BUY A RUBIK'S BRAND CUBE! They are difficult to turn and are a huge waste of money!"
> And one of the parents replied to the email and later he went to Walmart and bought one anyway. He was like, "I looked in every store to try to find that one you emailed us about, but I couldn't, so I just bought this one from Walmart." Some people won't listen. I said, "dude, trust me, take that one back to the store and use that money to buy a couple cheap speed cubes."
> \rant



Maybe include a link, or offer to take orders so you can get a volume discount?


----------



## Dom (Dec 30, 2016)

@One Wheel . Yeah I included links to cube stores. And I included review videos from YouTube. As far as making a large order, that may be something to look into, but it's hard to get the parents to get involved. Communication. *sigh*


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 30, 2016)

Dom said:


> @One Wheel . Yeah I included links to cube stores. And I included review videos from YouTube. As far as making a large order, that may be something to look into, but it's hard to get the parents to get involved. Communication. *sigh*



If you can afford it another option is to get a bunch of cheap cubes on your own dime. Guanlongs are kind of a classic cheap cube, but there are plenty of other options. I have a MoFang JiaoShi that is in close competition with my thunderclap for my main.


----------



## MFCuber (Dec 30, 2016)

Here's a video about my take on the new RSA!


----------



## Sion (Dec 30, 2016)

Am I the only one whos first cube is a cubicle aolong v2 in primary?


----------



## Elo13 (Dec 30, 2016)

My first cube was a guhong v2. It was a year ago so it was outdated but still an actual speedcube.


----------



## One Wheel (Dec 31, 2016)

Sion said:


> Am I the only one whos first cube is a cubicle aolong v2 in primary?



I started with a Rubik's. Used it for feet and blind in my one competition too.


----------



## bgcatfan (Jan 3, 2017)

MFCuber said:


> Here's a video about my take on the new RSA!



Nice video. That brought up some sources I was unfamiliar with (Instagram and Facebook). Some of the interesting things to me were:
-Gans saying that his puzzles will be released under both his branding and the Rubik's brand. Gan cubes will still be sold as Gan cubes, which seems to me that any change in how cubes are sold would be what happens with the Rubik's brand, not on Gan's side (they will be sold the same way they are now). Interested to see exactly how that will look.
-Also, van Bruchem saying that the RSA is in good contact with the WCA. To me this is good news. I hope they will choose to support the WCA. To me that will be a very good thing.

Also, I'm curious if this would lead to bigger corporate sponsorship for cubing in the future. Scheffler's book pointed out that competitions in the 80s (I think specifically in Hungary), awarded much larger prize amounts than they do not, one winner received about a half-year's worth of his salary.

Over the holidays I was imagining what it would be like to do some broadcasts of cube competitions (video production with commentary, like a sports broadcast). After hearing about the RSA that made me think that if it ever became more mainstream (big corporate sponsorship and TV broadcast) I would be way under qualified to do something like that, to me it would just be for fun.

On the idea of broadcasting: My idea is that if I did broadcasting I would be the play-by-play and would appreciate an experienced color commentator to better analyze solves after they happen. BTW, if someone would actually want to help make this happen, let me know. I'm not sure where to start with that idea.


----------



## biscuit (Jan 3, 2017)

bgcatfan said:


> Nice video. That brought up some sources I was unfamiliar with (Instagram and Facebook). Some of the interesting things to me were:
> -Gans saying that his puzzles will be released under both his branding and the Rubik's brand. Gan cubes will still be sold as Gan cubes, which seems to me that any change in how cubes are sold would be what happens with the Rubik's brand, not on Gan's side (they will be sold the same way they are now). Interested to see exactly how that will look.
> -Also, van Bruchem saying that the RSA is in good contact with the WCA. To me this is good news. I hope they will choose to support the WCA. To me that will be a very good thing.
> 
> ...


Problem with this is commentating on it live wouldn't really work.


----------



## Dash Lambda (Jan 3, 2017)

biscuit said:


> Problem with this is commentating on it live wouldn't really work.


For small cubes, it wouldn't. For big cubes, though, it takes long enough and there are enough stages that there _could_ be some meaningful commentary.
I'd say 4x4 and up for most speedsolvers, 5x5 and up for world-class speedsolvers.

If we start doing commentary on competitions, then we _need_ to make 2x2-7x7 relay an official event.


----------



## One Wheel (Jan 3, 2017)

Dash Lambda said:


> For small cubes, it wouldn't. For big cubes, though, it takes long enough and there are enough stages that there _could_ be some meaningful commentary.
> I'd say 4x4 and up for most speedsolvers, 5x5 and up for world-class speedsolvers.
> 
> If we start doing commentary on competitions, then we _need_ to make 2x2-7x7 relay an official event.



Any big relay would be relatively easy to commentate, but I think that a good commentating crew could handle any of it. If they had the scrambles ahead of time (maybe broadcast on a delay) and could talk about techniques used, reconstructions, optimal solutions, etc. A good commentating crew can make anything from Go to Top Fuel Drag Racing interesting. It might never take over prime time television, but it could be done.


----------



## bgcatfan (Jan 3, 2017)

biscuit said:


> Problem with this is commentating on it live wouldn't really work.



It wouldn't need to be live. If it's not live it's easier to show highlights and show specific solves you wish and still carry the story lines of the competition, but within the time frame that's desired.



Dash Lambda said:


> For small cubes, it wouldn't. For big cubes, though, it takes long enough and there are enough stages that there _could_ be some meaningful commentary.



I think it works as well for small cubes as it does for big cubes. Small cubes there would be mostly silence during the solve, perhaps small comments during, but mostly the reaction and analysis afterwards.



One Wheel said:


> Any big relay would be relatively easy to commentate, but I think that a good commentating crew could handle any of it.



Agreed.

As much as this topic intrigues me, perhaps I have led us off topic...


----------



## bgcatfan (Jan 3, 2017)

Speaking of televised competitions, I just searched for video of the 1982 world championship and found this, the 1981 and 1982 US National Championships on the TV show "That's Incredible." We've come a long way in cubing competitions. And this is not what I imagine when I think of commentary for cubing competitions.


----------



## ntd252 (Feb 24, 2017)

From my view, I like there is a category about cubing in Olympic games. But thinking more deeply, I would say there shouldn't be. It's a great idea to spread out cubing to the world from appearing in Olympic events. However, when cubing is an Olympic event, the competitiveness will be much higher, because fame from getting prizes in an international event with long history can make people try everything to reach, even right or wrong. Imagining someone uses some kinds of "doping" or cheating ways to win? yes, it happened sometimes in the past, and could become more often in Olympic games.
That's just a perspective to think, maybe there are more in reality.
So I just want to spread out cubing to educating, such as a subject or optional subject, or something official in school. That's pretty cool, we can get a lot of things from solving a cube (yes, those things are not easy to teach the student!)


----------



## tacticalpi (May 4, 2017)

Cubing is not big enough to be an Olympic sport. Some people don't even consider it a sport. The amount of cubers is still really small. Maybe RSA can help to promote cubing as a sport.


----------



## mark49152 (Jul 3, 2017)

What happened to the RSA? No news for months, and no mention on the WC2017 website.


----------



## mark49152 (Oct 19, 2017)

Seems it has quietly launched itself: www.rubiks-rcsa.com


----------



## One Wheel (Oct 19, 2017)

This is lovely. From FAQ:


> What is the Official Rubik's Speedcube? The RCSA has partnered with GAN and Rubik’s to make sure that the very best speedcubes are made available in a transparent and legitimate manner for the speedcubing community.


I'm thrilled.


----------



## shadowslice e (Oct 19, 2017)

mark49152 said:


> Seems it has quietly launched itself: www.rubiks-rcsa.com


I wonder why it was so quiet.


----------



## h2f (Oct 19, 2017)

mark49152 said:


> Seems it has quietly launched itself: www.rubiks-rcsa.com



I was looking for it in last few days and found nothing. Thanks, Mark.


----------



## Max Cruz (Oct 19, 2017)

shadowslice e said:


> I wonder why it was so quiet.



How do you know it was "quiet?" It looks like it has a larger presence in Europe, and most of the cubers here (to my knowledge) are from US. For example, it seems to sponsor competitions like the Polish Open, Hungarian Nationals, etc.


----------



## shadowslice e (Oct 20, 2017)

Max Cruz said:


> How do you know it was "quiet?" It looks like it has a larger presence in Europe, and most of the cubers here (to my knowledge) are from US. For example, it seems to sponsor competitions like the Polish Open, Hungarian Nationals, etc.


I live in the uk. You could have checked that from my profile.

Also there does exist a thing called conversing with other people.

Also I was implying it may have something to do with the lawsuit.


----------



## Max Cruz (Oct 20, 2017)

shadowslice e said:


> I live in the uk. You could have checked that from my profile.
> 
> Also there does exist a thing called conversing with other people.
> 
> Also I was implying it may have something to do with the lawsuit.



Point taken. I wasn't sure how many European cubers were on this forum. Thank you for clarifying.

However, could you expand on the lawsuit explanation? Do you think they are keeping it "quiet" because it might face some backlash in the US?


----------

