Ian Scheffler, journalist and aspiring "speedcuber," attempts to
break into the international phenomenon of speedsolving the Rubik's
Cube--think chess played at the speed of Ping-Pong--while exploring
the greater lessons that can be learned through solving it. When
Hungarian professor Erno Rubik invented the Rubik's Cube (or,
rather, his Cube) in 1974 out of wooden blocks, rubber bands, and
paper clips, he didn't even know if it could be solved, let alone
that it would become the world's most popular puzzle. Since its
creation, the Cube has become many things to many people: one of
the bestselling children's toys of all time, a symbol of
intellectual prowess, a frustrating puzzle with 43.2 quintillion
possible permutations, and now a worldwide sporting phenomenon that
is introducing the classic brainteaser to a new generation. In
Cracking the Cube, Ian Scheffler reveals that cubing isn't just fun
and games. Along with participating in speedcubing
competitions--from the World Championship to local tournaments--and
interviewing key figures from the Cube's history, he journeys to
Budapest to seek a meeting with the legendary and notoriously
reclusive Rubik, who is still tinkering away with puzzles in his
seventies. Getting sucked into the competitive circuit himself,
Scheffler becomes engrossed in solving Rubik's Cube in under twenty
seconds, the quasi-mystical barrier known as "sub-20," which is to
cubing what four minutes is to the mile: the difference between the
best and everyone else. As Scheffler learns from the many gurus who
cross his path, from pint-sized kids to engineering professors,
it's not just about memorizing algorithms or even solving all six
sides--it's about discovering how to solve yourself.
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