Teen wins Rubik's cube world championships in six seconds

Feliks Zemdegs, 19, defended his title in Sao Paulo in Brazil on the weekend in the traditional 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube competition.

He completed the puzzle in 5.69 seconds, beating out Mats Valk, from the Netherlands, who finished in 7.40 seconds and Jakub Kipa, from Poland, who solved it in 7.95.

Zemdegs, from Melbourne in Victoria, was only 0.44 seconds short of breaking the world record held by American Collin Burns.

Following the win, the 19-year-old told Reuters he felt good about his 'speedcubing' triumph.

'The competition was really, really awesome, well-run. The venue was really nice, all the people were really nice,' Zemdegs said.

'The win was also really nice as well. Because I won last time, I was less nervous this time because I had already won one so that helped a bit.'

During the lead up to the championships, the Australian teenager spent a month practicing almost every day - sometimes for up to six hours.

He also recommended people only practice when they wanted to because speedcubing was about having fun.

'Even the fastest guys in the world only practice because it’s fun, or alternatively, they enjoy being really competitive and the corresponding amount of practice that is required to do so,' Zemdegs said.

'Cubing should never be a chore, and I think that forcing yourself to practice isn't a good mindset.' 

Zemdegs added breaks from speedcubing were ideal as was experimenting with new algorithms or methods to solve a Rubik's Cube.

The weekend's championships not only included the 3x3x3 event but those that involved completing 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 cubes.

Some ambitious competitors also try to solve puzzle blocks blindfolded, with their feet or just one hand.

The colourful puzzle was invented by Hungarian architect Erno Rubik in 1974.

The Rubik's Cube World Championship was first held in Budapest in 1982 and now draws participants from around the world. 

In total, more than 423 people from 41 countries competed in the 2015 Rubik's Cube World Championship.

(dailymail.co.uk)