Meet the Maynooth student taking Ireland's fastest Rubik's cubers to Europe

The 21-year-old Irish record holder will join 46 teammates competing against Europe's fastest speedcubers in the Netherlands

Kalin Doherty: 'I have around 80 Rubik's Cubes in total but my friends have way more. Most of them have over 100.' Picture: Gareth Chaney

At just 21 years old, Kalin Doherty has made the Rubik’s Cube his life’s work, even managing to secure a national record for solving the puzzle blindfolded.

The current record holder, who is studying psychology at Maynooth University, will be among 47 Irish people flying out for the Rubik’s World Cube Association European Championship, which takes place in Arnhem, Netherlands, from Thursday to Sunday, July 16-19. 

Founded in 2004, the event challenges competitors to solve puzzles ranging from the traditional 3x3 cube to one-handed solving and larger puzzles as quickly as possible. 

Its strict qualification process means that only Europe’s fastest cubers are selected to compete.

Kalin says he found it difficult to put down his Rubik’s Cube after being introduced to the sport at the age of seven.

“My older brother taught me how to do it,” he told the Irish Examiner. 

"Obviously I was very slow at first, doing it in maybe three minutes or something. Over time, I just got addicted and became faster and faster at doing it.” 

Kalin, who is a member of Speedcubing Ireland, has an impressive collection of the iconic toys.

“I have around 80 in total but my friends have way more. Most of them have over 100. I used to have a lot more but this is how many I have at the moment. I don’t have them in my bedroom because I wouldn’t get any sleep otherwise.

"I would just be up all night practising cubing. Instead, I have my own room downstairs which I use especially for cubing. Here I have a desk and my tripod where I sometimes record my solves.” 

The cube, which was invented by Erno Rubik as a teaching aid for architecture students in 1974, has been a huge part of Kalin’s life.

“When I was in primary school I would bring it in every day,” he recalled. 

“I even started a trend in my class that saw everyone trying to solve it. I ended up teaching so many people.” 

He said that friends and family have always embraced his pastime.

“I think everyone has their own weird hobby, or at least a lot of people do. Of course it is quite weird when someone asks you what your main hobby is and you tell them you solve Rubik’s Cubes all day. 

"I’m lucky that in my case everyone just accepted it. I did stop having it in class when I was in secondary school as I was that bit more self-conscious. 

"However, I had all my cubing friends to connect with so there was always that outlet. 

"I’m also lucky to have a supportive family. My parents have driven me all over the country for competitions. I drive myself now but I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without them. 

"There are competitions all over Ireland and it’s great to be able to go to as many as possible.” 

Kalin never ceases to impress with his niche talents.

“I specialise in the blindfolded events and the hardest event is the 5x5 blindfolded. That's not the longest one that's in the competition. I have the national record for that with a solve of nine minutes. That might sound impressive, but it doesn't even qualify you for the European Championships. 

"There will be some people there who can do it in three minutes or less, which is just ridiculous. 

"There are two types of records, including the single record which is the fastest solve. There's also the average record so you do either three or five solves and get the average of those times.” 

He described what the process involves. “I've won those records for the 4x4 blindfold. You start the timer and memorise the cube before putting the blindfold on to solve it. I did all that in 27 seconds, which was my best solve. 

"Officially, there are 17 categories. The smallest one is the 2x2. You also have the pyraminx which is a kind of triangular one. 

"Then there are the lesser known iterations such as the Rubik’s clock that involves matching all the clocks together. There are nine clocks on each side, and you have to match them all to point the right way. 

"The [World Cube Association] are making plans to remove this category from the competition next year because it’s quite hard for spectators to watch. It’s a pity because there are so many competitors who love this category. 

"I'm quite good at the 2x2. I usually do that in under two seconds but there are people who can do it in under one second. To qualify for the European Championships, you probably need around times of 1.5. I'm doubtful that I'll get that but for the 5x 5 blindfolders, I've had nine minutes. 

"For the normal Rubik's Cube blindfolded — the 3x3 blindfolded — I have a best time of 27 seconds in competition.” 

Kalin said that cubing is accessible. “The shortest event would be the 2x2. The top solvers only need about one to two seconds to solve it. However, a beginner can do it in under 30 seconds. Even if you have a short attention span or you’re not able to focus too much there is still a puzzle for you.” 

Kalin is looking forward to the week ahead.

“I'm super excited about the European championships. It was previously held two years ago in Spain and that was an amazing experience. There were 30 Irish people, who went to that which blew me away. 

"I didn’t think we would reach that number again but this year there are 47.”