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International Speed-Cubing
Organization

Competition regulations

Version: β

Notes

Thanks to Ron van Bruchem and the WCA for the regulations that this document was based on.

The latest textual revision was on March 26, 2007.
The use of the words 'must', 'must not', 'should', 'should not' and 'may' comply to RFC 2119.
In general, actions are allowed unless they are forbidden by the regulations.

Contact
For questions and feedback, please contact the ISCO.

Contents

Article 1: Officials

1.1: A competition must have the following officials: an organization team (with one or more members), an ISCO representative, judges, scramblers and score takers.
1.2: The organization team of a competition is responsible for:
  • 1.2.1: Making all arrangements before and during the competition.
  • 1.2.2: Decisions on disqualification of a competitor for the competition.
1.3: The ISCO representative for a competition is responsible for:
  • 1.3.1: Reporting to the ISCO about whether the full ISCO regulations were followed during the competition. Reports must be available within one week after the competition.
  • 1.3.2: Reporting to the ISCO about the overall course of the competition, and about incidents. Reports must be available within one week after the competition.
  • 1.3.3: Advising the other officials when needed.
  • 1.3.4: Approving all events and event formats of a competition, both before the competition starts and when changes are needed during the competition.
1.4: Each event must have one main judge.
  • 1.4.1: The main judge for an event is responsible for making sure that the regulations are followed.
  • 1.4.2: The main judge for an event is responsible for decisions on disqualification of a competitor for an event.
  • 1.4.3: The main judge for an event must not compete in the event.
  • 1.4.4: The main judge may decide to start a round later than scheduled without an announcement, or earlier than scheduled with a clear announcement to all competitors.
1.5: Each event must have one or more judges.
  • 1.5.1: A judge for an event is responsible for executing the procedures of the event.
1.6: Each event must have one or more scramblers, except if the puzzle being solved does not need to be scrambled.
  • 1.6.1: A scrambler for an event is responsible for applying the scrambles to the puzzles.
  • 1.6.2: A scrambler for an event may not compete in a round after having scrambled for that round.
1.7: Each event must have one or more score takers.
  • 1.7.1: A score taker for an event is responsible for registering the event results.
  • 1.7.2: No changes must be made to the score sheets without the consent of the main judge.
1.8: The ISCO representative, and main judge for an event, must be announced to the competitors before the competition or event, respectively, starts.
1.9: Anyone may fill multiple roles, as long as the responsibilities or regulations regarding those roles do not conflict.

Article 2: Competitors

2.1: Any person may be a competitor during a competition, if he or she:
  • 2.1.1: accepts the ISCO regulations;
  • 2.1.2: accepts additional regulations of the competition;
  • 2.1.3: meets the competition requirements;
  • 2.1.4: is not banned by the ISCO at the time of the competition.
2.2: Competitors younger than 18 must ask their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) for permission to compete in a competition in order to compete.
2.3: Registrants must provide all required information for their registration to be considered complete.
2.4: Except for a competitor's name, country of origin, events, and results, information given regarding the competition may only be given to other organizations or people with the competitor's explicit permission.
2.5: Competitors must be able to show a passport or other form of identification during registration at the contest, in order to prove their identity.
  • 2.5.1: A competitor may represent a country if and only if the competitor is a citizen of that country.
  • 2.5.2: Before a competition, a competitor who is a citizen of more than one country must choose a country to represent for that competition, and may not change this before the competition is over.
2.6: Competitors must obey venue regulations and conduct themselves in a considerate and respectful manner at all times during the competition and while at the competition venue.
2.7: Talking is permitted at a competition, but repeated or continued loud or disruptful noises are not allowed.
2.8: Competitors may wear any types of clothing, but they must be fully dressed at all times. Clothes must not display offensive or vulgar language or pictures.
2.9: While competing, competitors must not use any electronic equipment without the explicit permission of the organization team.
2.10: If a competitor is not at the location of a round of an event when that round starts, the competitor may be disqualified for that event.
2.11: The leader of the organization team may disqualify a competitor for the competition if
  • 2.11.1: the competitor fails to show up in time for registration for the competition;
  • 2.11.2: the competitor is suspected of cheating or defrauding the officials during the competition;
  • 2.11.3: the competitor is unruly, disrespects other people's personal space, acts in a way that is unlawful or indecent, or damages the venue facilities or anyone's personal property;
  • 2.11.4: the competitor interferes or becomes a blatant distraction to others during the competition;
  • 2.11.5: the competitor refuses to abide by an ISCO regulation during the competition.
2.12: Disqualification may occur either immediately or after a warning based on the nature of the infraction is given.
2.13: If a competitor is disqualified from an event or competition, that competitor is not eligible for any refund of any expenses incurred by that competitor in order to participate in the competition.
2.14: Competitors may verbally dispute a ruling with the leader of the organization team.
2.15: Disputes about an incident are only allowed during the competition, and within 30 minutes after the disputed incident happened.
2.16: Before the next round of an event starts, any disputes about the previous round must be handled by the leader of the organization team.
2.17: The organization team may decide what disputes will be considered. Disputes about the ISCO regulations are not allowed during a competition.
2.18: After a dispute, a competitor must accept the final ruling of the leader of the organization team, or risk disqualification.
2.19: If a competitor has hearing disabilities, judges may replace any vocal instructions with previously agreed hand signals.
2.20: If a competitor has physical disabilities, judges may help the competitor to start and stop the timer.

Article 3: Puzzles

3.1: A 'twisty puzzle' is a sequential-movement puzzle whose sides must be twisted to bring the puzzle from a scrambled state back to a predetermined solved state. Some examples of twisty puzzles are the Rubik's Cube, the Megaminx, and the Square-1.
3.2: Competitors must bring and use their own puzzles. A competitor may borrow a puzzle or puzzles from another competitor, although all competitors must be ready to compete when they are called for to do so.
3.3: Puzzles must be in working order, so that normal scrambling is possible.
3.4: Competitors must use any color scheme for twisty puzzles, as long as each face of the puzzles has a distinct color in the solved state. For other puzzles, competitors must use any variation that has the same moves, positions and solutions as the original puzzle.
3.5: The colors of puzzles must be solid and clearly distinct from each other.
3.6: Twisty puzzles must either have stickers or tiles.
3.7: Puzzles may be made smoother internally by sanding or using any lubricant.
3.8: Puzzles may not have any modifications that make them function differently. For example, modifications which allow new moves, forbid any types of normal moves, allow more colors or pieces to be visible than normal, automatically do moves, or create more or other solved states are not allowed.
3.9: Any modifications to a puzzle that result in poor performance or results by a competitor are not grounds for additional attempts in a event.
3.10: Before a competitor competes in an event, the puzzle that the competitor will use must be approved by a judge, main judge, or scrambler for that event.

Article 4: Scrambling

4.1: Puzzles which require scrambling must be scrambled by a scrambler for that event, starting from the solved position.
4.2: Puzzles must be scrambled using a computer-generated random scrambling algorithm; the algorithm must also specify a random orientation for the puzzle, except in the case of the Square-1 and Clock. Only the scramblers for an event are allowed to look at the scrambling algorithms for that event.
4.3: Scrambling and solving algorithms are measured in the Half Turn Metric, in which a turn of any amount of a side counts as one move, and where an inner slice turn (on a cubical puzzle) counts as two moves.
4.4: Twisty puzzles must be scrambled with the white (or the lightest colour) face on top and green (or the darkest connecting face) on the front.
4.5: In a round, all competitors must solve the same scrambles in the same order.
4.6: The number of moves to scramble a puzzle must be at least the following:
Puzzle Scramble length Program
2x2x2 Cube 25 moves Scramble program
3x3x3 Cube 25 moves Scramble program
4x4x4 Cube 40 moves Scramble program
5x5x5 Cube 60 moves Scramble program
Clock 14 moves (with random pin positions)
 Scramble program
Megaminx 60 moves Scramble program
Square-1 40 moves Scramble program
Pyraminx 25 moves (with random twists of trivial tips)
 Scramble program
Other puzzles Available on request.  
All scramble programs kindly provided by Jaap Scherphuis and Syoji Takamatsu (Pyraminx).
All scramble programs in a zipped file.

Article 5: Puzzle Defects

5.1: A 'puzzle defect' is a malfunction with a puzzle that prevents the puzzle from being solved or from having an unambiguous solution. For example, if a piece pops on a Rubik's Cube, that is a puzzle defect; if a sticker falls off, but the solution is still unambiguous, that is not a puzzle defect.
5.2: If a puzzle defect occurs, the competitor may either repair the puzzle and continue the solve, or stop the solve.
  • 5.2.1: If a competitor chooses to repair the puzzle, if the competitor uses pieces from other puzzles, that solve will be disqualified.
  • 5.2.2: If, according to the judge, a competitor intentionally makes the puzzle easier to solve or solves the puzzle while repairing a puzzle defect, that solve will be disqualified.
  • 5.2.3: If, after repairing the puzzle but still during the solve, the competitor notices that the puzzle is unsolvable, the competitor may disassemble and reassemble some of the puzzle in order to make the puzzle solvable again.
  • 5.2.4: If, during a blindfolded event, a competitor removes the blindfold to fix a puzzle defect, that solve will be disqualified.
5.3: If a competitor has a puzzle defect, this does not give that competitor the right to an extra attempt.

Article 6: Awards/prizes/honors

6.1: The awards, prizes, or honors that will be given to competitors must be announced before or at the start of a competition.
6.2: A competitor who does not attend the awards ceremony of a competition is not eligible for awards, prizes, or honors at that competition, unless that competitor has explicit permission from the leader of the organization team to not attend the awards ceremony.
6.3: Winners of awards, prizes or honors should be prepared to talk to journalists or any media covering the competition.
6.4: Organization teams of competitions must prepare certificates and awards for all event winners. All such certificates must be signed by the leader of the organization team and by the ISCO representative.

Article 7: Environment

7.1: Competitions may be held at any location.
7.2: Audience should be at least 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) away from the competitors.
7.3: The competition area should be well-lit, preferably with white or natural light, so that competitors can easily distinguish the colours of puzzles.
7.4: The temperature of the competition area should preferably be 21 to 25 degrees Celsius (70 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit).
7.5: The competition area must be smoke-free, and should have a low noise level.
7.6: The timer must be placed directly, with no objects underneath it, on a table, desk or console that suits solving while standing. However, in 'solving with feet' events, the timer must be placed directly on the floor.
7.7: Competitors must solve while standing or sitting.

Article 8: Competitions

8.1: For a competition to be official for the ISCO, the following guidelines must be observed:
  • 8.1.1: The ISCO must approve the competition.
  • 8.1.2: The ISCO regulations must be followed.
  • 8.1.3: There must be an ISCO representative attending the competition.
  • 8.1.4: The competition must be clearly announced at least two weeks before the competition starts.
  • 8.1.5: The competition must have at least two competitors.
  • 8.1.6: The competition must be accessible to the public.
  • 8.1.7: The StackMat timer must be used for time measurement.
8.2: Competitions may be either open or closed. In an open competition, any person may compete. In a closed competition, only people from a specific group may compete. The only possible groups are:
  • people who live in or are a citizen of a specific country;
  • members of a specific club or of specific clubs;
  • students of a specific school or of specific schools;
  • employees of a specific organization or of specific organizations.
8.3: If the ISCO regulations are not followed correctly during a competition, then the ISCO may declare the competition, specific events or specific solves unofficial.
8.4: All requirements for competing in a competition must be announced before the competition.

Article 9: Events

9.1: The puzzles for which competitions are governed by the ISCO are:
  • all puzzles labelled as Rubik's puzzles;
  • all other puzzles that are played by twisting the sides, such as twisty puzzles.
9.2: Currently, the official speed-solving events of the ISCO are as follows:
  • 9.2.1: 2x2x2 Cube; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
  • 9.2.2: 3x3x3 Cube; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
  • 9.2.3: 4x4x4 Cube; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
  • 9.2.4: 5x5x5 Cube; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
  • 9.2.5: Clock; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See regulation A.8.
  • 9.2.6: Magic; the preferred format is 'Best of 5'. See regulation A.9.
  • 9.2.7: Master Magic; the preferred format is 'Best of 5'. See regulation A.9.
  • 9.2.8: Megaminx; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
  • 9.2.9: Pyraminx; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
  • 9.2.10: Square-1; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See Article A.
9.3: Currently, the official special events of the ISCO are as follows:
  • 9.3.1: One-Handed 3x3x3 Cube; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See regulation A.10.
  • 9.3.2: 3x3x3 With Feet; the preferred format is 'Average of 5'. See regulation A.11.
  • 9.3.3: 3x3x3 Cube Fewest Moves; the preferred format is 'Best of 1'. See Article C.
9.4: Currently, the official blindfolded events of the ISCO are as follows:
  • 9.4.1: Blindfolded 3x3x3; the preferred format is 'Best of 3'. See Article B.
  • 9.4.2: Blindfolded 4x4x4; the preferred format is 'Best of 2'. See Article B.
  • 9.4.3: Blindfolded 5x5x5; the preferred format is 'Best of 2'. See Article B.
  • 9.4.4: Multiple Blindfolded 3x3x3; the preferred format is 'Best of 2'. See regulation B.8.
9.5: Events other than those listed in regulations 9.2 through 9.4 may be held during a competition. Although the results for another event will be part of the official results for the competition, the results will not be considered for ISCO records until that event is recognized by the ISCO as an official event.
  • 9.5.1: It is the responsibility of the ISCO delegate to make sure that other events follow the ISCO rules as closely as is possible; for example, all speedsolve events should obey the relevant parts of Article A.
  • 9.5.2: If the ISCO board determines that an unofficial event in a competition has been held in a way that would encourage or allow unfairly good performances, or in a way that does not conform to any existing ISCO regulations that would apply to that event were it made official, they may declare the results of that event invalid.
9.6: The results of a round are measured as follows:
  • 9.6.1: All timed results, and corresponding averages, are measured in hundredths of a second, with averages rounded to the thousandth of a second.
  • 9.6.2: All counted results are measured in natural numbers; averages are rounded to the nearest tenth.
  • 9.6.3: DNF (Did Not Finish) is the result if the solve was disqualified or unfinished.
  • 9.6.4: DNS (Did Not Start) is the result if a competitor skipped an attempt in a round.
  • 9.6.5: In 'Best of n' rounds competitors get n attempts, with the best attempt counting.
  • 9.6.6: In 'Best of n' rounds a DNF or DNS counts as the worst result of a competitor. If all results are either DNF or DNS the best result of the competitor is DNF.
  • 9.6.7: In 'Average of 5' rounds competitors get 5 attempts. For the average, the best and worst attempt are not counted, and the result is the arithmetic mean of the remaining 3 attempts.
  • 9.6.8: In 'Average of 5' rounds, a DNF or DNS is counted as the worst result. If more than one solve was either DNF or DNS, the result is DNF.
  • 9.6.9: In 'Best of n' rounds the rank of the contestants is based on the best single result for each competitor, with a lower-numbered rank being better.
  • 9.6.10: In 'Average of 5' rounds the rank of the contestants is based on the best average for each competitor, with a lower-numbered rank being better.
  • 9.6.11: Competitors with the same result in a round or an event finish at the same rank.
  • 9.6.12: Competitors with a result of 'DNF' finish in last place.
  • 9.6.13: For a Multiple Blindfolded event, ranking is more complicated. Starting from the best rank, there are the competitors who solved all the puzzles they registered for (who are ranked by (1) number of puzzles solved and (2) by the time taken to solve all puzzles); next, there are the competitors who solved some of the puzzles they registered for (who are ranked by (1) the percentage of puzzles they solved, (2) by the number of puzzles they solved, and (3) by the time taken to solve the puzzles); finally, there are the competitors who solved none of the puzzles, who all receive the same rank.
9.7: A combined final is an event, comprising multiple rounds, which is held with no breaks in between rounds. In a combined final, results of earlier rounds affect whether competitors may participate in later rounds.
  • 9.7.1: Combined finals may be used to save time over the option of multiple separate rounds.
  • 9.7.2: In a combined final, the competitors who are allowed to proceed to a later round must either have either a specified rank or better, or a specified best result or better. These criteria must be announced before the combined final.
9.8: The ISCO will provide world, regional, and national rankings for the single and average results of all official events.
9.9: The ISCO will include the results of any official ISCO competition in the official ISCO rankings within one week of having received the full results of the competition.
  • 9.9.1: Records are recognized for the world and for national and continental regions.
  • 9.9.2: Records are only recognised at the end of a round. Thus, if an existing record is broken more than once during the round, only the best result of the round will be counted as a record.
  • 9.9.3: If the regulations for an event are changed, then the old regional records stand until they are broken under the new regulations.
9.10: An event must be held no more than once during a competition, although the rounds of the event may take place at different times.
9.11: A competitor attending a contest may participate in any event(s).
9.12: A round must be held in a specific interval of time, with no breaks, so that every competitor who participates in that round competes in that interval of time.
9.13: Events must have at most four rounds. If an event has 100 competitors or less, a maximum of three rounds may be held; if an event has 16 competitors or less, a maximum of two rounds may be held. Scheduled rounds may be canceled in order to follow this regulation.
9.14: For each round of an event, at least one competitor must proceed to the next round, and at least one competitor must not proceed to the next round. The requirements for proceeding may be changed after the round to follow this regulation.
9.15: Events may have an extra round which is limited to competitors who participated in the second-to-last round but did not advance to the last round. This round is not counted in regulation 9.13.
9.16: A round of an event may have a time limit. This means that any solve which takes longer than the time limit will be disqualified; if a competitor's solve is disqualified in this way, the main judge for the event may choose to disqualify this competitor from the event.

Article 10: Solved state

10.1: Before the competition all competitors must make themselves aware of the solved state for each event.
10.2: Throughout Article 10, only the state that the puzzle rests in after the timer has been stopped is considered.
10.3: Puzzles may be in any orientation at the end of the solve.
10.4: All pieces of a puzzle must be fully attached to the puzzle, and in their solved positions. See Article 5.
10.5: Twisty puzzles are solved when all sides are restored to solid colour states. Following regulation 10.6:
  • 10.5.1: If the puzzle is zero turns away from being solved, the cube is considered solved with no penalty.
  • 10.5.2: If the puzzle is one turn away from being solved, in the Axial Turn Metric (where any number of turns of parallel slices counts as one turn), the cube is considered solved with a two second penalty.
  • 10.5.3: If the puzzle is more than one turn away from being solved, in the Axial Turn Metric, the cube is considered unsolved and the solve is disqualified.
10.6: A misaligned slice on a twisty puzzle is considered to be at least one turn away from solved if it is at least half of the smallest turn away from the solved state. For example, a 2x2x2 cube is solved if the top slice is less than 1/8 of a full turn (or 45 degrees) away from the solved state. For a Megaminx, slices must be within 1/10 of a full turn (or 36 degrees) to be counted as solved.
  • 10.6.1: As an exception to this rule, the Square-1 is solved if the top slice is less than 1/8 of a full turn (or 45 degrees) away from the solved state.
10.7: For the Magic (and similar puzzles) the puzzle must be flat on the surface.
  • 10.7.1: If the puzzle is in the generally accepted solved position, and the maximum elevation of any part of the puzzle at the end of the solve is two tiles higher than flat or less, the puzzle is considered solved with no penalty.
  • 10.7.2: If the puzzle does not fall under regulation 10.7.1, but would fall under regulation 10.7.1 if the puzzle was held flat against the table, the puzzle is considered solved with a two-second penalty.
  • 10.7.3: If the puzzle would not fall under regulation 10.7.1 if the puzzle was held flat against the table, the puzzle is considered unsolved and the solve is disqualified.
10.8: Other puzzles are solved according to the solved state as defined in the generally accepted goal of the puzzle, with the regulations of the cube solved state applied when applicable.

Article 11: Incidents

11.1: There are three types of incidents:
  • 11.1.1: Incorrect execution of event procedures, by officials or competitors.
  • 11.1.2: Interference or distractions or facility distractions (such as a power failure or an emergency alarm).
  • 11.1.3: Malfunctions of equipment used in the contest.
11.2: In case of an incident during an event the main judge of the event must decide about the outcome.
11.3: In case of an incident decisions must be based on the ISCO regulations.
11.4: If the ISCO regulations are not fully clear or if the incident is not covered by the ISCO regulations, then the main judge must make his decision fairly, after consulting with the ISCO representative.
11.5: If an incident occurs during a solve, the main judge may award the competitor another attempt, which would replace the attempt during which the incident occurred.
11.6: The main judge, organisation team and ISCO delegate may support their decisions with video or photographic analysis, but such evidence will not be accepted after a ruling has been issued or after a decision has been made.

Article A: Speed Solving

A.1: Before the event:
  • A.1.1: The default time limit for speed solving events is 10 minutes. If the organization team wishes to use a different time limit, this must be announced before the contest. See regulation A.6.9 for more details about the time limit.
A.2: Scrambling:
  • A.2.1: A competitor who is participating in a speed solving round must hand their puzzle to the scrambler(s) when asked, and must wait in the designated area during that round whenever that competitor is not competing.
  • A.2.2: A scrambler will scramble every competitor's puzzle according to Article 4.
  • A.2.3: Competitors must not see their puzzles between the time when the puzzle is scrambled and the start of the inspection phase.
  • A.2.4: After a puzzle is scrambled, a judge must take the puzzle and make sure that the puzzle is scrambled. If the puzzle is not scrambled, the judge must return the puzzle to the scrambler(s).
  • A.2.5: At some point, the judge must place the puzzle onto a StackMat in the same orientation that it was scrambled in, and must completely cover the puzzle with one hand or an object.
A.3: Inspection:
  • A.3.1: Before starting a solve, a competitor may inspect their puzzle. The competitor has a maximum of 15 seconds for inspection, but may choose to end inspection before 15 seconds has passed. The following regulations describe the procedure of inspection.
  • A.3.2: Before inspection, the judge must make sure that the StackMat timer and a stopwatch are reset and ready for use. The judge must verbally confirm this.
  • A.3.3: When the judge and the competitor are both ready to begin the inspection, the judge will ask, "OK?". Approximately one second after the competitor replies with "OK", the judge uncovers the puzzle, and at the same time starts the stopwatch. This is the beginning of the inspection period.
  • A.3.4: When the judge's stopwatch reaches 10 seconds, the judge must call "5 seconds". When the judge's stopwatch reaches 15 seconds, the judge must call "Stop".
  • A.3.5: During the inspection period, the competitor is allowed to pick up the puzzle. If the competitor manipulates the puzzle, the solve will be disqualified, although the competitor may align the faces of the puzzle if the alignment does not count as a turn under regulation 10.6.
  • A.3.6: When the competitor wishes to end inspection, the competitor must place the puzzle back onto the Stackmat in any orientation.
  • A.3.7: If the judge's stopwatch reaches 16 seconds and the competitor has not ended inspection, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty. If the judge's stopwatch reaches 18 seconds and the competitor has not ended inspection, the solve will be disqualified.
  • A.3.8: When inspection has ended, the judge must again completely cover the puzzle with one hand or an object. The judge must neither move nor manipulate the puzzle.
A.4: Before the solve:
  • A.4.1: After inspection, the competitor must place both hands on the timer sensors. If the competitor's fingers are not touching the sensors, or the competitor's palms are not facing downward, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty.
  • A.4.2: Between the end of inspection and the start of the solve, if the competitor touches the puzzle, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty.
  • A.4.3: When the competitor is ready to begin the solve, the judge says "OK?". Approximately one second after the competitor replies with "OK", the judge uncovers the puzzle. This is the beginning of the solve period.
  • A.4.4: During the solve period, the competitor starts the solve by removing one or both hands from the timer, starting the timer. If the competitor does not start the timer within three seconds of the puzzle being uncovered, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty. If the competitor does not start the timer within five seconds of the puzzle being uncovered, the solve will be disqualified.
A.5: During the solve:
  • A.5.1: If, during the inspection or solve periods, the competitor has any communication with anyone other than the judge, the solve will be disqualified.
  • A.5.2: If, during the inspection or solve periods, the competitor receives aid from anyone or any object other than the judge or the StackMat surface, the solve will be disqualified.
A.6: Ending the solve:
  • A.6.1: The competitor ends the solve period by releasing the puzzle and then stopping the timer.
  • A.6.2: It is the competitor's responsibility that the timer is stopped correctly.
  • A.6.3: If the competitor does not stop the timer using both hands, with both hands flat and with both palms down, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty.
  • A.6.4: If the competitor does not fully release the puzzle before stopping the timer, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty.
  • A.6.5: After the timer has been stopped, the judge must inspect the puzzle without manipulating it and must determine whether the puzzle has been solved, applying regulation 10.5.
  • A.6.6: If the competitor manipulates the puzzle before the judge has fully inspected the puzzle, the solve will be disqualified.
  • A.6.7: If there is a dispute, and the competitor manipulates the puzzle before the dispute has been settled, the solve will be disqualified.
  • A.6.8: If the competitor resets the timer before the judge has written down the result of the solve on the competition sheet, the solve will be disqualified at the discretion of the judge.
  • A.6.9: If the time limit is reached or exceeded, the solve is considered to be ended, and the solve is disqualified.
A.7: Administration:
  • A.7.1: The judge must write down the result of the solve on a competition sheet, and must sign the sheet with the judge's initials.
  • A.7.2: The competitor must verify that the result on the competition sheet, and must then sign the sheet with the competitor's initials.
  • A.7.3: If the competitor received no penalties during the solve, the judge must call "Good".
  • A.7.4: If the competitor received one or more two-second penalties but the solve was not disqualified, the judge must call "Penalty".
  • A.7.5: If the solve was disqualified, the judge must call "DNF" or "Disqualification".
  • A.7.6: After the solve, and after both the judge and the competitor have initialed the competition sheet, the judge must deliver the competition sheet to the score taker.
A.8:
 Clock Solving:
  • A.8.1: Standard procedure is followed as described in regulations A.1 through A.7, except for the following changes or exceptions.
  • A.8.2: As a change to regulation A.2.5, the judge must place the Clock in a standing position on the StackMat.
  • A.8.3: As a change to regulation A.3.6, after the inspection, the competitor must place the Clock in a standing position on the StackMat.
A.9:
 Magic Solving:
  • A.9.1: Standard procedure is followed as described in regulations A.1 through A.7, except for the following changes or exceptions.
  • A.9.2: This overrides regulation A.2. The judge gives the Magic to the competitor, who must place it flat on the StackMat.
  • A.9.3: This overrides regulation A.3. There is no inspection period.
  • A.9.4: This overrides regulation A.4.3. When the competitor is ready, the competitor must say "OK". This is the beginning of the solve period.
A.10:
 One-Handed Solving:
  • A.10.1: Standard procedure is followed as described in regulations A.1 through A.7, except for the following changes or exceptions.
  • A.10.2: As an addition to regulations A.3 and A.4, the competitor may only touch the puzzle with one hand.
  • A.10.3: As an addition to regulation A.5.2, the competitor may not touch the puzzle with any body part excluding the hand used during inspection, and may not let the puzzle touch any other object or the table while the competitor is making moves.
    • A.10.3.1: The penalty for breaking this rule is disqualification of the solve.
    • A.10.3.2: If the competitor drops the puzzle, the competitor may not make any moves until the puzzle is no longer touching any object other than the competitor's hand.
  • A.10.4: During the solve, if the competitor has touched the puzzle with one hand, and the competitor then touches the puzzle with the other hand, the solve will be disqualified.
  • A.10.5: If a puzzle defect occurs, the competitor may use only the hand used during solving to repair the puzzle, although the puzzle may touch the StackMat surface while the competitor is repairing the defect.
A.11
 Solving With Feet:
  • A.11.1: Standard procedure is followed as described in regulations A.1 through A.7, except for the following changes or exceptions.
  • A.11.2: The competitor must use either bare feet or feet with socks to solve the puzzle.
  • A.11.3: During the inspection and solve the competitor must only touch the puzzle with feet and with the Stackmat surface. Touching the puzzle with any other body parts or other available objects will result in disqualification of the solve.
  • A.11.4: As a change to regulation A.4.1, the competitor must place both feet onto the timer sensors, with the ball of the foot or the toes on the sensors.
  • A.11.5: As a change to regulation A.4.4, the competitor starts the solve by removing one or both feet from the timer.
  • A.11.6: This overrides regulation A.6.3. The competitor must stop the timer by placing both feet onto the timer sensors.

Article B: Blindfolded Solving

B.1:
 Before the event:
  • B.1.1: The default time limit for blindfolded solving events is 10 minutes. If the organization team wishes to use a different time limit, this must be announced before the contest. See regulation B.6.5 for more details about the time limit.
B.2:
 Scrambling:
  • B.2.1: Follow the same steps as described in regulation A.2.
B.3:
 Before the solve:
  • B.3.1: If there is a possibility that the time will be under 10 minutes, a StackMat timer must be used. If there is a possibility that the time will be over 10 minutes, a stopwatch must be used.
    • B.3.1.1: The judge must use both of these timing methods if required; however, if the StackMat registers a time, only the StackMat time will count, and if the StackMat does not register a time (that is, the time was over 10 minutes) only the stopwatch's time will count.
    • B.3.1.2: If only the stopwatch was used, but the time was under 10 minutes, it is acceptable to use the stopwatch's time.
    • B.3.1.3: Before the solve, the judge must confirm that any timing implements in use are reset and ready to use.
  • B.3.2: The judge must verify that the competitor has a blindfold ready. If the competitor does not have a blindfold, the judge should provide one.
  • B.3.3: The competitor places both hands on the timer sensors if using a StackMat, and on the table if not using a StackMat. If the competitor's fingers are not on the surface or timing sensors, and if the competitor's palms are not facing downward, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty.
  • B.3.4: If the competitor touches the puzzle at any time before the solve begins, the solve will be disqualified.
  • B.3.5: When the competitor is ready to begin the solve, the judge will say "OK?". Approximately one second after the competitor replies with "OK", the judge will uncover the puzzle. This is the beginning of the memorization stage.
    • B.3.5.1: If a stopwatch is being used, the judge should start the stopwatch immediately.
    • B.3.5.2: If a StackMat is being used, the competitor must start the solve by removing one or both hands from the timer, starting the timer. If the competitor does not start the timer within three seconds of the puzzle being uncovered, the competitor will receive a two-second penalty. If the competitor does not start the timer within five seconds of the puzzle being uncovered, the solve will be disqualified.
B.4: Memorisation:
  • B.4.1: During this memorization stage, the competitor may pick up the puzzle.
  • B.4.2: If the competitor makes any moves on the puzzle during the memorization stage, the solve will be disqualified.
  • B.4.3: If the competitor makes any notes about the state of the puzzle, excluding mental notes, the solve will be disqualified.
B.5: During the solve:
  • B.5.1: When the competitor dons the blindfold, the memorization stage ends and the solving stage begins.
  • B.5.2: The competitor may remove the blindfold and return to the memorization stage, as many times as the competitor wishes, but only before any moves have been made on the puzzle.
  • B.5.3: If the competitor looks at the puzzle at any time during the solving stage, the solve will be disqualified.
  • B.5.4: At any time during the solving stage, the judge may make actions to verify that the competitor cannot see the cube, although the judge must not touch the competitor or the puzzle and must not make any noise during these actions.
B.6: Ending the solve:
  • B.6.1: The competitor signifies that the competitor is done by releasing the puzzle, and stopping the StackMat timer if it is being used, by placing both hands on the sensors.
  • B.6.2: When the competitor is done, if a stopwatch is being used, the competitor must notify the judge that the solve has been completed, at which point the judge will stop the stopwatch.
  • B.6.3: When all timing devices have been stopped, the judge will verify that the solve has ended. This officially ends the solving stage.
  • B.6.4: After the solving stage, the competitor may remove the blindfold at any time.
  • B.6.5: If the time limit is reached or exceeded, the solve is considered to be ended, and the solve is disqualified.
B.7:
 Administration:
  • B.7.1: Follow the same steps as described in regulation A.7.
B.8:
 Multiple Blindfolded Solving:
  • B.8.1: Standard procedure is followed as described in regulations B.1 through B.7, except for the following changes or exceptions.
  • B.8.2: As an addition to regulation B.1, during registration, a competitor who wishes to compete in a Multiple Blindfolded event must tell the registrar the number of puzzles that that competitor will attempt to solve blindfolded.
  • B.8.3: This overrides regulation B.1.1. The default total time limit for memorizing and solving the puzzles is 15 minutes per cube for six cubes or less, or 90 minutes plus 10 minutes per cube for more than six cubes. If the organization team wishes to use a different time limit, this must be announced before the contest.
  • B.8.4: This overrides regulation B.3.1. Time is measured only with a stopwatch.

Article C: Fewest Moves Solving

C.1: Procedure:
  • C.1.1: The judge hands a scramble algorithm to all competitors. The judge starts the stopwatch and says 'Go'.
  • C.1.2: Every competitor has a total time of 60 minutes to find a solution for the scramble.
  • C.1.3: At the end of the time, the competitor must have a solution written down in clear print, using the standard UDFBRL/xyz notation. The judge for the event will collect the competitors' papers and give them to the score takers.
  • C.1.4: The metric used to measure the length of the solution is the Half Turn Metric, described in regulation 4.3.
  • C.1.5: If a competitor's solution is found to be related to the scrambling algorithm, that competitor's solve will be disqualified, at the discretion of the main judge for the event.
  • C.1.6: If asked, competitors must be able to clearly explain their solutions. If a competitor cannot explain that competitor's solution, that competitor's solve will be disqualified.
C.2: The competitor may use the following objects during the event: paper, pens or pencils, at most three 3x3x3 cubes, and any amount of colored stickers or tiles.
  • C.2.1: It is the judge's responsability to supply adequate paper and writing implements for all competitors.
  • C.2.2: If a competitor uses any objects not listed above, that competitor's solve will be disqualified.