A cubism masterpiece in just 10 seconds

CALL Breandan Vallance square and he won't mind – in fact, he'll proudly tell you he's cubed.

While his peers are intent on mastering the latest computer game, he has looked back to the Eighties and become the world champion at the Rubik's Cube.

He completed the puzzle in only ten seconds to take the crown in this year's Speedcubing competition in Düsseldorf.

The 17-year-old, who is enjoying a gap year before attending Edinburgh University next autumn, defeated 400 rivals to win the top prize and a purse of almost £5,000.

While many believed Professor Erno Rubik's infernal device, which has sold millions of units worldwide, would fade away like the Sinclair Spectrum and Cabbage Patch Kids, it continues to provide entertainment in a host of different competitions.

Speedcubing is about completing the puzzle in the fastest-possible time, at the World Championships in Germany, which were spread over three heats. Breandan, from Beith, Ayrshire, has spent three years practising to be able to compete at the highest level and can now complete the cube one-handed.

"I knew I was good, but it's great to know how good," he said. "Some might call me square, but I love puzzles and competitions. It takes hours of practice, but you have to put in the work if you want to be good.

"Some of the competitors manage to solve the cube with their feet, and even blindfolded. It's still a fascinating puzzle even after all these years."

Before Breandan – who has A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry – starts studying for his chemical physics degree, he intends to travel the world to compete in speedcubing competitions and improve on his average competition time of 10.7 seconds.

The average age of the cubers at this weekend's biannual competition was 22, and just 8 per cent were women. Competitors came from more than 30 countries, covering all continents, to try to earn their place in speedcubing history.

Breandan said last night: "

I don't really know how it happened. What I love about the puzzle, I guess, is the dexterity and the thinking required to complete it so quickly.

"The main reason, however, is to meet people from around the world. Winning is just a bonus."

Yesterday, David Hedly Jones, senior vice-president of Rubik Brand, said: "This year's championship has been a fabulous occasion and enormous fun for the many hundreds of spectators who attended. It proves that the Rubik's puzzle is iconic, with never-ending potential."

The frustratingly tough cube invented by Prof Rubik has won iconic status over the past 30 years. It is the world's biggest-selling toy, with about 350 million units sold to date. It has more than 43 quintillion configurations, but only one solution.

Breandan said: "The world record is held by Erik Akkersdijk, from the Netherlands, and he managed to do it in 7.08 seconds. So my aim is to get to that speed and level."

FIVE TOP RUBIK'S TIPS

1. Don't be distracted by the colours. The coloured sticker only represents a particular piece on the cube. Too many people struggle to go from one side to two sides and so on when they should think of the puzzle as a whole.

2. It's better to think of the cube as having 12 edge pieces and eight corner pieces that need to be put in a specific correct position.

3. There are specific methods for doing this. The most common and fastest is the Fridrich method. This was developed in the early 1980s by Jessica Fridrich, and published online in 1997. It works on a layer-by-layer system, first "solving" a cross on the bottom, continuing to solve the first two layers orienting the last layer. Check it out on Wikipedia.

4. Limber up your fingers by randomly scrambling the cube. Don't try and complete any sides, just twist the cube.

5. The key to faster times is practice, practice, practice.