Speedcubing

I got into speedcubing when I was 10 years old and quickly fell down the rabbit hole. It is still a hobby I am passionate about today.

Soham Jinsi competing in the Skewb event at the Potomac Spring 2023 WCA competition — Competing in the Skewb event.

It started in 5th grade, when a kid who had just moved to our school was an avid speedcuber. Being puzzle-oriented, I was fascinated by it and taught myself how to solve it. He is still one of my best friends to this day.

In World Cube Association (WCA) competition, my fastest 3x3 single is 7.84 seconds, with an average of 9.63 seconds. I compete about once a year, whenever I get the chance.

My favorite part about speedcubing is that it is fundamentally about self-improvement. You compete against yourself to break a PR as you chase a better version of yourself. The community around it is genuinely awesome, and it is where I have met some of the best people I know.

One of my fondest memories from high school was co-founding a Rubik's Cube speedsolving academy with my friends. We taught kids across the DMV area, catering to all skill levels, and several of our students broke the sub-15-second barrier for 3x3, an impressive feat. We even organized our own WCA-sanctioned tournament, which drew several world record holders and hundreds of competitors and spectators.

A wide view of the crowded competition floor at the Potomac Spring 2023 WCA tournament — The competition floor at Potomac Spring 2023, the tournament we organized.

Outside of 3x3, I enjoy 3x3 one-handed (OH) and 4x4. Recently I have been getting into blindfolded solving.

I am looking to establish a speedcubing community at Duke by founding a Rubik's Cube club and organizing WCA competitions on campus during the 2026–2027 school year. Contact me if you would like to be part of this!