Feliks Zemdegs


Feliks Aleksanders Zemdegs is an Australian Rubik's Cube speedsolver. He is the only speedcuber to ever win the World Cube Association World Championship twice.

Biography

Zemdegs has Latvian ancestry and his maternal grandmother is Lithuanian. Zemdegs bought his first speedcube in April 2008 after being inspired by speedcubing videos and tutorials on YouTube. The first unofficial time he recorded was an average of 19.73 seconds on 14 June 2008. He has been using CFOP to solve the 3×3×3 since he was 12 years old, the Yau method to solve the 4×4×4, the CLL method to solve the 2×2×2, and the Reduction method for 5×5×5 through 7×7×7.
Zemdegs won the 3×3×3 event at the first competition he attended, the New Zealand's Champs 2009 on 18 July 2009, with an average of 13.74 seconds in the final round. He also won 2×2×2, 4×4×4, 5×5×5, 3×3×3 blindfolded, and 3×3×3 one-handed.
At his next competition, the Melbourne Summer Open 2010 on 30 January 2010, Zemdegs set his first world records for 3×3×3 average and 4×4×4 average, with times of 9.21 seconds and 42.01 seconds respectively. He held the 3×3×3 average world record continuously from then until 23 April 2017, improving it 8 times, eventually to 6.45 seconds. The most world records he has ever held at one time was after a competition in Melbourne in May 2011, when he held 12 records. As recently as 28 January 2017, he held 11 of those records concurrently.
At the World Championship 2011 in Bangkok, Zemdegs won 2×2×2, 4×4×4, 5×5×5, and 6×6×6. He also took third in 3×3×3 after winning the first three rounds, and placed third in 7×7×7. At the next world championship, World Championship 2013 in Las Vegas, Zemdegs won 3×3×3, 4×4×4, and 3×3×3 One-handed. He also placed second in 5×5×5 and third in 7×7×7. At World Championship 2015 in São Paulo, Zemdegs won 3×3×3, 2×2×2, 4×4×4, and 5×5×5. He also placed second in 6×6×6, 7×7×7, and Megaminx. At the World Championship 2017 in Paris, Zemdegs won 5×5×5 and 7×7×7. He also took second in 6×6×6, 3×3×3 One-handed, and Megaminx, and placed third in 4×4×4. At the World Championship 2019 in Melbourne, Zemdegs only podiumed in one event, getting third in 5x5x5.
Zemdegs has a website, CubeSkills, which includes tutorials on solving the Rubik's cube and other puzzles. There are free algorithm sheets, and some free speed solving tutorial videos. The site also offers a premium membership, which enables access to advanced speed solving videos. Members can also submit their own solving videos which Zemdegs will critique.
Zemdegs has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, majoring in Economics, with a breadth study track in Mechanical Engineering.

World records

Current world records are displayed with a red background.
EventTypeFirst world recordLatest world recordTotal
3×3×3Single7.03s
Melbourne Cube Day 2010
13 November		4.22s
Cube for Cambodia 2018
6 May		10
3×3×3Average9.21s
Melbourne Summer Open 2010
30 January		5.53s
Odd Day in Sydney 2019
10 November		13
2×2×2Average2.35s
Asian Championship 2010
9–10 October		2.12s
Melbourne Cube Day 2010
13 November		2
4×4×4Single35.55s
New Zealand Champs 2010
10 July		19.36s
LatAm Tour – Arequipa 2017
22 June		12
4×4×4Average42.01s
Melbourne Summer Open 2010
30 January		25.97s
Adelaide Summer 2017
21 January		7
5×5×5Single1:02.93
Australian Nationals 2010
4–5 September		37.93s
Canberra Autumn 2018
21–22 April		16
5×5×5Average1:07.59
Australian Nationals 2010
4–5 September		43.21s
Melbourne Cube Days 2017
18–19 November		21
6×6×6Single2:05.88
Melbourne Summer 2011
29–30 January		1:20.03
World Championship 2017
13–16 July		6
6×6×6Average2:15.64
Melbourne Summer 2011
29–30 January		1:27.79
World Championship 2017
13–16 July		8
7×7×7Single2:23.55
World Championship 2015
17–19 July		2:06.73
World Championship 2017
13–16 July		5
7×7×7Average2:52.09
Australian Nationals 2013
7–8 September		2:14.04
China's 10th Anniversary 2017
1–2 October		11
3×3×3 One-handedSingle11.16s
Kubaroo Open 2011
7 May		6.88s
Canberra Autumn 2015
9–10 May		4
3×3×3 One-handedAverage14.76s
Australian Nationals 2010
4–5 September		10.21s
Malaysia Cube Open 2017
14–15 October		5
4×4×4 BlindfoldedSingle3:37.80
Melbourne Summer 2011
29–30 January		—1

Official personal records

Listed below are Zemdegs' personal records achieved in official World Cube Association competitions.
EventTypeTimeCompetition
3x3x3Single4.16Auckland Summer Open 2020
3x3x3Average5.53Odd Day in Sydney 2019
2x2x2Single0.71Rijswijk Open 2018
2x2x2Average1.54Canberra Autumn 2018
4x4x4Single18.39Melbourne Cube Days 2019
4x4x4Average22.80Melbourne Cube Days 2019
5x5x5Single37.93Canberra Autumn 2018
5x5x5Average42.09Melbourne Summer 2020
6x6x6Single1:18.28Warm Up Sydney 2019
6x6x6Average1:21.90Weston-super-Mare Open 2018
7x7x7Single1:53.62Australian Nationals 2018
7x7x7Average2:00.63Australian Nationals 2018
3x3x3 BlindfoldedSingle34.37Odd Day in Sydney 2019
3x3x3 BlindfoldedAverage47.13Ugine Jeu et Jouet 2018
3x3x3 Fewest MovesSingle24Koalafication Sydney 2019
3x3x3 Fewest MovesAverage27.33Canberra Autumn 2015
3x3x3 One-handedSingle6.88Canberra Autumn 2015
3x3x3 One-handedAverage9.73Melbourne Cube Days 2019
ClockSingle8.81Australian Nationals 2011
ClockAverage11.80Australian Nationals 2011
MegaminxSingle33.11CubingUSA Nationals 2018
MegaminxAverage36.65Weston-super-Mare Open 2018
PyraminxSingle2.27Perth Autumn 2018
PyraminxAverage4.53Niddrie 2014
SkewbSingle2.76Cube for Cambodia 2018
SkewbAverage5.49Cube for Cambodia 2018
Square-OneSingle8.99Adelaide Summer 2018
Square-OneAverage12.58CubingUSA Nationals 2018
4x4x4 BlindfoldedSingle3:37.80Melbourne Summer Open 2011
5x5x5 BlindfoldedSingle11:56.00Adelaide Summer 2018
3x3x3 Multi-BlindSingle11/11 47:01Adelaide Summer 2018

Media appearances