# See Dan do the cube in the blink of an eye

You can't help looking at his fingers. They're not particularly long, but there's a nimbleness about them that you notice when he picks up a spoon to stir his tea. Dan Harris, 22, is the fastest speedcuber in Britain, which means he can complete the Rubik's Cube in just over 10 seconds.

Dan Harris: Rubik's Cube
Dan Harris, 22, is the fastest speedcuber in Britain

"I barely even have to think about it now," says the affable university student from Great Yarmouth as he picks up a cube. Dan is also Britain's fastest ever cuber; the plastic contraption is box-fresh again within seconds. It's astonishing to see.

More than 30 years after its invention, the Rubik's Cube is enjoying a comeback worthy of John Travolta. Sales have increased more than 1,000 per cent in the past three years, and worldwide, around 10 million cubes will fly off the shelves this year.

Retailers have the internet to thank for the unlikely resurrection of the £10 plastic toy: what was formerly the geeky pastime of bedroom loners is now a big draw for the tech-minded, who post their times, discuss manoeuvres and upload videos of their "solves" online. It's competitive stuff: this year there are national championships in Sweden, Italy, America, Canada, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Germany and France.

But all eyes are on Budapest, where the 25th World Speedcubing Championships take place next week. For Dan, who learnt to do the Cube while recovering from a bike accident, this is the big one: he's one of 200 fast-fingered hopefuls from 30 countries who have already signed up for the landmark three-day event.

Budapest is Cube Mecca: it's where the first ever world championships were held 25 years ago and it is also home to the puzzle's reclusive inventor, Professor Erno Rubik. Rumours abound that he will make his first public appearance in 10 years. After that, they say, he will disappear forever.

Serious competitors will be looking for a new world record - the current one stands at 9.86 seconds, although the television cameras like the novelty events, too. In less time than it takes to boil a kettle, there are people who can complete it one-handed, or with their feet.

"I can do it blindfolded, but my success rate isn't great," says Dan.

Though there are personal rivalries among cubers, Dan will only admit to some "friendly" feuding with a German he has nicknamed Zorro. "I don't know why him in particular," Dan says. "I guess we just try and beat each other to keep things more competitive." Indeed, camaraderie is king in speedcubing, although wild nights on the town in Hungary seem unlikely among a bunch of mostly young, mostly male competitors, mainly because they might best be described as "studious".

Not that cubing is entirely without a female following: the 81st fastest cuber on the planet is 16-year-old Casey Pernsteiner from Texas, a rising star on the circuit who can do the cube in under 15 seconds and who reckons our Dan will "finish among the top competitors".

Nor is it without a dash of glamour - and it's Dan we have to thank for that. In his girlfriend, Lisa, cubing has its first and possibly only WAG.
# The World Speedcubing Championships take place in Budapest from October 5 to 7