Registration has now closed due to high demand.

All competitions in the UK are run by the UKCA with the help of our many organisers from all over the country. We have organised over 60 competitions in the UK and have also helped run competitions over in Ireland to help their community grow. Our delegates have over 300 combined competitions of experience with many more to come.

Make sure to follow our social media pages to keep up to date with the latest content and media!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I register?
A: First you need to make sure you have created a WCA account. You can do this by going to the sign-up page and creating an account. Once you have created the account and confirmed your email address, follow the menu bar to the Register page and follow the instructions fully and carefully.

Q: Why am I not on the registration list yet?
A: Please make sure that you have followed the instructions listed on the Register page. You could also be on the waiting list. The competitor limit can be found on the General Info page, and you can see the number on accepted competitors on the Competitors page also on the menu. If you have done everything correctly and the competition is not full then just be patient. We have to manually approve registrations and the organisers aren't available all the time. If you believe you have followed the steps correctly but still are not on the registration list after 2-3 days, then feel free to email us at the contact link on the General Info page. You can contact us at any time to check your place on the waiting list as well.

Q: I am no longer able to attend, what do I do?
A: The first thing you need to do is tell us as soon as you know via the contact link on the General Info page. Competitions generally fill up quite quickly and letting us know that you can't attend means we can add someone from the waiting list.

Q: If I do not attend do I get a refund?
A: If you inform us you are no longer attending before the limit date for refunds on the General Info page then you will receive a 75% refund. If this time has passed then you will receive no refund.

Q: How fast do I have to be to compete?
A: We recommend that you check out the Events and Schedule tabs - if you can make the time limit for the events you want to compete in, then you're fast enough! Loads of people come to competitions just to beat their own personal bests, and meet likeminded people, with no intention of winning or even making it past the first round.

Q: Are there different age categories?
A: All competitors compete on the same level and all ages are welcome. In general most are aged 10-20 but we have plenty of regulars who are older or younger than this!

Q: Do I use my own cubes to compete?
A: Yes! Make sure to bring cubes for all events you are competing in and look after them, you don't want them to go missing.

Q: Am I allowed to bring a guest?
A: Yes, you are allowed to bring as many guests as you please. Space in the venue may be restricted during busy times so please be sensible.

Q: Can I come only to spectate?
A: Yes! However, the venue is usually quite busy during the morning, so if you are just coming to spectate please come in the afternoon.

Q: I'm a parent, what can I do to get involved?
A: If you're looking for something to do then you can certainly help out with the running and judging! We pretty much always need help with this and they are really easy procedures to follow. You can come to the introduction to competing where we go through all of it there, and there is a tutorial on the Important Information tab as well. Running is also great for step count and requires zero knowledge of cubing if you're worried about that!

Q: When do I arrive at the competition?
A: If you are a new competitor, we highly recommend that you show up for the introduction to competing which is held as the first thing on both days. Otherwise, we recommend you turn up at least 15 minutes before your first event, you can check when this is on the Schedule tab. This will give you enough time to register, find a seat, and warm-up.

Q: Do I have to be there on both days?
A: No, if you're only competing events on one of the days, you don't have to turn up for the other day. You can see what days your events are on on the Schedule tab. If you are assigned tasks (running/judging/scrambling) on a day you're not competing on, do not worry about missing them.

Q: What do I do when I arrive?
A: The first thing you do when you arrive is find the registration desk if registration is open. If you arrive before registration opens, we will make an announcement as to when it does open. If there is nobody present at the registration desk then find a staff member and we will make sure to register you.

Q: When can I leave the competition?
A: You are more than welcome to leave whenever you want. If you have no more events left then you are not required to stay.

Q: How do I find results?
A: All the results will be found on this page a couple of days after the competition, once they have all been checked and uploaded. If you are looking for live results, in the Menu Bar at the top go to Results ≫ WCA Live.

New Competitors

If you are a new competitor, it is important that you are familiar with the Regulations. The regulations are very long and are quite a lot to take in so don't worry if you don't remember it all! Because of this, we have a video that explains the competing procedure which we recommend to watch before attending: Competing Tutorial. We will also be holding a tutorial for new competitors which we recommend you attend as well.

New competitors must bring some form of ID to show at the competition to confirm the name, the country they wish to compete for, and the date of birth registered with. The usual items of ID that people bring are Passports, Birth Certificates, Driver's Licenses, etc. As long as it has your name, date of birth, and country, then it will be fine.

If you have any questions, we recommend that you check the FAQ in case it has been asked before. But you are more than welcome to contact us at the link on the General Info page. We also recommend you check out the UKCA tab to sign up to our mailing list for announcements of future competitions, among other things.

Information for All Competitors

• Schedule Changes: Please note that the schedule is subject to change up until the Wednesday before the competition, when we will know exactly how many people are competing in each event. These should be only minor changes and may involve increasing the number of rounds for some events!
• Please help judge! As a competitor, your judging assignments are the absolute minimum you should be doing to help out. As second rounds, third rounds and finals have no assigned judges, we really need people to help out whenever available for these. If you are directly asked to judge, please go and judge for the remainder of the round in progress. If you do not comply then we are within our rights to disqualify you from the competition as per Regulation 1e2. If you're a parent you can also get involved with running and juging, it's really easy! We will have a judging tutorial in the mornings as well, which will run through the process and will be tailored towards parents who want to get involved.
• Please note that Carbon-Fiber puzzles are not permitted, and please make sure your cube complies with logo regulations!
• When you are competing and have handed in your puzzle, please make sure to be waiting in the designated area so that judges and runners do not have to come searching for you.
• Please DO NOT talk about the scrambles or your solutions whilst the round is in progress as per Regulation 2g3.
• During blindfolded events, please stay silent within the venue. These events require a high amount of concentration and any noise can be distracting. We will announce when the silence will begin and when you may talk within the venue again.
• No flash photography under any circumstance within the venue. It is extremely distracting for competitors.
• If you are a spectator, please stay 1.5m away from competitors at all times as per Regulation 7b. If you are filming someone competing, please keep out of the competitor area.
• Please treat the venue with respect, put all of your rubbish in bins, black bin bags, or take it home with you and keep your area tidy.
• There are thousands of puzzles at these events, make sure to keep yours together so you don't lose them! Keeping them in a bag and looking after it at all times is recommended. If you do lose a puzzle, please contact us at the link on the General Info page, it is likely that someone has handed it in to us.
• We will be taking videos and photographs of the competition and the environment for our social media pages and website. By attending the competition as a competitor or a guest, you are accepting that you may be filmed or photographed for these purposes.

This competition will be sponsored by Speedcubing.org!

They are kindly setting up a cube store to sell their puzzles throughout the event!

Here's what the owner, Daniel Evans, had to say:

I started speedcubing.org in its current form in 2019, I had previously sold cubes to my school cubing club and on a few market stalls in my local area. speedcubing.org has since grown to become one of the UKs largest speedcube stores aiming to provide the cubing community with high quality speedcubes at reasonable prices and with fast customer service. I am a competitive speedcuber so I understand the needs of speedcubers and can give recommendations accordingly, I strive to get new cubes in stock quickly and I try them for myself so I can develop an opinion on each one. I also have a range of helpful written instructions and videos on how to improve, and for those wanting extra support I do even offer speedcubing tuition

The venue is the Great Hall at Bolton School Boys' Division on Chorley New Road, the A673, Bolton, Greater Manchester.

If you're arriving from one of the motorway routes, you will past the University of Bolton Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers approximately 10 minutes away from the venue. If arriving from the other direction, you will go past Queen's Park. This is on the same side of the road as the venue, so this may be worth noting when looking for the venue.

Car: The postcode for the venue is BL1 4PA. Bolton School is situated on the outskirts of Bolton Town Centre, easily accessible from the M61 if you're arriving from the north. From the South, you will likely get to Bolton from the M62.

Parking: There will be 2 car parks available. The Dobson Road car park, enter through the gates (Car park B) can be accessed from Dobson Road (BL1 4RL) which is between the Infants School and the Boys' Division. The other car park is the Boys' Division Quad (Car Park A ) and it can be accessed from Chorley New Road, through the gates of the archway closest to the Infants School (if you're arriving from the M61 it is likely the archway furthest from the direction you came from). Free parking on site is available all weekend for competition attendees. Parking is also available on the roads around the school.

Plane: The nearest airport is Manchester Airport (MAN). There are direct trains from Manchester Airport train station to Bolton Station, which is the closest train station to the venue.

Train: You can get to Bolton Train Station from Manchester Piccadilly, which is a major link from to most cities. From the train station, the Bolton Bus Interchange is 5 minutes walk away. You can get the 575 Sapphire bus from there. Timetable can be found here: https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables

Coach and Bus: The nearest bus stops to the venue are Park Road and Bolton School, and the routes which stop there are the 575 Sapphire, 913 and 935. Also, if you are taking either the 573 or 574 routes, there is the Chorley New Road stop on Tudor Avenue. There are some direct coach routes to Bolton however availability may depend on where you're travelling from.

Accessing the venue: There will be staff on site to allow access for competiors arriving on foot/public transport and parking in the Car Park A (shown on the map above). Competitors parking here will walk a short distance and enter the building shown by the red arrow on the map above. Please use this route for wheelchair access.

Entering via Dobson Road car park (Car Park B): If entering from the Dobson Road entrance, please follow the blue route on the map above and enter the building through the Glass Corridor.

You will then reach the Great Hall up the main staircase of the school.

Accommodation
* Holiday Inn Bolton Town Centre www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/bolton/btncc/hoteldetaill This is the nearest hotel from Bolton School (1.2miles, approx 7 minutes) and is centrally located in the town centre - parking is available on site on a frist come first served basis but there are lots of alternative car parks, one directly opposite the hotel, with a daily rate of £3.20.

Other hotels close by include:

• Travelodge Bolton Central River Street (https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/529/Bolton-Central-River-Street-hotel)
• Britannia Bolton Hotel www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/the-britannia-bolton-hotel
• Premier Inn Bolton West www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-manchester/bolton/bolton-west.html
• Premier Inn Bolton (Stadium/Arena) hotel www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-manchester/bolton/bolton-stadiumarena.html
• Bolton Stadium Hotel www.boltonstadiumhotel.co.uk/

Each event is run in groups, depending on how many people are competing in the event depends on how many groups there are. We call each group up one at a time in order to complete their solves during the scheduled time for the round. We have software that automatically picks what groups you are in, the judges, and who scrambles for each group. This is the minimum amount you should be helping out as it only is for first rounds. We always appreciate extra help!

Please note down which groups you are competing and scrambling in before arriving at the competition!

Groups

Click here to see your groups!