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, go to the Register section and follow the instructions carefully.

Q: Why am I not on the registration list yet?
A: Please make sure that you have followed the instructions in the Register section. 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. 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 days, then feel free to email us at the contact link on the General Info page.

Q: Can I change the events I am registered for?
A: As long as registration is still open, yes you are allowed to change events. Email us at the contact link on the General Info page with the events you would like to change. If registration is closed then please do not email us with event changes. If at the competition you decide that you do not want to compete in an event, come up to the scramble table when your group is called and simply tell the scramblers that you are not going to compete.

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 and registration is still open, we will issue a full refund. If registration is closed we will offer a 50% refund. If you do not tell us you are not attending then you will receive no refund.

Q: How fast do I have to be to compete?
A: We recommend that you check out the Schedule tab - 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: Can I come only to spectate?
A: Yes! Spectating this competition will be free for everyone. Unless you are attending with a competitor, we would highly recommend to come to spectate only in the afternoons, as the venue will be extremely busy in the morning on both days!

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: 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, they can all be found on the Live Results tab.

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 40 competitions in the UK and have also helped run competitions over in Ireland to help their community grow. Our delegates have over 200 combined competitions of experience with many more to come.

Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list on the UKCA website for all up to date information on UK competitions. And follow our social media pages to keep up to date with the latest content and media!

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 an introduction to competing as per the Schedule 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.

Multi-Blind Competitors

We are enforcing a competitor limit on the Multi-Blind event for organisational reasons. There are only 24 spots available, and they will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Competitors who register for Multi-Blind after the limit has been reached will be on a reserve list if someone decides not to compete or does not show up on the day.

Information for All Competitors

• Please help judge! We rely very heavily on regular competitors to make the competition run to schedule. It is not very difficult to do, and even parents can do it! If you'd like to learn the procedure then we will explain it during the introduction to competing, and if you still don't quite understand we can show you during the rounds as well. And you may judge whenever you want.
• However, if you are competing in an event then you are expected to help judge for that event. Obviously you need time to warm-up so we would really appreciate if you can help out the group immediately following the one you compete in. For example, if you are competing in group 2, please help to judge for group 3, etc. If there are only 2 groups, you would be expected to help for the other group.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Venue

The competition will be held in the State Room, which is part of the Conference Centre at Alton Towers Resort. The Conference Centre is not situated in the theme park itself, so it is not required to purchase tickets to the resort to enter the competition.

Follow the signs for the Conference Centre upon arrival. You can park in the Hotel Car Park which is free of charge.

Travel

Car: Alton Towers is situated between the M6 and M1, the postcode for the Resort is ST10 4DB, but be sure to follow signs when closeby. Parking is free of charge in the hotel's car park.
Train: The three closest train stations are Stoke-on-Trent, Uttoxeter and Derby. A bus service will need to be used for the rest of the journey.
Plane: The nearest airport is East Midlands, but getting to Alton Towers from there by public transport is not straightforward. Consider flying into Manchester or Birmingham which have better onward travel links.
Bus: First Potteries operate departures from Stoke-on-Trent city centre (Hanley), Stoke-on-Trent Rail Station and Uttoxeter (except Sundays). There is also a X52 service that runs from Nottingham and Derby. You can find the full timetables at the First Group and Notts and Derby websites. Bus routes may involve one or more changeovers to complete your journey.

Accommodation

Alton Towers operates its own hotels, which are on site and in the same building complex as the Conference Centre itself, details about these hotels and other Alton Towers Partner Hotels can be found here. There are many other alternatives further afield, but this would involve catching a bus/taxi/driving to and from the resort.

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 are available here!

Live results at the competition are provided courtesy of Cubecomps. Please note that the results may not be entered immediately. It is important that the competition is running smoothly before we can enter data. Sometimes there might be a delay of up to an hour before the results for a round are entered.

British Summer Open 2019 Live Results

MULTI-BLIND COMPETITORS PLEASE NOTE: We are enforcing a competitor limit on the Multi-Blind event for organisational reasons. There are only 24 spots available, and they will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis as you register. Competitors who register for Multi-Blind after the limit has been reached will be on a reserve list if someone decides not to compete or does not show up on the day.

You can see the Multi-Blind waiting list HERE

This waiting list is updated manually, and may not be current, but if your name is in green you are guaranteed your MBLD spot. If red, there is still a chance if someone drops out.

As Alton Towers Resort is a theme park, we are organising a "Fun Day" on the Monday following the competition where everyone can enjoy the company of other cubers for a day without competing within the Alton Towers Resort theme park itself.

More details will be made available soon.

This competition will be having custom T-Shirts for competitors to buy! If you are interested in buying one, please read the following information.

T-Shirts are available to pre-purchase until registration closes on Friday June 14, 11:59 PM for £12. T-Shirts may be available to purchase at the competition also, but we cannot make any guarantee neither on the price at which we will sell them for, nor the sizes that will be available. Only by following the steps listed below will guarantee a shirt will be available for you.

Design

How to Order

T-Shirt Order Deadline has passed! Sorry!