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!

Due to current circumstances regarding COVID-19, multiple precautions will be taken during the competition. The following restrictions will be in effect:

• If you show any signs of illness or have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 in the past week, please do not attend the competition.
• Hand sanitizer will be available during the competition.
• We would highly encourage every person within the venue to wear a mask as often as possible.

The competing procedure will be slightly different than usual:

• All rounds will be fixed seating, where the competitor stays seated at the same timer for the whole round. There will be no waiting area.
• The competitor will be the only person touching the timer. The judge should remind the competitor to reset the timer before each attempt.
• Please watch this video for a quick visual demonstration (Please turn on closed captions).

Please be aware, that the situation may change and government restrictions and recommendations may change as well. As a result, the competition may be affected or cancelled at any time. Any changes will be communicated by email. If the event is cancelled, we will issue full refunds on the registration fees.

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! Whilst COVID-19 is still around, you will not be able to borrow puzzles. 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 a guest, however you will not be allowed to bring more than 1 guest per competitor.

Q: Can I come only to spectate?
A: No, spectators will not be allowed.

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: 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.

We're happy to announced that GANCUBE has sponsored us puzzles to give out as prize for this series. Every competitor is allocated a GANCUBE and giveaway will probably happen during lunch.

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 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

• 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!
• 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 stay 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 is part of the Farnworth Spring Series. The series consist of 4 editions of different competitions.

These are the restrictions regarding competing in a series:

• Competitors are only allowed to compete in one competition in a series.
• Normal registration procedures applied. However, if a competitor registered for more than one competition in the series, we will only accept the registration that is paid earlier.
• The events and schedule for each competition in the series is different. You should pick and sign up for the competition that suits you best.

Below is a brief overview of the competitions in this series.

Venue

The venue is a sports hall in St James's High School, look for the entrance with a sign that says Sports Reception.

Travel

Car: There are plenty of parkings available. The best way is to put the address on Sat Nav. However this will bring you to the car park on the other side of the building, so just be aware that when you're closer that you should look for the entrance that says Sports Reception.
Train: Closest stations are Moses Gate(26mins walk) and Farnworth(30mins walk), from there you can take a bus journey to get to the venue. Bolton would be the main train station that has better connections, which also requires a bus ride to get you to the venue.
Plane: If you're travelling by plane, the closest airport would be Manchester Internation Airport(MAN), from there you should be able to take a train to get to Bolton.
Bus: From Farnworth train station, walk to Farnworth bus station and you should be able to take bus 521. It will take you to Highfield - Marsh Lane stop, which is few minutes walk from the venue. From Moses Gate train station, head towards Bolton Road(Stop F) bus stop and take bus 521. From Bolton train station, bus 501 takes you to Marsh Lane stop, which is few minutes walk to the venue, bus 581 takes you to Highfield Road stop, which is just as close to venue compared to Marsh Lane stop.

Taxi: S & D Taxi is the local taxi firm should you prefer to take a taxi from train station to venue. You can book a taxi by ringing 01204 704040.
Train timetable can be found here.
Bus timetable can be found here, just put in the route number and the relevant information.

Accommodation

As Farnworth isn't a very touristy town, there wasn't many accommodation choices. Bolton which isn't too far away has a Travelodge and Holiday Inn, with some Bed and Breakfasts in between. Alternatively, Manchester City Centre which is 40minutes drive has a lot more accommodation choices from Airbnb, Booking and others.

• Travelodge Bolton Central
• Holiday Inn Bolton

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

Groups are available here.