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.

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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 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 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 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: 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: 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. 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, they can all be found in the menu bar at under 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 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 judging, 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 being graciously sponsored by UK Cube Store, one of the best places in the UK to get speedcubes and twisty puzzles.

They are providing prizes to all the podium finishers!

UK Cube Store will be running a stall at the competition as well so that you can buy puzzles all throughout the weekend as well.

The venue is located in Salford near Trafford. The venue itself is fairly accessible through different means of transport.

Car: The postcode should point you towards the venue. However, sometimes it doesn't gets you to the car park. To get to the car park, you have to turn left to Broadway and there's a gate that leads you to the car park. Please buzz for entry. If you're using what3words, the entrance of the car park is puns.worm.manual.
Train: The closest main train station is Manchester Piccadilly station. From there, you can take the Metrolink tram line 7(towards MediaCity UK) or 3(towards Eccles) and get off at Anchorage. The venue is about 5 to 10 minutes walk from Anchorage tram stop. If you're returning to Manchester Piccadilly at the end of the day, it is cheaper to get the return tram ticket.
Plane: The closest airport is Manchester(MAN). You can take the train station or tram to Manchester Piccadilly and take the tram to Anchorage.
Coach: The main coach station is Manchester Chorlton Street. You can walk to Piccadilly Gardens and take the tram to Anchorage. Alternatively, you can also take the coach to Salford(For Quays) and the venue is less than 10 minutes walk.
Bus: You can take bus route 33 from Piccadilly Gardens Stop P and get off at Howard Street. The venue is less than 10 minutes walk from the bus stop.

Accommodation

There's a number of hotel chains in Central Manchester and there's a Travelodge just nearby the venue.

• Travelodge Salford Quays
• Premier Inn Manchester Salford Quays
• Travelodge Manchester Piccadilly

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

We will be using WCA Live for live results update. You can find the live results here.

There will be one extra event held at this competition: 3x3x3 Team-Blind. Registration will open at the same time as the registration for official events. To participate you will have to have a confirmed registration for this competition on WCA.

Once the registration is open, you can register for this event here: https://speedcubingextraevents.org/Competition/ManchesterOpen2020

MULTI-BLIND COMPETITORS PLEASE TAKE NOTE:

As we are enforcing a 24-person competitor limit for MBLD due to logistical reasons, these spots will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis as you register and pay.

Waiting List and Withdrawal from MBLD

Competitors who register for MBLD after the limit has been reached will be placed on a waiting list which can be accessed HERE.
This waiting list is updated manually, and may not be current. If your name is in green you are guaranteed your MBLD spot. If red, you are not guaranteed a spot BUT there is still a chance for you to compete if enough people choose to drop out or not show up on the day itself.

If you wish to withdraw from MBLD, please contact William Gan (wgan@worldcubeassociation.org)

Pieminister has generously offer the competitors a special deal for the Pi-day weekend as a gesture of goodwill.

Upon showing your lanyard from the competition, you could get a pie, mash and gravy for £5. This usually costs £7.50.

Pieminister's menu.