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!

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. If you have done everything correctly 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 your name, the competition, and the events you would like to change. If registration is closed then please do not email us with event changes.

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. But you may stay and help judge or spectate at your leisure.

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.

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.

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 venue is the Regency Suite at The Grand Pier on Marine Parade in Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1AL. This is the same venue as used for Weston-super-Mare Open 2017. A private lift will be available to the side of the main pavilion to grant access to the competition. Further instructions regarding pier access will be sent to registered competitors by email before the event.

Please note that the walk down the pier to the pavilion is approximately 400m (1300ft) so with consideration to late November seaside weather, you may wish to wear gloves to keep your hands warm for early events. There is no vehicular access to the pier.

Access to the venue is available until late and the schedule has been designed to make full use of this for those that wish to do so.

There is a bar in the function room selling a range of drinks and confectionery. No alcohol should be bought until the lunch period. Those competitors and guests that do buy alcohol are reminded to be sensible and not act in any way that may result in disqualification. No alcohol may be taken into the competitors area. If you are over 18 but fortunate enough to be cherubic, please bring appropriate identification. The venue staff will check if they have any doubts.

Please do not consume packed lunches or drinks purchased off-site in the amusement areas, or any area of the pavilion outside of the Regency Suite. Various outlets on the Pier exist to sell you food there.

Travel

Train: Weston-super-Mare Station is the main station and is a short half-mile walk from the venue to the start of the pier. From most directions, a brief change of train is needed at either Bristol Parkway or Bristol Temple Meads station. Trains should run twice an hour in most periods. Tickets and times can be found on www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.thetrainline.com.

Plane: Bristol Airport is the nearest airport to Weston-super-Mare. Car rental is available from there, or a taxi or bus can be taken from there to connect with train services. At the time of writing, the bus route from the airport to Weston-super-Mare is the A3 and takes about 50 minutes. Driving direct by taxi or car rental takes approximately 15 miles or 30 minutes.

Car: There is no on-site parking facility. However there are numerous public car parks in town that are within walking distance of the venue including:

• NCP Weston-super-Mare High Street Car Park, 4A High Street, BS23 1JF.
• The NCP car park can be pre-booked for a discount here.
• Carlton Street Car Park, 12 Carlton Street, BS23 1UA.
• Melrose Car Park, 30 Knightstone Road, BS23 2BE.

Alternatively, you may wish to consider using a service such as Just Park which allows short-term agreements to be set up to park at people's driveways or garages.

Accommodation

The nearest chain-style hotel to the venue is the Premier Inn - Weston-super-Mare Seafront. There are also 2 other Premier Inns, as well as a Travelodge that are within 2-4 miles of the venue.

There are 2 slightly closer hotels are The Sandringham Hotel and The York Hotel

Other options may be found through LateRooms and Booking.com or by typing the term "hotel weston-super-mare" into Google Maps.

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!

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.

Weston-super-Mare Open Live Results