The “Rubiks Cube” team of Kuwait, led by Captain Mohammed Al-Momen, earned a resounding success in the tournament, by winning 7 medals (two gold, two silver and 3 bronze), setting a new record for Kuwait by solving the “Rubik’s Cube” blindfolded in a minute and 47 seconds. The player, Ghanem Al-Mutawa, won 5 medals, while the player Saud Al-Mutawa won two medals.
Saud Al-Mutawa told a local Arabic daily, the team’s preparation for the tournaments continued for more than a year of training and preparation, and this is the third tournament in which the team participated,” noting that “the team also participated in other tournaments, during which it won 15 medals in different positions.”
He stressed that “85 contestants participated in the tournament from 14 different countries, and the Kuwaiti representation was from 7 players.”
Regarding the type of game and its details, Al-Mutawa said that “Rubik’s Cube is the most famous mental game ever since 1974, and it is a three-dimensional mechanical puzzle consisting of 26 pieces and 6 different colors, and the method of solving the cube depends on part of the understanding and part of memorizing the laws. As for the speed of the solution, it requires quick intuition and concentration.”
And about the presence of local support for the game, Al-Mutawa explained, “Until now, it has not been recognized by any party.”
For her part, Fatima Al-Khabbaz, the mother of the player Ali Al-Balushi, said that the aim of the participation is to develop the players’ concentration skills, as well as to develop the spirit of competition among them.
She confirmed that the team participated in the tournament with the names of the players, and the preparation period was about two years, and preparations are always going on with gatherings, local championships and courses.
However, upon return to Kuwait from Bahrain where the championship was held there was joy and frustration – joy because the players made Kuwait proud and frustration because there was no official party to receive them.