Meet the 12-year-old boy who's never held a Rubik's Cube he couldn't solve

A young Rubik's Cube master who can crack any puzzle before him is teaching other children to sharpen their problem solving skills.

Manan Chandak, a 12-year-old living in Abu Dhabi and his cousin Nivedita Maheshwari, 14, in India, have taught more than 40 children how to solve the combination challenge since October.

With the use of video conferencing and in-person tutorials, they hope to spread their love of maths and puzzles to many more youngsters.

“When I was 8 years old, I watched a video on YouTube where a man was juggling three Rubik's Cubes and solving them at the same time,” said Manan, a Grade 7 pupil at Merryland International School.

"I got so fascinated. Of course I knew I couldn’t juggle and solve at the same time, so I decided to first focus on just solving them."

He learnt to solve the basic 3x3 cube from his cousin before turning to YouTube to study the remaining combinations.

It was a hobby that Manan and Nivedita shared and learnt together.

“During the pandemic, I watched Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation where he urged people to remain productive and help people during the challenging times,” said Manan.

"That’s when my cousin and I decided to impart our knowledge to the rest of the world."

He hopes to one day enter record books for his Rubik’s Cube solving abilities.

“Currently, the youngest tutor in the world is a 13-year-old girl in the Indian state of Karnataka, who taught the cube to more than 100 people, according to the ‘International Book of Records’. I am still 12 and so I believe I can achieve that feat,” he said.

Manan and Nivedita teach various formats of the combination puzzle.

They begin with traditional 3x3 and 2x2 cubes, to more challenging 4x4 cubes, Mirror cubes, Pyramids and the notoriously hard Megaminx - which has 50 movable pieces. They hold seven to eight interactive classes for about an hour to teach each puzzle. The workshop is open to anyone above the age of eight.

Manan can solve the 3x3 cube - created by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik in 1974 - in just 1.06 minutes. But it is not speed he cares about.

“I just love the logic and mathematics behind solving puzzles. I could spend hours doing that. It has helped me stay calm and collected. It also helped me improve my memory and problem-solving skills. But most of all, I love to see the proud smiles when children are able to crack the mind-boggling puzzle.”

The classes begin with an explanation of what a centrepiece piece is and each of the faces and sides of the cube.

“The first step to solve a 3x3 Rubik's cube is to keep a yellow piece in the centre and bring four white pieces around it to make a plus sign," said Manan.

"Our next step is to turn the layers so we pair the four non-white edges with pieces of the same colour. There are a few more steps after that.

"We also make use of some mathematical formulas and share a word document with those who would like to keep the formulas handy."

Nivedita said she and Manan began with friends and family but word soon spread.

"We had to form a few batches with four people in each batch. All our students currently reside in the UAE or India,” she said.

The Grade 9 pupil at Podar International School in Thane said Rubik’s Cubes have helped reduce their learners' daily screen times.

“During the pandemic, most of us aren’t going to school and instead attending classes online," she said.

"Because of that we tend to spend most of our time on either phones or laptops. However, many of those who attended our classes have said how these puzzles have kept them engaged and productive.

"What they're doing now is having a cube in hand rather than a phone."

One of their Abu Dhabi pupils, Dhruvi Baldua, 12, joined the classes after her mother showed her a news article on how solving Rubik’s Cubes can help improve muscle memory, patience and concentration.

“In just one week, I learnt how to identify patterns and also quickly look for solutions. I am now able to solve both 2 by 2 and 3 by 3 cubes. It feels great,” said Dhruvi.

Tejas Krishna, 10, was able to solve 3x3, 2x2, Megaminx, Pyramid and mirror cubes in just a month after joining the workshop.

“With practice, I learnt to move my fingers fast. Now I can crack 3 by 3 in just one minute and 12 seconds,” she said.

Another learner Gautam Deepak, 10, said "it’s like a stress buster for me".

“Whenever I have to study a difficult subject as part of school and I get confused, I would just take a break and start solving the cube instead."