Skewb

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Skewb

The Skewb (/ˈskjuːb/) is a combination puzzle and a mechanical puzzle similar to the Rubik's Cube. It was invented by Tony Durham and marketed by Uwe Mèffert.[1] Although it is cubical, it differs from the typical cubes' construction; its axes of rotation pass through the corners of the cube, rather than the centers of the faces. There are four axes, one for each space diagonal of the cube. As a result, it is a deep-cut puzzle in which each twist affects all six faces.

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The Skewb in solved state
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The four turning planes of the Skewb bisect it as shown in this figure.

Mèffert's original name for this puzzle was the Pyraminx Cube, to emphasize that it was part of a series including his first tetrahedral puzzle, the Pyraminx. The name Skewb was coined by Douglas Hofstadter in his Metamagical Themas column. Mèffert liked the new name enough to apply it to the Pyraminx Cube, and he also named some of his other puzzles after it, such as the Skewb Diamond.[2]

In December 2013, the Skewb was recognized as an official World Cube Association competition event.[3]

Mechanism

The Skewb's pieces are divided into subgroups and have several constraints. The eight corners are split into two group. The four corners attached to the central four-armed spider and the four "floating" corners that can be removed from the mechanism easily. These corners cannot be interchanged i.e. in a single group of four corners, their relative positions are unchanged. A floating corner can be distinguished by squishing down when applying pressure to the corner. The centers only have two possible orientations, seen by scrambling a Skewb-like puzzle where the center orientation is visible (such as the Skewb Diamond or Skewb Ultimate), or by disassembling the puzzle.

Records

Summarize
Perspective

The world record single solve is 0.75 seconds, set by Carter Kucala of the United States at Going Fast in Grandview 2024.[4]

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Some Skewbs feature concave sides for improved grip when turning.

The world record average of 5 (excluding fastest and slowest) is 1.52 seconds, set by Carter Kucala of the United States at CubingUSA Heartland Championship 2024, with times of 1.65, 1.45, (2.57), (1.37), and 1.45 seconds.[4]

Top 5 solvers by single solve

More information Name, Fastest solve ...
Name[5]Fastest solveCompetition
United States Carter Kucala0.75sUnited States Going Fast in Grandview 2024
United States Zayn Khanani0.81sCanada Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2022
United States Simon Kellum0.85sUnited States Going Fast in Grandview 2024
Poland Szymon Brągiel0.87sPoland Żory Open 2025
Poland Antoni Stojek0.88sPoland Cube Factory Brzeziny 2024
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Top 5 solvers by Olympic average of 5 solves

More information Name, Fastest average ...
Name[6]Fastest averageCompetitionTimes
United States Carter Kucala1.52sUnited States CubingUSA Heartland Championship 20241.65, 1.45, (2.57), (1.37), 1.45
United States Dominic Redisi1.53sUnited States Rubik’s WCA North American Championship 2024(2.05), 1.63, 1.43, 1.52, (1.07)
United States Zayn Khanani1.56sUnited States Pretzel Mania 20221.30, (1.20), 1.79, 1.60, (4.89)
Spain Alex Rosado Saez de Langarica1.72sSpain Bilbao La Perrera Side Events 20241.66, 1.62, (1.40), (2.97), 1.87
Poland Oskar Hanuszkiewicz1.73sPoland Back To Białystok 20241.81, (1.67), 1.67, 1.70, (3.78)
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See also

References

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