Supercuber

Shotaro “Macky” Makisumi ’12 is a legend in the world of Rubik’s cubing. A 2008 documentary, “CubeFreak” (named after Macky’s website cubefreak.net) followed Macky and fellow cubers around the cubing circuit. Wikipedia lists Macky as one of the world’s top 10 “renowned solvers.” According to the World Cube Association website, his average competition time for solving the standard Rubik’s Cube is 12.97 seconds.

Q: How many world records have you broken in speedcubing?

A: At one point, I had seven world records. In total, I think I broke some world record like 20 times. It was the 3x3 single and average. Also, the 3x3 one-handed single and average, the 2x2 single and average, and the 3x3 blindfolded.

Q: What was the last competition you went to? Are you still competing?

A: I went to one, like, three weeks ago, but aside from that, the last one I went to was over a year ago. I’m really not practicing anymore. I won the competition, and the current U.S. champion was there. I’m the underdog now. People are getting so much faster.

Q: In what places have you competed?

A: I’ve been to one as far as Budapest, Hungary. I’ve been to three world championships: one in Toronto in 2003, one in Florida in 2005 and one in Budapest in 2007.

Q: You were one of the protagonists of the documentary “CubeFreak,” right? How was that?

A: Yes. It was pretty cool. I wasn’t involved in the editing process or anything, but every competition I went to between 2004 and 2005, the film crew was there, and we had dinner together sometimes. Actually, the producers used to be my teachers in middle school. I got really used to being interviewed.

Q: And how is the website going?

A: I’ve gotten a total of a million views. I think each day I’m getting probably 700 unique visitors.

Q: You are a member of the Princeton Juggling Club. Have you managed to combine juggling with cubing?

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A: Yes. I was actually one of the first people to do that. I can juggle two balls in one hand and, at the same time, solve the cube in the other hand. It’s actually not much more difficult than doing the two skills separately. Most of the time I can focus on the juggling.

Q: How many Rubik’s cubes, or variations, do you own?

A: I used to have maybe 10 or so … I’m really not into all the different kinds, but there is, for example, one called the “evil twin” that is custom made. If you twist it, it becomes not a cube anymore.

Q: Have you solved it?

A: Yes.

Q: What is the hardest cube you’ve ever solved?

A: Once you know some of the basic principles behind the cubes, or any of these puzzles, you can do them. What’s more interesting is blindfolded cubing. Doing a 4x4 or a 5x5 blindfolded is a challenge.

Q: Have any cubes ever left you stumped?

A: There are some that I just didn’t have the time to work on because they’re cubes you encounter once in a while in competitions because people just have them. I think that like with most things, I would be able to solve them if I had the time.

Q: How often are you thrown a cube and asked to solve it?

A: Whenever I meet someone new, and I’m with someone who knows about my cubing. It’s kind of unfortunate.

— Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Gabriel Debenedetti