A student at the University of Michigan is one of the world’s top “speedcubers,” a person capable of quickly solving a Rubik’s cube. He is also an accomplished violinist.
Stanley Chapel says that the two fields go hand in hand.
Not only does Chapel say he has equal interest in both, but the 21-year-old says the violin has helped him in his success with speedcubing.
“The repetition, breaking things down into their smallest fundamental elements, all these different things that we use to improve on an instrument, and being able to bring them into the world of cubes has certainly helped my progress,” Chapel said. , a junior majoring in violin performance at the university’s school of music, theater and dance.
Chapel, who grew up in Ann Arbor, not far from the Michigan campus, solved his first 3×3 Rubik’s cube when he was 14 years old. Five weeks later, Chapel entered his first competition and solved the cube in an average of 22 seconds.
Fast forward a year to 2017 in Paris, with Chapel placing fifth in the 4×4 blindfold and 5×5 blindfold categories at the World Cube Association World Championships.
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At the 2019 world championships in Melbourne, Australia, the recent high school graduate won both events.
Factoring in the time it takes him to check the cube before putting on the blindfold, Chapel can solve one in about 17 seconds.
University of Michigan student Stanley Chapel solves a Rubik’s cube blindfolded on November 23, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chapel claims that the violin has aided in his success with speedcubing.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
“The deeper I delve into the realm of the cube technique, the more interest I find in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible there,” he said.
Chapel has certain inherent abilities: he is able to remember and apply thousands of algorithms to solve a Rubik’s cube and perform one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s violin sonatas from memory.
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But he also spends hours upon hours honing his craft, even doing regular hand stretches that help Chapel avoid the kinds of aches and pains that come with frequent, frantic turning of the cube’s sides.
Chapel says that years of playing the violin have also contributed to her having “very, very fine motor control already developed.”
Later this year, Chapel intends to defend her world titles in South Korea. With the 2021 event being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chapel is the reigning champion in both heading into the 2023 event in Seoul.
However, once school is out, Chapel isn’t sure how speedcubing fits into his future plans.
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“I think it’s good to know that nobody can do this,” he said. “But at the same time, giving me a little reality check, it’s like, ‘How much does that really matter?'”
“He’s not going to pay the bills when he’s older,” Chapel said, laughing.
