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Mats Valk

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Mats Valk
Valk in 2016
Born (1996-05-04) 4 May 1996 (age 28)
Amstelveen
NationalityDutch
OccupationStudent
Years active2007-present
Known forRubik's Cube speedsolver
Medal record
Representing  Netherlands
Speedcubing
WCA World Championship
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
3×3×3 0 2 0
2×2×2 0 0 1
4×4×4 0 0 2
3×3×3 Fewest Moves 0 0 1
Square-1 0 1 0
Total 0 3 4
Silver medal – second place 2011 Bangkok Square-1
Silver medal – second place 2013 Las Vegas 3×3×3
Silver medal – second place 2015 São Paulo 3×3×3
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Bangkok 4×4×4
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Las Vegas 2×2×2
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Las Vegas 4×4×4
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Paris 3×3×3 Fewest Moves
European Championship
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
3×3×3 1 2 0
2×2×2 0 1 1
4×4×4 1 2 0
5×5×5 0 0 1
6×6×6 0 0 1
3×3×3 One-Handed 0 1 0
Square-1 0 1 1
Total 2 7 4
Gold medal – first place 2012 Warsaw 4×4×4
Gold medal – first place 2018 Madrid 3×3×3
Silver medal – second place 2010 Budapest 2×2×2
Silver medal – second place 2010 Budapest 3×3×3 One-Handed
Silver medal – second place 2010 Budapest Square-1
Silver medal – second place 2012 Warsaw 3×3×3
Silver medal – second place 2014 Roskilde 4×4×4
Silver medal – second place 2016 Prague 3×3×3
Silver medal – second place 2016 Prague 4×4×4
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Warsaw 2×2×2
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Warsaw Square-1
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Roskilde 6×6×6
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Madrid 5×5×5

Mats Valk (born 4 May 1996) is a Dutch Rubik's Cube speedsolver. He broke the Rubik's cube single solve world record twice with times of 5.55 seconds in 2013 and 4.74 seconds in 2016. He won the Rubik's Cube European Championship in 2018[1] and was runner-up for 3x3x3 at the Rubik's Cube World Championships in 2013 and 2015.

Biography

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Valk was born and raised in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, a suburb of the Dutch capital Amsterdam.

Valk is most famous for breaking the Rubik's cube world record twice and being the runner-up at both the Rubik's cube world championships of 2013[2][3] and 2015.[4][5] He first broke the world record with a time of 5.55 seconds at the Zonhoven Open 2013 in Belgium on 3 March 2013. This record stood for over 2 years. He later broke the world record again with a time of 4.74 seconds at the Jawa Timur Open 2016 in Indonesia on 6 November 2016. In December 2016, Valk looked on as Feliks Zemdegs overtook his world record by just 0.01 seconds.

Valk has also set three 4x4x4 world records, two for single solve and one for an average of 5. His second single world record, 26.77 seconds on 15 April 2012, was the first official 4x4x4 solve under 30 seconds. Altogether, Valk has broken 5 WCA world records, 17 European records, and 127 Dutch national records. Valk also currently holds the world record for solving the most Rubik's cubes in 1 hour, 374 cubes, set in Paris on 21 October 2015.

Valk is also known as a creator of the VLS (Valk Last Slot) 3x3x3 algorithm set, which correctly orients the last layer while inserting the last corner-edge pair of the first two layers. Valk used one of these algorithms to complete the cube in his 2016 3x3x3 world record.

The Valk

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Valk collaborated with the Chinese brand QiYi MoFangGe to set up his own brand, The Valk, creating cubes according to his own specifications. The design of the mechanism and the performance of the cube has to be approved by Valk himself before the cube is mass-produced and sold. The first cube released under this brand was the Valk 3[6][7] on 15 August 2016. This cube has been used by many other world-class speedcubers, including Patrick Ponce's former world record single. The size of the cube (5.55 cm each side) is a reference to his first Rubik's cube world record. He set his 2016 3x3x3 world record using a special magnetized version of this cube put together by TheCubicle.us, known as the Cubicle Valk 3 M. In 2018, QiYi released another Valk 3x3, the Valk Power and Power M, short for Valk Power Magnetic, the first copper core speedcube. Lastly, Qiyi released the newest Valk 3x3 called the Valk 3 Elite M. It has a dual magnet setting that no cube previously has had. The Valk Collection also has 2x2s, 4x4s, and a 5x5.

Records

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Record type Event Record time Competition Place Date
World records 3x3x3 Cube Single 4.74 seconds Jawa timur open 2016 Blitar, Indonesia 6 November 2016
5.55 seconds Zonhoven open 2013 Zonhoven, Belgium 3 March 2013
Most Rubik's Cubes solved in 1 hour[a] 374 cubes DYC 2015 Paris, France 21 October 2015
4x4x4 Cube Single 26.77 seconds German open 2012 Gütersloh, Germany 14 April 2012
30.02 seconds Dutch nationals 2011 Zaandam, Netherlands 17 December 2011
4x4x4 Cube Average 33.57 seconds German open 2012 Gütersloh, Germany 14 April 2012
European records 3x3x3 Cube Single 5.13 seconds Euro 2016 Prague, Czech Republic 16 July 2016
6.41 seconds Dutch open 2011 Eindhoven, Netherlands 30 October 2011
6.84 seconds Dutch open 2011 Eindhoven, Netherlands 30 October 2011
3x3x3 Cube Average 6.46 seconds Semey Open 2018 Semey, Kazakhstan 9 June 2018
7.24 seconds DYC 2015 Paris, France 18 October 2015
7.34 seconds China championship 2015 Guangzhou, China 4 October 2015
7.45 seconds Johannesburg 2014 Johannesburg, South Africa 23 November 2014
7.66 seconds Dutch open 2012 Voorburg, Netherlands 4 November 2012
7.77 seconds Eindhoven open 2012 Eindhoven, Netherlands 16 September 2012
9.09 seconds German open 2011 Gütersloh, Germany 10 April 2011
9.20 seconds Nemo Amsterdam open 2011 Amsterdam, Netherlands 2 April 2011
4x4x4 Cube Average 35.10 seconds Zonhoven open 2012 Zonhoven, Belgium 26 February 2012
5x5x5 Cube Single 49.49 seconds Kaohsiung open 2016 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 25 September 2016
5x5x5 Cube Average 54.71 seconds German open 2017 Gutersloh, Germany 29 April 2017
56.72 seconds Kaohsiung open 2016 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 25 September 2016
3x3x3 Cube One Handed Average 17.00 seconds Aachen open 2011 Aachen, Germany 16 January 2011
2x2x2 Average 2.43 seconds Aachen open 2011 Aachen, Germany 16 January 2011
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Notes

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  1. ^ Not an official WCA event.

References

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  1. ^ "Mats Valk wins WCA European Championship 2018, in Madrid, Spain". World Cube Association. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Mats Valk and Feliks Zemdegs: Top 2 Seeds, 3x3 Final Round, Rubik's Cube World Championship 2013 - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  3. ^ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2013 | World Cube Association". Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  4. ^ "Feliks Zemdegs vs Mats Valk - Rubik's Cube World Championship 2015 FINAL - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  5. ^ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2015 | World Cube Association". Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  6. ^ "Valk 3 Video introduction-- the Valk from Mats Valk - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  7. ^ "TheCubicle.us : Valk 3 : 3x3". Archived from the original on 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
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