Peterborough speedcube store wins Cambridgeshire Toy Store of the Year award
A local speedcube store located in Orton Southgate has won an award for Cambridgeshire Toy Store of the Year through the Prestige Awards, a widely recognised business awards organisation.
Speedcubing.org has been based in Orton Southgate since June 2024 and supplies the UK with a huge range of speedcubes and twisty puzzles.
Speedcubing and the Story of Speedcubing.org
Speedcubing is the art of solving cubes and other twisty puzzles as quickly as possible. The most famous of these puzzles is the Rubik’s Cube, which first became a global craze in the 1980s. Over the past 20 years, cubing has seen a huge revival. Thanks to major innovations from Chinese manufacturers, modern cubes are smoother, faster, and more reliable than ever before.
The standard puzzle most people recognize is the “3x3,” named for its three layers. But cubing doesn’t stop there—puzzles range from the simple 1x1 all the way up to the astonishing 21x21. There are also puzzles in different shapes, such as the Pyraminx (a pyramid-shaped puzzle) and the Megaminx (a dodecahedron).
The Beginnings of Speedcubing.org
Speedcubing.org began as a small school cubing club run by Daniel during his secondary school days in Sutton. What started as a hobby quickly grew—Daniel began selling cubes at local competitions, town markets, and village fairs. Eventually, he launched a website that has since become one of the UK’s largest suppliers of twisty puzzles.
Interest in cubing surged again during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when people sought new skills to learn at home. With countless online tutorials and guides available, solving a cube has never been more accessible.
How to Solve a Cube
The most common beginner’s method for solving the 3x3 starts with creating a cross on one side, aligning its edges with the centers of the adjacent faces. Next, solvers complete the first layer by inserting corners, then move on to the second layer by placing the remaining edges. Advanced cubers often combine these steps for efficiency. The last layer is solved by forming a cross, orienting the corners, and finally permuting both corners and edges until the puzzle is complete.
From a Local Warehouse to a Global Market
Daniel now ships cubes from his warehouse in Orton Southgate, primarily to customers across the UK, but also to international buyers—some as far away as New Zealand. He works to stock the latest releases as soon as they are available, often sourcing directly from manufacturers in China. These companies constantly refine their designs to make puzzles faster, smoother, and more durable. Alongside new versions of classic cubes, Daniel also brings in unusual and creative puzzles for cubers looking for fresh challenges.
On his YouTube channel, ,Daniel reviews many of these new puzzles, comparing features, sharing recommendations, and offering insights based on his own experience as a cuber.
Supporting the Speedcubing Community
Speedcubing.org regularly sponsors official competitions run by the UK Cube Association, the national branch of the World Cube Association. These events take place almost every weekend somewhere in the UK, usually drawing 100–200 competitors. Daniel brings a wide selection of puzzles to each competition for cubers to try before they buy—a valuable opportunity in a world where most shopping has shifted online.
Daniel as a Competitor
Daniel is not just a retailer but also a serious competitor. He placed 2nd in the UK Championships final for the 7x7 cube and reached the 7x7 final at the 2022 European Championships. He also holds unofficial world records with oversized puzzles, including solving the MoYu 40cm 3x3—so large it doubles as a chair! His personal achievements allow him to give honest, informed advice about the puzzles he sells.
Innovation with Picture Cubes
More recently, Daniel has launched a custom cube-printing service at printyourownspeedcube.com. Customers can upload their own images to be printed on each side of a cube. Unlike older picture cubes that turned poorly, Daniel’s aim is to popularize picture cubes that look great and solve smoothly. One of his latest projects includes producing picture cubes featuring the heritage trains at Wansford Station on the Nene Valley Railway, which will soon be available in the station’s gift shop.