Here, Jameson O'Connor, of the U.S., collects his thoughts before competing in the 3x3x3 Blindfold qualification round where he scored a personal best time of 7.23 seconds.
The 2009 Rubik's Cube U.S. Nationals, which took place Friday through Sunday at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., is one of the best known annual Rubik's Cube events in the U.S. Launched in 2004, it draws competing puzzlers from more than a dozen countries.














