There are 43 quintillion possible permutations on a Rubik's cube – that's 43 billion BILLION! But for some, solving a cube is child's play, as correspondent David Pogue discovered when he met with some speed cubers – including a pair of remarkable world-record holders who are only eight years old.

The world of competitive Rubik's Cube speed cubing has seen a surge in young talent, with eight-year-olds Xuanyi Gong and Qixian Cao holding the men's and women's world records, respectively. Xuanyi set a record time of 3.05 seconds, while Qixian achieved 4.09 seconds. Both traveled from China to compete at the World Championships, highlighting the global appeal and youthful energy of the sport.

Rubik's Cube, invented in 1974, has evolved from a popular puzzle to a sophisticated competition, with modern cubes featuring advanced technology such as magnets and adjustable tensions. The championships include a variety of events, including blindfolded solving, and attract participants of all ages. While financial rewards are limited, the community values the experience and camaraderie, providing a welcoming environment for enthusiasts worldwide.

The world of Rubik's speed cubing

David Pogue now has the story of an unlikely competitive battleground. We came to this Seattle playground to film the men's and women's Rubik's Cube World Speed Champions. But nobody was there but a couple of eight-year-olds. Unless... No! Yes! Xuanyi Gong and Qixian Cao are the men's and women's speed champions. Earlier this year, Xuanyi set the record, 3.05 seconds, and Qixian set the female record, 4.09 seconds. Do you spend all your time practicing? So he currently has three major things he's doing, which is to read books, to study, and to practice Rubik's Cubes. Is anybody upset if you don't win? She says she wouldn't be too upset over it, and she would just practice more when she goes back to home. They flew here from China for the 2025 World Championships, which are taking place this very weekend. And China's going to close it out. Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik invented the cube in 1974. By 1983, crazed fans had bought 200 million of them, trying to unscramble its 43 quintillion permutations, 43 billion billion. But eventually, the fad cooled, until the internet inspired a comeback. The modern world championships began in 2003. At its simplest form, it's just solving the Rubik's Cube as fast as you can. Kevin Hayes is part of the organizing committee for this year's championships. He's a mean speed cuber himself. I was the world champion in the 6x6 in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Wow, do these people here know who you are? I was like their star back in the day, but now I'm very old. 31 is very old. 31 is ancient in the Rubik's Cube land. I mean, the new superstars are like 8 to 13. Put it down, put your hands back down on the timer, and then that records your time. 19-year-old Luke Garrett holds the world record for his average time unscrambling one-handed. Yes! 7.72 seconds. Now, these are not your father's cubes. They're a lot faster. They use a lot more technology inside them. They have smoother pieces, rounded edges. They have magnets inside of them. You can adjust the tensions. What do the magnets do for you? They can help the cube align itself so it stops where you want it to. Also, the pros memorize hundreds of cube patterns and the moves they need to solve them. I know what to do with my fingers that will take this from being like this to being solved. Garrett is competing in 13 of the 17 championship events, and he's the highest-ranked cuber in the world across all events. Let's see, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, pyraminx, pyramid, cube. There's even a blindfolded solving event. So the way you do it, it's easier than it looks. It's actually not. It involves imagining a letter on each surface and then memorizing pairs of letters as words for something. So F-O, so that's like, I imagine like foe, like fighting somebody. And then I have to go to K-B, I imagine kibble, like dog kibble. That makes sense, right? There we go. Insane. You don't make much money on the competitive circuit. For Luke Garrett, it's more about the experience and the friends. If you had to characterize the people at one of these tournaments? A lot of people who have a bit of trouble socializing, myself included. You know, I've had a lot of struggles in the past with that. But it's cool to see people who kind of break out of their shell when they go to a competition because they see people who are interested in the same thing they are. As for Xuan Yi and Qi Xian, they're just getting started. Can you guys do one-handed? Yeah, they both know how to play a one-handed. Can you do it upside down? Oh, he says he still doesn't know how to do a handstand yet. Can you do it asleep? I sometimes dream that I'm playing Rubik's Cube. She says she sometimes dreams about her playing Rubik's Cube.

President Donald Trump's Justice Department and FBI released a memo concluding that there is no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had a "client list." The FBI confirmed that more than 1,000 victims were harmed by Epstein.

Washington

FBI: Epstein investigation turned up no 'incriminating client list'

The death toll from the devastating floods in Texas has risen to at least 90 as rescue workers continue to search for dozens of missing people. At least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic in central Texas died in the floods.

Kerrville

At least 90 people killed in Texas floods

A shooter is dead after opening fire at a U.S. Border Patrol building in McAllen, Texas, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has the latest updates.

McAllen

Shooter killed after opening fire at U.S. Border Patrol building

Israel’s military launched airstrikes early on Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The strikes followed a suspected Houthi attack on a ship in the Red Sea.

Sana'a

Middle East Conflict

Israel strikes Yemen ports held by Houthi rebels

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. President Trump at the White House on Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a potential ceasefire with Hamas.

Netanyahu set to meet Trump at White House amid ceasefire optimism

U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on global tariffs announced in April is nearing its expiration, and the White House warned that steeper tariffs could roll out at the beginning of August.

Global Tariffs

White House warns higher tariffs could roll out August 1

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of killing three relatives with a meal of death cap mushrooms baked in a Beef Wellington lunch, has been found guilty of three counts of murder and the attempted murder of the lone survivor.

Morwell

Australian woman found guilty in ‘mushroom murder’ trial

Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River, has confirmed that at least 27 campers and counselors died in the devastating floods that hit the Texas camp.

Hunt

Camp Mystic confirms 27 campers, counselors killed in floods

President Donald Trump called Elon Musk's plans to form a new political party "ridiculous," launching new barbs at the tech billionaire.

Trump criticizes Musk's new 'America Party' as feud grows

Rescuers are searching for more than 40 people still missing, after flooding in the US state of Texas. The death toll has risen to at least 82, including 28 children - many of them from a summer camp. President Donald Trump has declared the area a disaster zone.

Death toll from Texas floods rises to 82, dozens still missing

BRICS leaders set to discuss key global political issues, but questions over the bloc’s cohesion arose as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin opted to skip the summit.

State of Rio de Janeiro

BRICS group slams tariffs, Iran conflict at summit in Brazil

The search for missing children from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas entered a third day on Sunday, as rescuers faced the threat of more flooding and the death toll in the region reached at least 67.

Texas officials face questions over flood warnings

Search and rescue missions continue in Kerr County, Texas, after severe storms caused deadly flooding that has killed dozens of people. More than 20 children from the nearby Camp Mystic are still missing, officials say.

Texas campground owner describes flash floods: "It was just chaos"

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he has formed a new political party after falling out with U.S. President Donald Trump over the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

Elon Musk launches 'American Party'

Israel has sent a delegation to Qatar for new indirect talks on a possible hostage and ceasefire deal despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the changes requested by Hamas to a previous proposal were "unacceptable."

Doha

Israel, Hamas delegations resume truce talks over Gaza in Doha

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received an enthusiastic welcome at a mosque in Tehran as he made his first public appearance since the start of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

Tehran

Iran's Supreme Leader makes first public appearance since war started

Search-and-rescue operations are expected to continue as the death toll continues to rise from Friday's flash flooding in central Texas, with authorities confirming at least 50 deaths so far, 15 of those children. Among the missing are girls from a Christian summer camp.

Death toll rises as search for Texas flood survivors continues

Rescuers are searching for survivors of a flash flood that hit central Texas on Friday, leaving at least 43 people dead, including 15 children. Authorities in Texas are now facing questions about whether they issued proper warnings in advance of rain-fuelled flooding.

Death toll from Texas flooding rises to 43

Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of heatwaves in Europe to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common.

Athens

Firefighters across Europe battle wildfires

Rallies on the streets of Tel Aviv were held as the Israeli security cabinet reportedly gathered to discuss Hamas' response to a potential ceasefire-hostage deal.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Tel Aviv rally calls for the release of the remaining hostages

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday (July 5) that his latest conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump this week was the best and "most productive" he has had to date.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy says latest Trump call the 'most productive' yet

The unemployment rate for new college graduates has recently surged. Economists say businesses are now replacing entry-level jobs with artificial intelligence. Ali Bauman has the story.

Cambridge

Unemployment surges as employers replace new hires with AI

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is sending a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible ceasefire deal. Hamas calls the latest response "positive." Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least 14 in Gaza.

Renewed momentum for Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza

The deadline is fast approaching for countries to make new tariff agreements with the U.S. or face a higher rate. The Trump administration is putting them on notice.

Trump turns attention to trade after major legislative win

The funeral proceedings of the late football players Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva took place in the church of Gondomar in their hometown in the east of Porto. Family members, teammates and coaches joined thousands of mourners to pay their final respects.

Gondomar

Thousands gather to bid farewell to Liverpool's Diogo Jota

McMahon's most recent projects included Netflix's whodunit "The Residence" and the Nicolas Cage drama "The Surfer," which premiered earlier in the year at SXSW.

Melbourne

Australian-American actor Julian McMahon dies, 56

Diplomatic efforts are ongoing as U.S President Donald Trump looks to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Israel has previously accepted the US proposal, meanwile Hamas has "submitted a positive response" to the mediators.

Israeli hostage negotiation team to fly to Doha to hold talks with Hamas

A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir has died from his injuries, raising the death toll in recent days from the fires to three, as emergency crews also continued to battle a blaze in a province bordering Syria.

Hatay

Turkiye’s wildfires declared national emergency

Search and rescue operations continued overnight after flash floods slammed central Texas, killing dozens, officials said. More than 20 children are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp hit by the floods, the Kerr County sheriff said.

Rescues continue in central Texas after deadly flash floods

Officials in the U.S. state of Texas say at least 13 people have died in overnight flash floods after torrential rains triggered an overflow of the Guadalupe River. Nearly 20 children attending a summer camp in the south-central area are missing.