New Competitors

If you are a new competitor, it is important that you are familiar with the Regulations. The regulations are very long and are quite a lot to take in so there is also a video you can watch which covers the basics very well. We recommend you watch this before attending: Competing Tutorial. We will also be holding an introduction to competing as per the Schedule which we recommend you attend as well.

New competitors must bring some form of ID to show at the competition to confirm the name, the country they wish to compete for, and the date of birth registered with. The usual items of ID that people bring are Passports, Birth Certificates, Driver's Licenses, etc. As long as it has your name, date of birth, and country, then it will be fine.

If you have any questions, we recommend that you check the FAQ in case it has been asked before. But you are more than welcome to contact us at the link on the General Info page.

Information for All Competitors

• Please help judge! We rely very heavily on regular competitors to make the competition run to schedule. It is not very difficult to do, and even parents and non-cubers can do it! If you'd like to learn the procedure then we will explain it during the introduction to competing, and if you still don't quite understand we can show you during the rounds as well. And you may judge whenever you want.
• However, if you are competing in an event then you are expected to help judge for that event. Obviously you need time to warm-up so we would really appreciate if you can help out the group immediately following the one you compete in. For example, if you are competing in group 2, please help to judge for group 3, etc. If there are only 2 groups, you would be expected to help for the other group.
• No flash photography under any circumstance within the venue. It is extremely distracting for competitors.
• If you are a spectator, please stay 1.5m away from competitors at all times as per Regulation 7b.
• Please treat the venue with respect, put all of your rubbish in bins, black bin bags, or take it home with you and keep your area tidy.
• There are thousands of puzzles at these events, make sure to keep yours together so you don't lose them! Keeping them in a bag and looking after it at all times is recommended.
• During blindfolded events, please stay silent within the venue. These events require a high amount of concentration and any noise can be distracting. We will announce when the silence will begin and when you may talk within the venue again.

MultiBLD Competitors
All puzzles for multibld are to be submitted early to allow time for scrambling. Please see the schedule for details.

Q: How do I register?
A: First you need to make sure you have created a WCA account. You can do this by going to the sign-up page and creating an account. Once you have created the account and confirmed your email address, go to the Register section and follow the instructions carefully.

Q: Why am I not on the registration list yet?
A: Please make sure that you have followed the instructions in the Register section. You could also be on the waiting list. The competitor limit can be found on the General Info page, and you can see the number on accepted competitors on the Competitors page. If you have done everything correctly and the competition is not full then just be patient. We have to manually approve registrations and the organisers aren't available all the time. If you believe you have followed the steps correctly but still are not on the registration list after 2 days, then feel free to email us at the contact link on the General Info page.

Q: Can I change the events I am registered for?
A: As long as registration is still open, yes you are allowed to change events. Email us at the contact link on the General Info page with the events you would like to change. If registration is closed then please do not email us with event changes. If at the competition you decide that you do not want to compete in an event, come up to the scramble table when your group is called and simply tell the scramblers that you are not going to compete.

Q: I am no longer able to attend, what do I do?
A: The first thing you need to do is tell us as soon as you know via the contact link on the General Info page. Competitions generally fill up quite quickly and letting us know that you can't attend means we can add someone from the waiting list.

Q: If I do not attend do I get a refund?
A: If you inform us you are no longer attending and registration is still open, we will issue a full refund. If you do not tell us you are not attending then you will receive no refund.

Q: How fast do I have to be to compete?
A: We recommend that you check out the Schedule tab - if you can make the time limit for the events you want to compete in, then you're fast enough! Loads of people come to competitions just to beat their own personal bests, and meet likeminded people, with no intention of winning or even making it past the first round.

Q: Are there different age categories?
A: All competitors compete on the same level and all ages are welcome. In general most are aged 10-20 but we have plenty of regulars who are older or younger than this!

Q: Do I use my own cubes to compete?
A: Yes! Make sure to bring cubes for all events you are competing in and look after them, you don't want them to go missing.

Q: Can I come only to spectate?
A: Spectating this competition will be free for everyone. Please be respectful of competitors while they are competing and remain at least 1.5 meters away from the solving stations as per regulation 7b.

Q: When do I arrive at the competition?
A: If you are a new competitor, we highly recommend that you show up for the introduction to competing which is held as the first thing on both days. Otherwise, we recommend you turn up at least 15 minutes before your first event, you can check when this is on the Schedule tab. This will give you enough time to register, find a seat, and warm-up.

Q: What do I do when I arrive?
A: The first thing you do when you arrive is find the registration desk if registration is open. If you arrive before registration opens, we will make an announcement as to when it does open. If there is nobody present at the registration desk then find a staff member and we will make sure to register you.

Q: When can I leave the competition?
A: You are more than welcome to leave whenever you want. If you have no more events left then you are not required to stay.

Q: How do I find results?
A: All the results will be found on this page a couple of days after the competition, once they have all been checked and uploaded. If you are looking for live results, they can all be found on the Live Results tab.

Live results at the competition are provided courtesy of WCA Live!

Please note that the results may not be entered immediately. It is important that the competition is running smoothly before we can enter data. Sometimes there might be a delay of up to an hour before the results for a round are entered.

Hotel's Eircode: R95 Y5CX

Driving to Kilkenny (Ormonde Hotel, Ormonde St, Kilkenny)

Directions from Dublin (via M9)

From M9 motorway, take exit 8 for Kilkenny City. On approach to Kilkenny city centre, take first exit at roundabout. Continue straight ahead (you are now on Kilkenny’s Ring Road). At the next roundabout (Dublin Road Roundabout) take your second exit continuing straight. At the next roundabout (Bennetsbridge Road Roundabout) take third exit and continue down the hill (Texaco filling station on your left) and continue straight for approx 1km. You will pass Kilkenny Castle on your right hand side. At the traffic lights, turn left (onto Patrick Street) and then take immediate first right (Hibernian Hotel on the corner is your marker). The Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel is a very short distance ahead on your left.

Directions from Cork (via N8 and N76 from Clonmel)

On approach to Kilkenny city from the Callan Road, take first exit at Callan Road Roundabout (this is the start of Kilkenny’s Ring Road). Continue straight ahead and straight through mini roundabout shortly afterwards. Continue straight for 1km until you reach traffic lights at main 4-crossing junction. St Kieran’s College is on your left and St. Patrick’s Church is on your right. Continue straight through lights and at next T-junction take left turn. You are now on Patrick Street. A short distance down Patrick Street take the left turn just before next traffic lights (Hibernian Hotel is your marker on the corner). Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel is just ahead on your left.

Directions from Limerick (Via R693 from Freshford)

On approach to Kilkenny city from the Freshford Road, pass St. Lukes General Hospital on left hand side and approach small roundabout. Take second exit on roundabout (turning right) and continue straight for approximately 0.5km until you reach another small roundabout. Take second exit at this roundabout and continue straight until you reach another larger roundabout (St. Canice’s church is on your left hand side). Take the second exit at this roundabout and then an immediate left. Continue straight up hill, until you reach a T junciton. Take a left at this junction, then an immediate right. Continue straight until you reach a left turn (at a pedestrian crossing). Continue straight for approximately 100m until you see an archway on left hand side. Go under this archway. Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel is just ahead on your right hand side.

Rail and Bus Information

Kilkenny MacDonagh Station is just a 2 minute taxi journey to the hotel, or a 15 minute walk. Trains to Kilkenny are on the Dublin-Waterford line and travel time is 1hr 30 minutes from Dublin Heuston Station, or 35 minutes from Waterford.

JJ Kavanagh & Sons offers 7 services daily to and from Dublin City and Airport with a stop at Ormonde Road, a 4 minute walk from the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel.
Dublin Coach also operate multiple services each day from Dublin Airport, Dublin Red Cow, and Cork City, again with a stop at Ormonde Road. For travel information visit www.dublincoach.ie, www.getthere.ie, www.irishrail.ie and www.jjkavanagh.ie

Public transport to and from Kilkenny can be oversubscribed, particularly at weekends, so it is advisable to book your tickets in advance of travel.

There is no local public transport infrastructure in the city, but most destinations are within a 15-minute walk.

Parking

Parking is available in the multi-storey carpark opposite the hotel, for a set fee each day. “Pay & display” on-street parking is also available on the roads near the hotel, but do be mindful of the expiration time on your ticket as there are often traffic wardens close by! On-street parking is free on Sundays. There are also some surface-level carparks close to the Ormonde Hotel that may be cheaper than the hotel’s multi-storey. More information will be added to this page closer to the competition, so please check back.

Accommodation

Kilkenny city is a popular tourist destination, particularly during the summer months, so accommodation will book up well in advance. There are numerous B&Bs in the city, some within walking distance. Air BnB is also proving to be quite popular, but again do be mindful that it will book up quickly.

Shops, Cafes and Restaurants

Ormonde Hotel is right in the heart of the city, only a two minute walk from the main shopping area. Therefore, there are plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants within walking distance. There is also food available in the hotel, and there is a coffee dock where takeaway beverages can be purchased, and brought downstairs to the competition venue.

Due to the current situation, there is the potential for a number of changes for this competition.
The organisation team will follow all guidelines issued by the local authorities and the WCA.

1. If the restrictions on the date of the competition in Ireland do not allow for an indoor event of this size, this competition will be cancelled.
2. The competitor limit WILL BE REDUCED before registration opens. The extent of the competitor limit reduction will be decided closer to the time, but before registration opens.
3. Due to the competitor limit reduction, the cost of entering this competition may increase to €20.
4. There may be a limit on the number of guests that each competitor may have at the competition. Additionally there may be a small fee per guest.
5. There may be ammendments to the schedule with the number of rounds being reduced or the removal of some events.

A final decision about all of these possibilities will be made before registration opens.
We thank the community for their continued patience.