F2L

Guest Post: You always need a challenge

deadesq1 Comment

It started innocuously enough:  “Okay—since you always need a challenge…”, along with a video of Justin Bieber solving a Rubik’s cube in what seemed at the time to be a VERY fast solve.  I was intrigued by the commentary of my challenger (your blogmeister):  “Bieber is in the zone.  Look at his face.  He is absolutely focused.  Any way you look at it, 1:20 is incredibly fast.”  And so it began.

My Christmas stocking included a cube at my request, and a book by Dan Harris called “Speedsolving the Cube“.  I became anti-social during the holiday season as a result, tending to my familial obligations only as obligated, but always returning to the puzzle that is the Cube.  The algorithms were mind-boggling, Continue reading →

51 sec solve

Adventures in Cubing4 Comments

I guess the F2L practice is starting to pay off.  I just got this 51-second solve, using F2L.  My personal best to date, which means that (on a good day) my F2L times have converged with my Beginner’s Method times.

(cube: recently re-stickered Type F-II; music>: Medeski Martin & Wood playing “Rise Up”)

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three sub-minute solves (on video)

Adventures in Cubing1 Comment

After achieving two sub-minute personal bests last week, I feared that they perhaps were flukes.  The off-camera aspect irked me, as well.  So, donning the GoPro, I gave it another shot last night and logged three sub-minute solves:

At 52, 58, and 58 seconds, these were the best 3 of 5 — after tossing out a sixth lucky solve (with OLL solving the cube completely).  I wound up with a 60.8 second 5-solve average.  I actually was on pace for a sub-50 solve when my F-II popped.  Bummer.  All three recorded solves were on a sticklerless Dayan Zhanchi.

Soundtrack by the John Coltrane Quartet (“Afro Blue” from Live at Birdland) — with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Jimmy Garrison, one of jazz’ all-time great lineups. Continue reading →

another 1:09 solve

Adventures in Cubing1 Comment

Sure is flat up here. I think they call these here parts plateaus. Another 1:09 solve following these two the other day. I have a couple 1:03s off-video, but 1:09 remains my on-video personal best.

First Timed F2L Attempt

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I’ve been learning more and more about F2L, as I explained in the tutorials I prepared. This video records my first timed solves using F2L. They come in at an average of 2:06 (2:12, 2:09, and 1:58).

At that speed, these are about a full minute slower than my fastest recorded beginner’s method solves. That slow-down from a new method is common, I understand. As I practice more, my guess it that I can get that down pretty quickly — and, if theory holds, below the 1:09 at which I’ve plateaued with the beginner’s method.

REVISIONIST HISTORY: Although I posted this after my inaugural post, I’ve pre-dated it to keep things chronological.