OLL

OLL 56 Slo-Mo (iPhone 240fps) [I’m Stil Here]

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UPDATED: As mentioned in this post, I’ve updated my algorithm for this case to (r’ U’ r) (U’ R’ U R) (U’ R’ U R) (r’ U r).

Three posts for all of 2015. That was it. Three. That wasn’t some fancy Rule of Three dramatic device. Not at all. Just. Plain. Busy.

OLL 56
(spinner/streetlights)

(r U r’ U) (R U’ R’) M’ U (R U2 r’)

setup: (r U r’) (R U R’ U’) (R U R’ U’) (r U’ r’)

There were months at a time that I didn’t even pick up a cube, let alone post. But never fear: In the infamous* words of John Hartford, I’m still here.

* by which I mean neither the Three Amigos’ “more than famous” nor the literal “well known for some bad quality or deed,” but rather “not really famous at all.”

This one relates to OLL 56, one of the bar or I-shaped OLLs. As I learn the full set of bar OLLs this emerged as one where the standard alg — (r U r') U (R U' R') U (R U' R') (r U' r') — could be improved by an M-slice. Yes, I’m a self-proclaimed M- and S-slice evangelist. And, yes, I’ll admit that sometimes using the middle slices is more neat and clever than ultimately useful. (The S-slice alg for F2L edge flip probably should be Exhibit 1.) But OLL 56 really does get easier with an M slice dropped in. Here’s a video showing the execution at full-speed and in slomo:

(music: “Spellbound” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) / Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License; cube: Maru CX3 with The Cubicle fitted stickers in custom color scheme)

It may not be for everyone, but it’s much easier for me. Full bar OLL tutorial coming soon….

Tricked-Out OLL 35 Slo-Mo (iPhone 240fps)

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OLL 35
(fish salad)

L U2′ r2′ F r U’ r U2 L’

setup: R U2 (R’ F R’ F’) R2 U2 R’

I’ve been busy lately. Crazy busy! Family. Kids. Work. Travel. Life. Time to take a break and to emerge from the shadows with another quickie slomo video.

This one relates to OLL 35, an OLL I’ve always hated. It’s the “other” big fish OLL — the harder one, with only a center on each of the “tail” sides (rather than center/corner pairs). The standard alg (R U2 R2' F R F' R U2 R') is ok, but I never got a great flow with it.** This “tricked out” version comes by way of Teller West, my co-conspirator in S-slice evangelism (although this iteration altogether ignores S).

Here’s a video showing the execution at full-speed and in slomo:

(music: String Cheese Incident, Coltrane’s “Afro Blue” (8.2.03); cube: Dayan Zhanchi w/ Cube Specialists fitted bright stickers)

The toughest part is the U2′, pushed left to right with my right index finger. On locky cubes, that sticks. But if you can get the timing and execution right on the opening L U2′, the rest flows smoothly and effortlessly.

** Actually, the standard alg is really good, and flows quite nicely. I must have focussed on a different alg when I first sat down to learn it.

Fung OLLs (##39-40)

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The two “Fung” OLLs — the large “square” lighting bolts — each have an occurrence probability of 1/54, and together 1/27 (3.7%). They seem to appear more often for me; I would have guessed more like 1/15. Whatever the frequency, it was time to learn these.

OLL #39
(Fung)

f’ L F L’ U’ L’ U L S

setup: L U F’ U’ L’ U L F L’

OLL #40
(Anti-Fung)

f R’ F’ R U R U’ R’ S’

setup: (R’ U’) F U (R U’ R’) F’ R

The standard algs for these didn’t flow very well for me. Digging a bit deeper, I found the alternate ones with the S moves to be easy and regrip-less. Here’s a video tutorial:

(puzzle: Maru CX3 w/ stock stickers)

Continue reading →

1-Second Sidewinder (OLL #25)

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OLL #25
(Sidewinder)

(R’ F) (R B’) (R’ F’) (R B)

setup: L F R’ F’ L’ F R F’

I’m fairly meticulous when it comes to learning new algorithms, especially OLLs. My first stop is usually the speedsolving wiki OLL page. But beware: Rarely is the first algorithm for each case the best. The most common or most obvious, perhaps. But rarely the best.

Such was definitely the case with the Sidewinder (OLL 25). The first algorithm listed required a four-move setup, two Sexy Moves, and then a closing three-move trigger. The second one is equally clunky. But then the third is short and sweet. It starts with a y2, but that’s not really any different than just treating a different orientation as “home” for the case. After a few minutes of experimenting, it became obvious that the third option was the most efficient, lending itself to easy finger tricks. Continue reading →

L-Shape OLLs (##47-50, 53-54)

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My last tutorial focussed on the Frying Pan OLLs, which I described as the two L-shape patterns with a bar on the side. A youtube commenter quickly pointed out that there were, in fact, four L-shape OLLs with a bar on the side– the two Frying Pan ones (##53-54) and the two Squeezy ones (##49-50). I promised to do a new tutorial that added the Squeezies. Then I realized that there are a total of only six L-shape cases. So, why not add the Breaknecks (##47-48), too, and make it a comprehensive L-shape OLL tutorial?

The video below does just that. While the algorithms are not necessarily hard to execute — for the Squeezies, it’s just about finding the right finger-tricks and flow — the six cases are easy to confuse. Below the video are the algs and some simple rules to help distinguish and orient the cases.

(puzzle: Maru CX3 w/ stock stickers)

Continue reading →