Having learned the ZZ speedcubing method, 7 OLL algorithms and 6 PLL algorithms I found that I could consistently solve in under 90 seconds.
But my goal was 60 seconds! So I started practising more. Probably for about 20 minutes a day. And I did get faster. Down to about 70 seconds...
Then I got a tip that just trying to solve fast all the time doesn't always help. My OLL and PLL steps were getting better, because I knew what I was doing there, but the intuitive parts at the beginning weren't improving at all.
What was happening was that against the clock I just went for the first EOLine moves that I spotted. And in F2L I always just went with the first pair I could see. Mainly that was because I found myself pausing a lot to look for pairs anyway... so when I did find one I just felt I had to go with that.
So instead of solving fast all the time I spent about 2 weeks looking for the best EOLine and the best F2L pairs. Or at least looking for several and choosing the least bad ones. That seemed to help me spotting pairs and I got more confident with those stages. When I did try and solve fast then I was panicking less and solving better.
Also at this stage I learned the 3 algorithms for the badly-connected pair cases which previously had flustered me and caused me to waste time or go wrong (see this post for details).
Remember that F2L takes up the biggest part of the solve time, so it is worth concentrating on getting good at that.
One other thing that helped me with EOLine was changing how I did the 6-bad-edge case, which is the one that happens the most often. The tutorials say that fixing 3 edges (adding 1) then fixing the remaining 4 is most efficient. But I found that often between planning the moves and executing them I would lose track of the last 4 bad edges. Instead I tried fixing 4 edges and then doing the last 2 - which takes slightly more turns but I find that I am much less likely to lose track of the last 2 edges... and also more likely to be able to put the 2 line pieces into a good position.
After the slow-solve practise I found that I could regularly solve in under 60 seconds and sometimes solve in under 50 seconds. My current PB at time of posting is 47.10 seconds.
Monday, 26 October 2015
Saturday, 24 October 2015
Learn Some Algorithms - part 4
OK, nearly done. All you have to do now is permute the last layer (PLL). Or in other words, put the top pieces in the right places.
After OLL there are only 21 possible permutations for the last layer. That sounds like quite a lot. But like OLL you don't have to learn them all at once, or indeed at all, because you can get a long way with just a few of them.
The list of PLL algorithms on Bob Burton's site looks a bit daunting. But lets break down what we have into two stages. We have corners to position and edges to position. If we learn one algorithm for moving corners and another for moving edges then we can finish the solve with just those.
1) Corners - I found the T-perm really easy to learn because it flows so nicely. This swaps two corners next to each other and two opposite edges. We don't care about the edge swapping though because we are just trying to fix the corners.
It turns out that if the corners are not already in the right places, then the only possibilities are two corners swapped next to each other, or two corners swapped diagonally. For the first case you do the T-perm once, and for the second case you do the T-perm twice. If you want to go faster then you can learn the Y-perm and swap the diagonal corners in one go.
2) Edges - once the corners are placed then there are only 4 edge cases. The U-perm, the opposite U-perm, the H-perm and the Z-perm. Learn one of the U-perms first because all the other cases can be solved by doing two U-perms. Then if you want to go faster you can learn the others... which I think are all quite easy.
So, you can finish the PLL with just T-perm and U-perm. And you can finish it very fast with only T, Y, Ua, Ub, H and Z ... which is only 6 algorithms.
Later you might want to throw in some other PLLs that are easy to recognise and/or execute. I have also learned the two A-perms and will probably learn the J-perms next.
After OLL there are only 21 possible permutations for the last layer. That sounds like quite a lot. But like OLL you don't have to learn them all at once, or indeed at all, because you can get a long way with just a few of them.
The list of PLL algorithms on Bob Burton's site looks a bit daunting. But lets break down what we have into two stages. We have corners to position and edges to position. If we learn one algorithm for moving corners and another for moving edges then we can finish the solve with just those.
1) Corners - I found the T-perm really easy to learn because it flows so nicely. This swaps two corners next to each other and two opposite edges. We don't care about the edge swapping though because we are just trying to fix the corners.
It turns out that if the corners are not already in the right places, then the only possibilities are two corners swapped next to each other, or two corners swapped diagonally. For the first case you do the T-perm once, and for the second case you do the T-perm twice. If you want to go faster then you can learn the Y-perm and swap the diagonal corners in one go.
2) Edges - once the corners are placed then there are only 4 edge cases. The U-perm, the opposite U-perm, the H-perm and the Z-perm. Learn one of the U-perms first because all the other cases can be solved by doing two U-perms. Then if you want to go faster you can learn the others... which I think are all quite easy.
So, you can finish the PLL with just T-perm and U-perm. And you can finish it very fast with only T, Y, Ua, Ub, H and Z ... which is only 6 algorithms.
Later you might want to throw in some other PLLs that are easy to recognise and/or execute. I have also learned the two A-perms and will probably learn the J-perms next.
Learn Some Algorithms - part 3
Well done, you've solved your first 2 layers with ZZ so now you have a cross on the top of your cube for free!
This cuts down the number of cases for solving the last layer dramatically. Go to any competition and you will hear some CFOP solvers asking people if they "know full OLL" ... because they have to learn 57 cases ... so not many people do. As a ZZ solver you only need to know 7 cases and one of those is just one of the others repeated twice.
OLL - orienting the last layer - just means getting the top face to have all the same colour. In my case that's yellow because I solve with white on the bottom and green (or blue) at the front.
I think it's worth learning all 7 of these algorithms (cases 21-27 on Bob Burton's OLL page) because they aren't very hard to pick up. The cool thing about OLL is that you don't have to learn them all in one go - because each OLL algorithm doesn't affect the first 2 layers - if you do the wrong OLL then you just get to another OLL case. So you can try again. Just keep trying OLL algorithms until you get the thing done :)
Here's how I recognise the different cases:
There are the only 2 cases with one yellow corner pointing up.
This one is probably worth learning first. It actually has a name - Sune - because it is so commonly used. I recognise it as one yellow corner up with its neighbour on the right pointing yellow towards you.
The algorithm for this is nice and smooth if you do the R2 moves in opposite directions, rocking backwards and forwards. I recognise it as headlights towards me but the other corners pointing outwards.
The last 3 cases all have two yellow corners pointing up.
This is probably my favourite OLL because it runs so smoothly. I recognise it as two diagonal yellows up with the other two pointing towards me and to the right.
This might be my second favourite, even though it has wide moves in. I recognise it as two yellows up side by side with the other two pointing away from each other.
This is my least favourite OLL, because I can never do it very smoothly and still mess it up sometimes. I recognise it as two yellows up side by side with the other two pointing towards me like headlights.
Remember. Don't Panic if you can't remember which OLL to do, or which way round to hold the cube at the start ... do the headlights go at the front or on the left? ... because as long as you do the moves from one of the algorithms then you wont mess up the first 2 layers. If you do the wrong algorithm, or if you do the right algorithm but with the cube rotated wrongly, then at worst you will end up in one of the other OLL cases.
So don't be afraid. Learn a few OLL algorithms and go for it. It wont take you long to learn the 7 that you need for Full OLL as a ZZ solver :)
This cuts down the number of cases for solving the last layer dramatically. Go to any competition and you will hear some CFOP solvers asking people if they "know full OLL" ... because they have to learn 57 cases ... so not many people do. As a ZZ solver you only need to know 7 cases and one of those is just one of the others repeated twice.
OLL - orienting the last layer - just means getting the top face to have all the same colour. In my case that's yellow because I solve with white on the bottom and green (or blue) at the front.
I think it's worth learning all 7 of these algorithms (cases 21-27 on Bob Burton's OLL page) because they aren't very hard to pick up. The cool thing about OLL is that you don't have to learn them all in one go - because each OLL algorithm doesn't affect the first 2 layers - if you do the wrong OLL then you just get to another OLL case. So you can try again. Just keep trying OLL algorithms until you get the thing done :)
Here's how I recognise the different cases:
There are the only 2 cases with one yellow corner pointing up.
This one is probably worth learning first. It actually has a name - Sune - because it is so commonly used. I recognise it as one yellow corner up with its neighbour on the right pointing yellow towards you.
After you learn the Sune then you pretty much know the Anti-Sune too. As the name suggests it is the same as the Sune but the moves are in reverse. I recognise it as one yellow corner up with its opposite corner on the left pointing yellow towards you.
There are the only 2 cases with zero yellow corners pointing up.
This is like a free algorithm, because you can do it as either two Sunes or as two Anti-Sunes. Because they both start with R and end in R' you can cancel those two moves out. I recognise it as two yellows pointing towards me (like headlights) and two pointing away from me.
The algorithm for this is nice and smooth if you do the R2 moves in opposite directions, rocking backwards and forwards. I recognise it as headlights towards me but the other corners pointing outwards.
The last 3 cases all have two yellow corners pointing up.
This is probably my favourite OLL because it runs so smoothly. I recognise it as two diagonal yellows up with the other two pointing towards me and to the right.
This might be my second favourite, even though it has wide moves in. I recognise it as two yellows up side by side with the other two pointing away from each other.
This is my least favourite OLL, because I can never do it very smoothly and still mess it up sometimes. I recognise it as two yellows up side by side with the other two pointing towards me like headlights.
Remember. Don't Panic if you can't remember which OLL to do, or which way round to hold the cube at the start ... do the headlights go at the front or on the left? ... because as long as you do the moves from one of the algorithms then you wont mess up the first 2 layers. If you do the wrong algorithm, or if you do the right algorithm but with the cube rotated wrongly, then at worst you will end up in one of the other OLL cases.
So don't be afraid. Learn a few OLL algorithms and go for it. It wont take you long to learn the 7 that you need for Full OLL as a ZZ solver :)
Friday, 23 October 2015
Learn Some Algorithms - part 2
Bob Burton's cubewhiz site is a great place for finding algorithms.
As a beginner, you will almost certainly be spending a lot of your solve time on the first 2 layers (F2L) so it is worth practising that the most. And looking to see how other people do F2L. Bob's F2L page shows quite a few techniques for all 41 corner-edge cases.
Remember though, if you use the ZZ method then edge orientation is fixed, so only 20 of those cases apply -
corner placed - 02, 07, 09, 11, 13
white on top - 04, 16, 18, 21, 23
green on top - 05, 25, 27, 30, 32
red on top - 06, 34, 36, 39, 41
But be careful because Bob's algorithms on that page do not all maintain edge orientation. The following do not - 02, 30, 39, 41 - and the rest are OK.
For the bad cases I use algorithms from Conrad Rider's site instead -
02 - (L U L U L) (U' L' U' L')
30 - F2 R' D R' D' R2 F2
39 - L U2 L2 U' L2 U' L'
41 - (U2 L' U L U) (L' U' L)
All of which looks complicated... but if you check through all those cases then there are only really 3 cases which are either not intuitive or where the intuitive algorithm is only a couple of turns extra.
These are the only cases that I felt I needed to learn. The 3 with the badly connected pair at the front.
As a beginner, you will almost certainly be spending a lot of your solve time on the first 2 layers (F2L) so it is worth practising that the most. And looking to see how other people do F2L. Bob's F2L page shows quite a few techniques for all 41 corner-edge cases.
Remember though, if you use the ZZ method then edge orientation is fixed, so only 20 of those cases apply -
corner placed - 02, 07, 09, 11, 13
white on top - 04, 16, 18, 21, 23
green on top - 05, 25, 27, 30, 32
red on top - 06, 34, 36, 39, 41
But be careful because Bob's algorithms on that page do not all maintain edge orientation. The following do not - 02, 30, 39, 41 - and the rest are OK.
For the bad cases I use algorithms from Conrad Rider's site instead -
02 - (L U L U L) (U' L' U' L')
30 - F2 R' D R' D' R2 F2
39 - L U2 L2 U' L2 U' L'
41 - (U2 L' U L U) (L' U' L)
All of which looks complicated... but if you check through all those cases then there are only really 3 cases which are either not intuitive or where the intuitive algorithm is only a couple of turns extra.
These are the only cases that I felt I needed to learn. The 3 with the badly connected pair at the front.
Case 21 - both reds on the front - U2 (L2 U2) (L U L' U L2)
Case 30 - both greens on the top - F2 R' D R' D' R2 F2
Case 39 - opposites on top and front - L U2 L2 U' L2 U' L'
All of these algorithms are short, easy to learn and quite elegant. The rest of F2L just comes with practise, practise, practise.
Friday, 16 October 2015
Learn Some Algorithms - part 1
It is perfectly possible to solve a Rubik's Cube in under a minute using the beginners' algorithm on the official maker's website - Solve It - although you might need to be lucky and get mostly best-case positions.
I say it is possible because I have seen other people do it. I never managed to get under a minute myself using that technique... although I did get close a few times.
To go really fast you probably need to learn one of the modern speedcubing methods. There are several to choose from, the most popular being CFOP, but I am going to advocate an alternative which I think suits the older cuber.
The ZZ method has the potential to be very fast (with lots of practice) but you can "get away with" learning fewer algorithms than you need for CFOP and some other methods.
If you are already convinced :) then head over to Conrad Rider's text ZZ Tutorial website or watch Phil Yu's video ZZ Tutorial on YouTube. If not, then read on.
The "problem" with ZZ is that at first it looks really complicated. All that stuff about edge orientation at the beginning makes it look a lot harder than just making a cross (the C in CFOP). But edge orientation isn't really very hard to understand - you will soon get it, I promise - and the advantages of "fixing" the edges at the start are huge...
1) When solving the first 2 layers. If your edges are all oriented then you have half as many different edge-corner cases to deal with. Because normally you could have corner + oriented-edge or corner + misoriented-edge. But with ZZ you only ever have corner + oriented-edge.
2) Orienting the last layer. Because the edges are oriented, you always get at least a cross on the top when you have solved the first 2 layers. So instead of having to learn 57 cases, you only need to learn 7 cases for full OLL.
The other "problem" with ZZ is that "all the best solvers use CFOP". But that's just historical and self-fulfilling ... if people only learn CFOP because other people use CFOP, then CFOP will always be more popular. And there are great solvers that use ZZ - Phil Yu has regularly gone sub-10 in competition and done a 8.93 second solve using ZZ.
ZZ is popular as a one-handed (OH) method with many "top" cubers using it rather than CFOP for that event.
I say it is possible because I have seen other people do it. I never managed to get under a minute myself using that technique... although I did get close a few times.
To go really fast you probably need to learn one of the modern speedcubing methods. There are several to choose from, the most popular being CFOP, but I am going to advocate an alternative which I think suits the older cuber.
The ZZ method has the potential to be very fast (with lots of practice) but you can "get away with" learning fewer algorithms than you need for CFOP and some other methods.
If you are already convinced :) then head over to Conrad Rider's text ZZ Tutorial website or watch Phil Yu's video ZZ Tutorial on YouTube. If not, then read on.
The "problem" with ZZ is that at first it looks really complicated. All that stuff about edge orientation at the beginning makes it look a lot harder than just making a cross (the C in CFOP). But edge orientation isn't really very hard to understand - you will soon get it, I promise - and the advantages of "fixing" the edges at the start are huge...
1) When solving the first 2 layers. If your edges are all oriented then you have half as many different edge-corner cases to deal with. Because normally you could have corner + oriented-edge or corner + misoriented-edge. But with ZZ you only ever have corner + oriented-edge.
2) Orienting the last layer. Because the edges are oriented, you always get at least a cross on the top when you have solved the first 2 layers. So instead of having to learn 57 cases, you only need to learn 7 cases for full OLL.
The other "problem" with ZZ is that "all the best solvers use CFOP". But that's just historical and self-fulfilling ... if people only learn CFOP because other people use CFOP, then CFOP will always be more popular. And there are great solvers that use ZZ - Phil Yu has regularly gone sub-10 in competition and done a 8.93 second solve using ZZ.
ZZ is popular as a one-handed (OH) method with many "top" cubers using it rather than CFOP for that event.
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