IamA Rubik's Cube Speedsolver AMA!

Let me ask the question on everyones mind.. Has this skill ever gotten you laid?

If so, how do i learn to do this?

Unfortunately not...

In case you are wondering to learn I would recommend this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=609nhVzg-5Q

I expected a video on how to get laid.

Sorry to disappoint.

Did you get a job because of it? In pursuit of excellence style...

I feel like it helps in interviews and the like but I don't think it is the sole reason for me being hired/accepted etc.

Do you think it will ever get you laid?

I honestly don't know. It's a good conversation starter but that's about it.

We Redditors are only willing to learn something if it gets us laid or hired.

Carry on then. Lmao

I glanced at this and it looks like a layer-by-layer method. I can solve layer-by-layer in about 90s, which is good for a party trick but quite sucky compared to you. I assume that's not actually the method you use? What method do you use?

I use a modified layer by layer method. I solve the cross and then solve the corners and edges together as opposed to individually. Then solve the last layer.

Have you ever been able to solve a Rubiks cube?

Yes? I'm not sure I understand.

I'm not sure if this is what this person means, but I am curious did you figure out how to solve a Rubik's cube first or did you look it up first?

I just looked it up. I was really young at the time and now I wonder if I could do it by myself now.

You didn't even try? I bought one a few years back and tried to see if I could solve it. Gave up after a couple days and learned to memorize it. I don't know all the algorithms though, just the one (set?) that works every time... slowly ~1.5 minutes.

I did try but once again I was very young and didn't really wrap my head around it.

Do you always use the same algorithm or you have various paths that you use to solve it?

Solving the first 2 layers of the cube is almost purely intuitive with a few (10-20) algorithms thrown in for tricky cases. However the last layer is entirely algorithmic. I use ~50 algorithms to solve the last layer of the cube.

Wow. That's a lot of algorithms. Do you have them memorised or do you come up with them as you go along?

I memorise them all. To learn one I just do it over and over for ~10 minutes and it becomes muscle memory.

How long have you been practising for?

Well I have been competitively solving for around 2 years but have taken large breaks. When I'm in the zone I do ~100 every day.

Hey mate, i used to get about 40secs but that required opening the cube up and wd40+(for memory) grinding a lil bit off the edges. Even that would snag sometimes.

Is there any cube brand that comes ready to solve fast?

Honestly if you look on any specialist cube store for where you live you can find an awesome speedcube. Most of them are around $12-20. But there are some cheap beauties like the YJ GuanLong

Just for reference as an Australian I prefer speedcube.com.au to buy my puzzles!

Yes, I'll be sure to check out all the specialist cube stores in my area.

Where are you from I may be able to recommend you one.

Florida

I'd say thecubicle.us or speedcubeshop.com would be the best options.

For some reason I thought you had every brick and mortar store memorized, and we're going to send me to some back alley downtown where the hobos hang out.

Well in that case...

Tell me where I can find the hobos!

Walk down any street and throw change on the ground and they will come to you.

Hey im an aussie too, the plain rubiks cubs are $20 for a gaming store. Rediculous prices.

Try speedcube.com.au and get a cheap cube which is far better than a Rubik's Brand.

For americans i recommend speedcubeshop.com

Or the Cubicle.us but I prefer speedcubeshop

Out of curiosity, on a normal, not-greased-up Rubik's cube, how fast can you solve it?

Still like 22 on mine,

If I replaced one coloured tile with a different colour, how long would t take you to realise something was wrong?

How long to solve the cube with the wrong coloured tile on the right face?

Probably around 10 seconds to realise something wasn't right.

As for the second question I'm not sure I understand.

I think he means could you 'solve' it with the swapped tile. So solve it normally but ending up with only the swapped tile being out of place (even though it's where it should be if it hadn't been swapped)

Yes I could.

For the second question, he means, how long would it take you to figure out what color the tile was supposed to be, and solve the puzzle so it was on the face it was originally meant to be on.

Oh, well probably another 5 or 6 seconds in that case.

He's asking how long would it take to solve a cube with a tile that is the wrong color. The answer, I believe, is no longer than a normal cube, as long as it's solveable?

Yeah? lmao

Hello! I am a casual cuber and also have a small collection of various different puzzles to entertain myself with. I was wondering what your favorite cube to solve is? Personally I love this bad boy.

I have a mirror block and love to solve it aside from that I love my 9x9 and my numerous 3x3s.

Thanks for the reply! Don't know if anyone else has asked for it yet, but could you showcase your collection a bit for us? I'm curious to see and may base my next purchase off something you could recommend just for a casual cuber.

I may add a collection photo tomorrow as it is after midnight atm. As for a recommendation the Valk III came out today and looks amazing so I will be picking that up.

I am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow! And I had to google what the Valk III was, but I may pick one up and start working on my time. I'd be happy getting under 30 seconds.

Glad to get you interested.

How do you "un-solve" a cube? By that I mean- how do you scramble it back up again? Do you just randomly mash it around or is there a standard way for competitions?

Volunteer scramblers are given a special set of instructions in the form of a 20 move algorithm for scrambling each cube so each competitor has the same scramble as the next.

Have you ever chucked a rubix cube at a wall? I did and it exploded

I have restrained myself but have considered it.

It looks cool, seeing all the colored blocks fly in different directions. 6/10, would recommend throwing one you don't need

proceeds to order $1000 worth of disposable cubes

laughs maniacally

proceeds to order $1000 worth of v-cubes

FTFY

Thank you.

Except it would be like, three cubes. #Aus

The struggles.

Sub 18 here. Just wanted to know what V permutation you use

Here's the one I use (and hate):

R' U R' d' R' F' R2 U' R' U R' F R F

For you non cubers: the letters are short for side twists. R is right, L is left U is upper, D is lower, F is front, B is back, lower case means you turn 2 layers, and ' means you turn the side counter clockwise instead of clockwise.

Also are you subscribed to /R/cubers?

I use the same as you but I am planning to change it very soon.

Yes I am subscribed to r/Cubers (looks like we leaked again lmao).

(looks like we leaked again lmao)

How are you surprised? You ARE the leak.

I'm not.

Ah okay, I'll keep looking for a good V perm then haha

Try algdb

I believe you guys are just making shit up to confuse the rest of us.

Haha

Stuck at the 20s barrier. any tips? Is it better to focus on getting faster at F2L (my look-ahead is pretty weak) or should I work on LL (my Gs are terrible but they're so obnoxious)?

Also, what's your best story from a cubing competition? Are there any ridiculous personalities in the speedcubing world?

F2L usually leaves the most room for improvement but the way I got sub-20 was by just drilling solves in the 1000s.

As for stories I'm not really sure. The fez at nationals was pretty fun but apart from that not a whole lot.

ELI5: F2L, LL, Gs?

First 2 Layers. The second step of the CFOP method which follows the white cross, basically you are solving the first two layers by inserting corners and edges.

LL= Last layer. The step after F2L

Gs make up 4 of the algorithms used for the last layer.

Hopefully that helps.

Fuckin G's, man. They are still the only algs I have yet to memorize, and I don't see me doing them any time soon. Lengthy AF

Just learn Ga and the rest are very similar.

They are an inverse, mirror and inverse mirror.

what do you think of magician steven brundage? Hes the rubix cube magician

Awesome guy. He frequents the /r/Cubers sub reddit and is generally pretty cool.

As far as his magic goes I love it as it combines two of my interests. Cubing and cardistry/magic.

What's your opinion on cross on left?

I knew it was coming haha. I think, like most people, it can be very fast but maybe not as fast because you are covering part of the cube hindering look ahead.

I can do one, but my average is 1-2 minutes. What are your tips for getting faster? At the moment my best times come when I push my hands at full speed, so I don't feel I can physically go any faster. Do I need new algorithms to get to super speed?

It sounds like you would benefit from a better cube. Try ordering one online. Apart from that I would recommend practice and maybe learning F2L and 4LLL. BADMEPHISTO has a good tutorial on both.

Cheers!

No problem

Yay! 1k up votes you guys are awesome!

What do you think is the perfect age to give a children a rubiks cube as a gift?

I received mine very young but I think around 10-12 is a great age to start.

Were there any transferable skills you learned from becoming a speedsolver?

Not too many apart from seeing patterns everywhere. I feel like it has kept me mentally sharp though.

I can imagine. I'm bad enough after playing too much Boggle.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_effect

Yep, that's a thing.

ever pump your self upto this?

Before each solve.

I can solve a Rubik's cube, but it usually takes me about 2 minutes to solve. What is the trick to solving it so quickly? Is it a different algorithm or just finger quickness?

Different, more complex methods usually yield faster results as well as more algorithms. Finger tricks are developed naturally. If you want to get fast I recommend just practice until about the 1 minute mark.

Hey man, great time. I have mine at an average of 50 seconds, fastest at 39, with the freidrichs method and i dont know where to go from here, any tips?

Practice your cross and F2L by drilling solves (timed and slow) it's how I got sub-18.

Hello there! Fellow solver here. Do you also have the desire you solve any Rubix cube that you see in the wild that's unsolved?

I've only been able to solve under a minute twice. For me that's really all I want. It's enough to get some wows from people who think it's nearly impossible to do.

You have no idea! xD

Yeah I agree. I feel like anything past 1 minute is just for your self and maybe to compete. That being said I don't regret it for one second getting this far.

Can you solve my rubiks cube? Ive been trying for more than a year.

Only if you send it in a bright pink bag.

What method do you use?

I used to cube and my pb was ~8 seconds and average was ~ 12-15 seconds and I used Friedrich (sp?). Is it the fastest method?

If you do Friedrich, do you use algorithmic F2L or intuitive?

I use Fridrich with intuitive F2L but I can also solve with Roux, Petrus and ZZ (slowly).

I am slowly getting to the level you were at lol. Averaging 16 at the moment.

Also, a really good way to improve is to focus on no cube rotations. It worked really well for me.

Preach.

Do you already know all your OLLs and PLLs?

When I was at that level u was too lazy to learn all of them. For some situations I didn't even know full 2 step OLLs lol.

I know all PLL but 1 because I am lazy and a few OLLS.

I just ordered a MoYu TangLong, was this a good choice? I don't really know much about speedcubes anymore, The only speedcube I've bought in the past was a stickerless Dayan Zhanchi stickerless like two years ago, and my best time is only 37 seconds

From what I've heard the tangling is great but I don't have one so I can't give you too much help.

Hi

If you showed someone who doesn't cube, a video of yourself speedcubing in reaaaally slow motion, would you be able to explain why you do each individual move, or would some moves only be "part of an algorithm that rotates this corner clockwise and this counter-clockwise" for example?

In other words, do you know exactly how and why every algorithm you use work, or is it something you have no interest in and just make your fingers memorize it?

I feel like I could explain most of it if I tried but some of it would be algorithms that I don't exactly how they work. But yes my fingers do the memorising

As I don't know how to solve a cube, I can't ask any technical question, so...

What's your opinion about the trope of someone solving a Rubik's cube as a show of mental prowess?

(I'm thinking kinda like Will Smith in The Search of Happiness)

I think it is stereotyped as something only smart people can do which isn't entirely true. Anyone canon I t if they put their mind to it.

Hi. I feel what you do is awesome! Has working with Rubiks cube helped in your maths ability?

I naturally enjoy maths but I don't feel that is the most prevalent ability in being able to solve the Rubik's Cube. I feel like it more so involves spatial awareness. But to answer your question I don't think it has directly improved my maths ability but has helped to keep me mentally sharp.

Have you seen the video of the guy solving three cubes while juggling them? Is that as insanely impossible as it seems?

It is possible and amazing. I can hardly juggle so huge props to him.

Do you have big sponsors behind you?...like Tag Heuer or something?

No not really. Just some small cube retailing companies.

With a brain like yours which can actually solve a rubix cube in such a short time...have you ever concidered that you would make a successful businessman with that brainpower?

I don't think it requires a load of smarts to solve one. Anyone can do it if they purest their mind to it. Honestly.

I have been trying to 'do the cube' ever since it was released in the early 80's. okay, on and off...off mostly but I take one on holiday etc. and I've never done it, got close - about 4 bits in the wrong place.

My question is: I consider it cheating to 'learn from example' and want to crack it myself without any help. Is this a stupid idea?

I wouldn't call it stupid so long as you have a basic understanding of what you are trying to do and how you are doing it. In case you are wondering side by side is not the correct way.

How old were you when you first solved the 3x3?

Very young... Around 9.

Is the world record time a complete luck out on starting layout?

Not necessarily. It was lucky but Lucas (the world record holder) is a great cuber. Also in competition everyone gets the same scramble so everyone could have theoretically done the same thing as he did.

I teach programming courses to high school robotics students and always thought building a rubics cube solving robot would be a fun project for them, as an expert solver do you think this is feasible? I assume since its all algorithm based that could be coded into a computer, no?

Yes. The easiest way to do this would be to have a scanner that finds the optimal solution (20 moves or less) and have it perform those moves. The world record for a robot is around 1.4 seconds IIRC

Most people are asking speed cubing and solving in general but have you done any cube modifications of your own? Not just sanding the inside or using lubricant but turning a regular 3x3 cube into 3x4 or fischer's cube (I think that was one of them) or anything else?

I really want to make a 5x5 barrel but am a little busy at the moment but I would love to get into puzzle modding.

I used to be a sub-30 (not sure if I am anymore). I use 2-look OLL instead of the full OLL.

Assuming that this thread has encouraged me to pick it up again and try improving my time, are there any resources that you use to help drilling crosses and F2Ls? Like some software that tracks your progress or a metronome of some sort.

Thanks!

Just cstimer.net is a timer great for timing your solves and at that level is what I would recommend to you.

What kind of cube do you use? I used to have a really nice FangShi Shuang-Ren, but one of the center caps got lost, and it's.... It's just not the same, y'know?

I've kind of been out of the speedsolving community for a few years because all my friends got annoyed with all the clicking.

At the moment I'm using a WeiLong GTS but the Valk III just came out so if I get that...

For reference, after my FangShi broke, I went back to my ZhanChi. On account of me not really doing it as much more than a party trick anymore. :(

For a recommendation if you want to get back into it the MoYu AoLong v2 is a great cube. If you want something more recent try the WeiLong GTS or YueXiao.

Have you ever applied your skills somewhere besides rubiks cubes?

Not really. I don't think chess counts. Maybe finger dexterity developed from Rubik's cubing helped with cardistry but I'm not sure.

I learned with the Petrus method and have just started trying to use F2L now that i'm under 2 minutes. With F2L, I end up spending a bunch of time on each pair just figuring out where the next 2 peices i'm working with are. How do I minimize this? do I need to try and predict where they will end up while i'm working the previous pair? Do you always solve the pairs in the same order, or do you just grab the first corner you see with your cross color on it and solve that one?

Practice is the best way to improve. Trust me.

Personally I just do whatever pair I see first rather than in any particular order.

I haven't cubed in a long time. I learnt and got my time to about a minute but where do I go from here? Do I need new algorithms (just using the standard ones atm I think) or do I just practice till I'm faster

New algorithms may help but learning F2L will help even more. Your times will get worse for a bit and then drop really quickly

If you dont solve the cube for a few weeks,do you forget some algorithms? How long does it take you to get back to your best form?

I don't forget algorithms usually.

I took a year long break and it took me a week to get it back.

Do any top level speed cubers use Roux? I've been using it since it seemed more fun than the layer by layer method, but I can't get much below a minute.

Alexander Lau is sub 9 with it and Vincent Wong is very fast aswell.

How do you feel about Rubiks Magick?

I feel it shouldn't be a wca event as it has the same solution each time which sort of goes against the idea of the WCA. Apart from that I think it's a pretty cool puzzle though.

Speedcuber in training here:

What cube do you use? Have you tried out the Gans Air?

What do you use for G perms? I find Badmephisto's algs pretty complicated and hard to memorize. Also related to G perms, what's your method for identifying which is which? I'm also having trouble with that.

Thanks for doing this AMA!

I have tried the Gans Air. Not a huge fan. I use a WeiLong GTS.

I use badmephistos algs and I recognise them like this.

All headlight son left

-Ga bar on front

-Gb bar on right back

-Gc bar on back

-Gd bar on right front.

Good luck in your cubing adventures!

What's your favourite Cube?

What gave you the idea to do this?

If you see somebody pulling of the colour stickers and putting them back on the cube to pretend that he/she solved it, what do you think/say?

Would you want to create your own variation of the Rubik's Cube?

Have you tried out the 4D Online Rubik's Cube?

My favourite cube is my WeiLong GTS

I saw fast people doing it online.

I mentally face palm each and every time.

Yes. I want to get into puzzle modding.

Not yet but I would like to.

Would you recommend learning all the OLL's first, or PLL's?

PLLs first then OLLS assuming you already know 4 look last layer.

Ok so, WHY are you a Rubik's Cube Speedsolver?

I don't know really. I am very obsessive. Before this it was chess then cardistry and back to this. I love the challenge to get faster and the community.

What got your interest in doing this? Do you do speed competitions for anything else?

I saw videos of people doing it really fast and thought I should learn!

I have competed in chess tournaments if that counts.

Is there one algorithm that if repeated can solve the 3X3 cube? If so plz share unless that's your secret.

Unfortunately not. If that were the case anyone could solve it.

Well technically there is but you would need to do it ~43,000,000,000,000,000,000 times.

technically yes, it's called the devil's algorithm and is several millions upon millions of moves long, no human would ever be able to execute it in 1000 lifetimes

Hey Stewy! Looks like we may have leaked again. xD

Any tips on getting the cross fast? It's like my worst part and I take like 4-5 seconds to do it.

Practice seeing your whole cross and doing it blindfolded. Also if you aren't already do it on the bottom. I used to suck at cross too but I just drilled solves and it got better.

why?

Because I saw people do it really quickly and wanted to do the same.

One of my really really good friends is a speed solver and my dad was one too. My question is how did you start?

Got a cube for my birthday after seeing fast people it and thought I wanted to do the same

Why?

This seems like a totally useless skill. I can solve the cube for less than a minute and I do this as a kind of stress relief. I can't imagine what would solving it in 12 seconds bring.

It's a weird feeling breaking your PB. But it's one of the best feelings. You go out to compete against yourself and you get a great sense of self achievement when you do succeed.

I can solve around 10 different variants of the rubiks cube, up to the 8x8x8 (because the higher ones are expensive as hell lol) but I can never up my speed. It takes me about a minute to solve the regular cube at my fastest and im considerably slow at completing the other cubes. Any tips on upping my speed?

Learn F2L and 4LLL and practice 3x3 ONLY! Your times should slowly decrease.

At what age did you lose your virginity and how much did it cost?

tree fiddy