IAmA Rubik's Cube Speedsolver, AMA

Do you think you could apply these skills to anything else in life or does it strictly only help with the cube?

well, i feel like the cube can help with a lot of things. There are 78 unique algorithms that you would need to memorise so, it could help with memore, also reflexes because if you see a case that you need to do (for oll or pll) you have to recognise it almost immediately and then do the algorithm. probably doesent make sense because i am tired but if you need any further inforation i will respond

What got you into cubing?

It was actually a video of a first grader and his dad showing stuff about cubing and I decided to whip out my old rubiks brand and learn it

Would you recommend me watching a random dude solve and take up cubing?

well not entirely. This video basically showed me that literally any age of like above 4 can solve the cube and it made me think that it shouldnt be too hard

Would you recommend a go?

im not too sure what you mean but here is the video that i saw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tevt4GO4498

Have you ever tried tasting or licking the cube?

tried it now just for you and certainly tastes like plastic

Can you do it blindfolded if you saw the initial start position?

I cannot do it blindfolded but there are a large amount of people who can do it blindfolded. i dont know what kind of magical skills these people have but they are some wizards.

What’s the best way to learn how to solve the cube consistently?

first i would start with the beginners method, it really just teaches you the basics of solving the cube. getting the first side, than getting the second layer and finishing the last layer. than you can start learning cfop, its basically like the beginners method except you solve the first two layers at the same time and head straight to the last layer (with some more algorithms for it) even at beginners, if you know all the algorithms you can solve it consistently.

When you first pick up the cube, do you do the whole, "look at the cube and flip it around several times to plan it out, then begin" method or do you "solve as you go"?

i only inspect on how i can make the cross and then i go from there

How are you doing?

was bad but this post is getting a lot of attention and now im just tired from sitting here lol

Glad you're feeling a little better!

Thanks dude. Hope you're feeling good

How many girls does that get you?

im pretty sure this gives me the same chance of getting girls as solvnig the cube by randomly turning it

I mean, I'm into it. Not gonna lie, if I were single and someone told me that, I'd be impressed.

Hold on you a girl. If you are, did you know I can solve a Rubik's cube 😎😎😎🆒😎

I know how to solve the cube as well but it takes me about a minute. Not too sure how people can solve it in like 6 seconds on youtube? Those videos are fake?

Also, how many methods of solving a cube are there? I'm not sure which method i know. I do it by layers going up after doing the cross pattern at the beginning. Which method do I know?

you either know beginners or cfop. they both are firly simmilar so i am not too sure

I have never understood how people practice these without having somebody else randomly mix the cube up. I see other people who start with the cube solved and then just memorize a pattern of moves and call it solved. I may be missing something, but how do you practice solving cubes? When you attempt a world record, does the cube have to be mixed up by somebody else aside from you?

world records are only official at competitions where other people solve it for you but for practicing, usually you use computer generated scrambles that tell you how to move it to scramble it. most of the times its faster to solve it witha method than reversing the scramble so thats how we practice

When it came to memorizing the algorithms did you memorize them in the order they are listed on the ruwix website or did you just solve the first two layers then memorize the required algorithms to solve it? Also did you memorize as exploded:

(R U R' U) R' F R F' U2 R' F R F'

or

Sexy Move R' F R F' U2 R' F R F'?

It's relevant to me because I'm at the point where the only way to improve my solving time is with the memorization of all of those.

i actually use the cubeskills website. it has video tutorials to help as well

A lot of people don’t know how Rubik’s cubes work. But there’s actually really simple directions to completing one guaranteed every time. I used to actually complete Rubik’s cubes for fun a janitor who didn’t speak any English taught me how to do it. It’s just a process of remembering the turns needed to get the cube you want to change after you get one side down. So I guess my question is where did you learn your technique from? And is it as simple speed running it as it is to complete it just faster or are the steps taken different?

i found my technique from some youtube channel i do not remember the name of. But my method is a mit different than normal. i use different algorithms than the basic method to make my solves a bit faster

Why do you do this?

why shouldnt i aha

what kind of vacuum do you own?

dyson

Could you link/explain a good start for someone starting off?

first i would recommend the beginners method becauseit basically teaches you the basics to start learning the more advanced method, cfop

Can you also solve a 4x4 , 5x5 cube? If yes, what's your time record ?

i have never tried a 4x4 cube but i have solved a 5x5 cube around 50 times. I never timed it because i dont feel like i want to learn it too much cause it get really boring cause throughtout aroudn 3/4 of the solve you only need 2 algorithms and than you use 3x3 algorithms. to solve it you basically solve a center in the 3x3 part of the cube and than make all of the edge peices solved and after than you use the edges as 3x3 edges, the large center as a 3x3 center and the remaining cornes as 3x3 corners. than you just solve everything like a 3x3.

How do you like your eggs?

with the peel of course

How many hours did you put into learning and practicing? Be honest, was it worth it?

i have no idea. probably like 10-15 hours and hell yeah its worth it. every solve is just as satisfying as the other, especially when you get a really good time

I am a barely active cuber who hasn't done much in the last few years... I'm pretty out of the loop. My PB is about 30sec.

What cube would you suggest nowadays for my needs?

i would really suggest the Gan 356 air sm or the Valk 3 M both are really good

How long did it take you to get to 30-second speed, and then past that? Also what kind of practice time were you putting in?

Well, about two weeks ago I got my 29-second record. Before that my personal best was 41 seconds. the 4 second record took about 2 months and the 29 second record took about 3 months. I was mostly practicing on and off with about 1 hour a day.

How you solve da cube?

i would recommend learning the beginners method

I have 0 professional training and am constantly under 80 second but I can't beat 70. Any tips?

try to learn some new methods like 2 look cfop. i learned it when i was at 1 minute an a half. really helped me

heard that the limiting factor in cube solving is your brain thinking fast enough and not your hands moving

agree?

its a bit of both. Your hands move as fast as you think so as long as you can think fast you can move the cube fast. somtimes you dont even need to think if you know what to do from the beginning

What other Rubik’s-like puzzles (other than cubes of varying sizes) are you into solving? As a past speed-cuber myself I enjoyed the challenge of the square-1 for a bit of a fun challenge.

im mostly into 3x3 but i solve the 2x2, 5x5, megamins, pyraminx and skewb. i have been wanting to get a square-1 though. it seems really interesting.

Have you ever tried using the Roux method? I highly recommend it.

i want to learn it but all this block building stuff really makes my mind hurt lmao ill try it out someday though

So I have a six year old that is determined to become a cuber. Any tips or sites you recommend? It’s funny hearing my son talk about algorithms.

well if he doesent know 2 look cfop i would recommend that, than he should learn normal cfop. after he should just practice. Best thing that could help though is if you also cubed with him, would be cool for him to be determined of osomething and have his dad/mom help him lol

Is there a easier way to learn CFOP? (Btw I use beginners method with other Algorithms)

there is actually an easier way yo learn cfop. for the oll and pll's, you can cut it down to i think 7 algorithms but it wont be as fast as learning all of them. its called 2 look pll and 2 look oll.

Why is this your favorite song?

Never heard it

What's your opinion on the kid that solved 3 rubik's cubes while juggling them?

Video for ref: https://youtu.be/h6Qbwz0Uik8

Someone else asked this exact same question and I don’t think that this guys is real

How often do you show off your cube skills, or how often do you get asked to?

i've actually only done it once cause i feel like this is a nerdy hobby lol

Do you have any intention of learning a more exotic method than CFOP? I tried learning all the all the algorithms but lost steam amidst the endless OLLs

I’ll probably learn roux instead of cfop because I’m not even done learning all those olls and I think I’ll die before I learn all of them

At what point did it click with you that you had a talent?

i never thought this was really a talent but when i showed my friends that i can solve it they were fairly impressed so i guess thats when i felt like it was pretty cool

How long do you think it’ll take for someone to solve a cube by just randomly moving the pieces around?

itll be nearly impossible. its basically scrambling the cube even further. i would say theres just as a big chance as how many scrambles there are so, 1/5 quintillion (i think) but this is probably wrong

My son is 5 ... start him off with the OG cube?

Well any cube for a 5 year old would not be too bad. i started off with the OG and after i learned i chipped ina . few bucks to buy myself a nicer cube, turns out that that cube was shit (dont buy cubes off amazon) but anyway, just wait until he wants to buy a better cube to get him one

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its basically these sets of moves that do all the work for me. all i need to do is remember stuff lol.