Anyone Speedcube? Rubik's Cube Solving & Blindfolding

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the experiences and techniques of solving the Rubik's Cube, both competitively and casually. Participants share their solving times, methods, and reflections on the evolution of solving techniques over time, including blindfolded solving.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions an average solving time of 25 seconds and aims to reach sub-20 seconds by the end of July, expressing interest in competitive participation.
  • Another participant reflects on past experiences solving the cube without published methods, acknowledging the difficulty of deriving algorithms independently.
  • Some participants express respect for those who solved the cube before the availability of well-explained methods, noting the challenges faced at that time.
  • A participant shares a personal best of 21 seconds, indicating a lack of interest in competitive cubing despite the potential for improvement through learning algorithms.
  • Discussion includes mention of the Fridrich/CFOP method, with one participant using an intuitive approach for the first two layers and a two-look method for the last layer.
  • Another participant humorously notes having an unfinished cube on their desk for three years.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share their personal experiences and methods without reaching a consensus on the best approach or techniques for solving the Rubik's Cube. Multiple viewpoints on the evolution of solving methods and personal motivations for cubing are present.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reflect on the historical context of solving the Rubik's Cube, highlighting the lack of resources available in the past compared to the present abundance of methods and algorithms.

Anonymous217
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I'm just wondering if anyone on the PF ever solves the Rubik's cube competitively or with a relatively fast time. I'm currently at a 25 second average and once I get to sub 20 by the end of July, I'll join some competitions for fun. I'm also trying to solve the Rubik's cube blindfolded, but it takes me about 4 and a half minutes on average (when it's not a DNF, of course). It's really not that hard to improve your times by the way in case you're interested. I solved the 3x3 in around 2 minutes last month and I've been improving ever since.
 
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There was a time when the cubes were on bar-counters and cafe tables all over the place. I drank a lot of free beers betting people that I could solve a cube in under 2 minutes, but I never worked at it long enough to do it reliably in under a minute.
 
I really respect people who could solve the Rubik's cube back then since there were no published methods or much help for people to learn how to solve it. I doubt I could solve the Rubik's cube without already knowing all the algorithms needed and trying to make my own. It was remarkable just it solving back then, but now there's a plethora of different methods, most explained very well so that literally anyone can solve it.
 
Anonymous217 said:
I really respect people who could solve the Rubik's cube back then since there were no published methods or much help for people to learn how to solve it. I doubt I could solve the Rubik's cube without already knowing all the algorithms needed and trying to make my own. It was remarkable just it solving back then, but now there's a plethora of different methods, most explained very well so that literally anyone can solve it.
It was pretty gnarly when the cubes first came out, but if you were persistent, you could derive some rules. I used to like starting with a solved cube, and figure out how to get a corner or edge piece moved to a different location with X orientation. That got me going, though extrapolating to series of moves that change a lot of stuff simultaneously was an uphill slog.
 
I can solve the Rubik's cube fairly quickly. It usually takes me something like 30 seconds, my fastest time is 21 seconds and a bit. I could improve my times a lot by learning all the algorithms for the last layer, but I don't really consider it worth the effort as I have no interest in cubing competitively.
 
Do you use the Fridrich/CFOP method?
 
Yeah, I use the intuitive Fridrich method for the first two layers and a two-look approach for the last layer.
 
I have a 3 year old cube that's sitting on my desk and still unfinished.
 

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