How Speedcubers Solve Cube In Seconds?

In the beginning phases of learning to solve cube, everyone is slow.  So, let us see how Speedcubers solve cubes in seconds. It's easy. Determination and hard work is the solution. Like it happened to me, I got an OLL and PLL skip and 3 easy Four-Mover F2L cases, because of which I thought it was very easy and when I was trying to solve it again, I thought why doesn’t the method work! When I really learnt OLLs and PLLs I understood why it doesn’t work all the time, The reason was you don’t always get OLL/PLL

It might seem easy to solve if you get a lucky scramble which gives you F2L pairs skip and OLL/PLL skip.

Cubing has many algorithms and many methods that can help you get faster; and practice alone can tell you what is your best one. Some of the main methods are “Roux, CFOP, ZZ, Petrus, etc.,” with lookahead. If you are wondering what these words are, just stay on and continue reading.

Zemdegs holds numerous cubing records, but he is best known as the most consistently swift solver of the 3 by 3: the canonical three-layered, Mondrian-colored cube. (The toy you're probably picturing is just one of many mechanical riddles belonging to the genus of so-called twisty puzzles.) Last month, at a speedcubing competition in Brisbane, he set a new world record of 5.69 seconds in the Average of 5 event, wherein contestants each solve five cubes that have been scrambled according to computer-generated instructions. When they're finished, competitors eliminate their fastest and slowest times and calculate the mean of the remaining three. Zemdegs’ 5.69-second average was an 0.11-second improvement over his previous best avg, which was also a world record. He says “Since 2010, I’ve broken the Average-of-5 record probably 10 times”

Now let’s walk through the different methods:

Petrus method:

The Petrus Method, invented by Lars Petrus, is a block building method where F2L is solved intuitively with no algorithms at all, And I used to use it once for FMC but then I learned the NISS method which was better so I use that now. It used to be the second most popular speedcubing method behind the Fridrich/CFOP; however since the rise of the "Big Three" (CFOP, Roux and ZZ), is losing on popularity. Petrus-like Blockbuilding is sometimes partially used in CFOP solves for creating an X-Cross.

Purpose

• Fewest moves count
• One- handed solving
• Feet solving

Petrus method steps:

• Step 1 - Build a 2x2x2 corner
• Step 2 - Expand it to 2x2x3 block
• Step 3 – Fix the edges 
• Step 4 - Finish 2 layers  
• Step 5 - Position the corners  
• Step 6 – orient the corners  
• Step 7 – permute the edges

You solved it!

Scrambled cube -> 2x2x2 Block -> 2x2x3 Block -> EO Petrus -> Petrus F2L -> LL+EO:CP -> LL+EO+CP:CO -> EPLL -> Solved cube

1. Build a 2x2x2 block anywhere on the cube.
2. Expand the 2x2x2 block to a 2x2x3 block; three ways are possible for each initial 2x2x2 block placement.
3. Orient the remaining seven "bad" edges on the cube that have not been solved yet.
4. Finish the First Two Layers by only turning two sides. The original Petrus approach is to create a 1x2x2 block and expand it to a 1x2x3 block to finish off the F2L, although a the more CFOP-like, but also less efficient approach of placing the cross edge and solving to corner-edge pairs can be used as well. The Last Layer edges will orientate themselves automatically.
5. Solve the Last Layer using any LL method. Because the edges are already oriented, some advanced cube solvers can make use of algorithms such as  ZBLL. However, other approaches like OCLL+PLL and COLL+EPLL are also possible.

CFOP:

The CFOP method (Cross – First 2 Layers – Orienting Last Layer – Permuting Last Layer), sometimes known as the Fridrich method, is one of the most commonly used methods in speedsolving a 3×3×3 Cube. This method was first developed in the early 1980s combining innovations by a number of speedcubers.

The method works on a layer-by-layer system, first solving a cross typically on the bottom, continuing to solve the first two layers (F2L), orienting the last layer (OLL), and finally permuting the last layer (PLL).

The major innovation of CFOP over beginner methods is use of F2L, which solves the first two layers simultaneously

The Cross 

This first stage involves solving the four edge pieces in one outer layer of the puzzle, centering around a commonly coloured center piece. Many speedcubers usually solve the cross on the bottom side to avoid cube rotations and to get an overall better view of the important pieces needed for the next step.

First Two Layers (F2L) 

In F2L, corner and edge pieces are paired up and later moved to their correct location. There are 42 standard cases for each corner-edge pair including the case where it is already solved. It can also be done intuitively.

Orientation of the Last Layer (OLL) 

This stage involves manipulating the top layer so that all the pieces therein have the same colour on top, while leaving the sides of these pieces incorrect. This stage involves a total of 57 algorithms. A simpler version, called "two-look OLL" orients edges first and corners afterwards. Algorithms are performed twice for this version. It uses ten algorithms, three for edge orientation and seven for corner orientation.

Permutation of the Last Layer (PLL) 

The final stage involves moving the pieces of the top layer while preserving their orientation. There are a total of 21 algorithms for this stage. They are distinguished by letter names, sometimes based on what they look like with arrows representing what pieces are swapped around (e.g., A permutation, F permutation, T permutation, etc.). "Two-look" PLL solves the corners first and edges separately. It uses six algorithms, two for corner permutation and up to four for edge permutation. Also, a U-perm can be repeated if the user wishes to use even fewer algorithms at the expense of usually faster solve times.

There also exist many advanced extension algorithm sets to be used alongside CFOP, such as COLL, Winter Variation, VLS, ZBLL, and more. However, it is not necessary to learn them in order to solve the cube or to use the CFOP method. I use CFOP because after most of the algorithms, you get back to home grip.

F2L is a crucial step to speedsolving as this is where the majority of time gains are realized.   The reduced solving time can be attributed to having a view of the top side of the Rubik’s cube, planning the next step ahead in time, and improved cubing techniques that eliminate unnecessary rotations. There are 41 possible variations for the corner edge positions, which can be solved intuitively without the need for algorithms. This method is great for SpeedSolving for beginners, But you can try different methods too!

Roux:

Roux is a speedsolving method discovered by Gilles Roux in 2003. The word is pronounced as “Roo”, as “x” is silent. This method uses the “block building” and “corners first” strategies. It features a low number of movements, reduced hand rotations, and is suitable for one-handed solving and it has some M moves too (M Means Middle Layer Moves)

Steps

1. Build a 1x2x3 Block anywhere on the cube.
2. Build a second 1x2x3 block opposite of the first 1x2x3 block, without disrupting the first 1x2x3 block. After this step, there should be two 1x2x3 blocks: one on the lower left side, and one on the lower right side, leaving the U slice and M slice free to move.

Steps 1 and 2 are referred to as the First Two Blocks (Extension)

3. Simultaneously orient and permute the remaining four corners on the top layer (U-slice). If performed in one step, there are 42 algorithms. This set of algorithms is commonly referred to as CMLL. It is also possible to use COLL and some other CLL algorithm sets. However, these sets aren't as efficient as CMLL because they preserve pieces which CMLL does not. The remaining four corners can also be solved in two steps, which requires fewer algorithms.

4a. Orient the 6 remaining edges using only M and U moves (UF, UB, UL, UR, DF, DB need to be oriented correctly).

4b. Solve the UL and UR edges, preserving edge orientation. After this step, both the left and right side layers should be complete.

4c. Solve the centers and edges in the M slice. This step is sometimes also called L4E or L4EP. see Last Six Edges.

Steps 3 and 4 are referred to as the Last 10 Pieces.  You start by solving a 1x2x3 block on either the left or the right side, followed by an identical block on the opposite side. Thereafter you permute and orient all remaining last layer corners using CMLL. From here, only M and U-turns are made. The next step consists of orienting all remaining "bad edges". After orienting the "bad edges" you solve the two edges simultaneously which belong above the 1x2x3 blocks. The final and shortest step is permuting the final 4 edges.

I don’t use roux because my small fingers are bad at middle moves (Maybe I can use it after I grow up)😁

ZZ method

The ZZ method (short for "Zbigniew Zborowski") is a modern speedcubing method originally proposed by Zbigniew Zborowski in 2006. The method was designed specifically to achieve high turning speed by focusing on move ergonomics, and is the combination of a block-building method and a layer-by-layer method. The initial pre-planned step is called EOLine, and is the most distinctive hallmark of the ZZ method. It involves orienting all edges while placing two oppositely placed down-face edges aligned with the correspondingly colored center. The next step solves the remaining first two layers using only left, right, top and bottom face turns, one of the advantages of ZZ. On completion of the first two layers, the last layer's edges are all correctly oriented because of edge pre-orientation during EOLine (Edge Orientation Line).

The last layer may be completed using a number of techniques including those used in the CFOP method. An expert variant of this method, ZBLL (Zborowski-Bruchem Last Layer) allows the last layer to be completed in a single step with an average of just over 12 moves, but requires the knowledge of at least 493 algorithms. Due to the ergonomics of ZZ you will never need to rotate when solving, unlike in the CFOP method. The ZZ method has fewer moves than CFOP, with ZZ averaging 45-55 compared to CFOP's 55-60 moves. However, EOLine is difficult, with only two edges solved (the front and back bottom edges), which can hinder lookahead and TPS, making ZZ much slower than CFOP.  What I have put in here is just a sneak peek to the resources available.

Many of the speedcubers choose CFOP method, as when you finish an algorithm, you come back to the home grip position. But, when beginners try CFOP, they get 45 seconds average time as they may not be familiar with the different tricks one gets to learn by practice.

The key to getting to the top  is hard work, which will  improve  intuitive and muscle skills. 

If you want to learn them, Here are my suggested video links:

👇

All These Video Links Are Of J Perms Videos.  I don’t own any of these videos

Make sure to read the description if you want a PDF of all those algorithms.

1. OLL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU6HsK3hvQs
2. PLL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvqGU0UZPcE&t=0s
3. Finger Tricks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLuVF9Dk3AQ
4. F2L - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKRtFQmnKfs
5. Cross within 8 moves - https://youtu.be/F4ju-U9OhdA 
6. Advanced F2L tricks - https://youtu.be/VwgrdvmnZJM 
7. If you want to know how algorithm works - https://youtu.be/_Zv3YcQeNVI 

After practising the tips in these videos, it will help you to get at least sub 20 seconds.

But If you want to improve further, below are some additional tips

1. Learn better finger tricks for OLL or PLL
2. Learn advanced algorithms (Mainly for F2L)
3. Practice Lookahead for F2L and OLL to PLL transition

There are some tricks to improve too!

(Some tricks I use) Like combining OLL and PLL Or Something like solving cross and 1 pair Or Some more pairs together within 10 moves or less.

And also you can just be goin crazy with algs by doing t perm with small r (Moving middle layer with R movement) and finding A perm new algorithm

You can invent new algorithms by insertion and preservation

My experience with speedcubing began when I first solved it without my knowledge of what method I followed or understood. I left the solved cube untouched for several days in its solved state. My dad messed with it and I ended up crying the whole day at the mess of colours. That was the beginning of my speedcubing journey. Then I figured out some methods and learned to solve them! I have been enjoying every part of my learning so far. And I believe with speedcubing the learning never ends. Proud to be a speedcuber.

To conclude, I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and it was useful in understanding what it takes for speedcubers to solve cubes in seconds!

Happy learning and master cubing!