Speedcubing (also known as Speedsolving, or just Cubing) is a sport involving solving a variety of twisty puzzles, the most famous being the 3x3x3 puzzle or Rubik's Cube, as quickly as possible. For most puzzles, solving entails performing a series of moves that alters a scrambled puzzle into a state in which every face of the puzzle is a single, solid color. Some puzzles have different requirements to be considered solved, such as the Clock, for which all the dials must be moved into the 12 'o clock position.[1] The standard puzzle sizes are 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4, 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 and the different variations, 3x3x3 one handed, 3x3x3 blindfolded, 4x4x4 blindfolded and 5x5x5 blindfolded. There are also different shapes of the famous puzzles, including Pyraminx, Megaminx, Skewb and Square-1. An individual who competes in speedcubing is known as a speedcuber.
The Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian professor of architecture, Ernő Rubik (Born 13th July 1944) Later, Ernő Rubik partnered with Ideal Toy company to widespread the international interest in the cube which began in 1979, which soon developed into a global craze.[2] On June 5, 1982, the first world championship was held in Budapest, Hungary. 19 people competed in the event and the American Minh Thai won with a single solve time of 22.95 seconds and was considered as the First World Record of the Rubik's Cube. Other notable attendees include Jessica Fridrich and Lars Petrus, two people who would later be influential in the development of solving methods and the speedcubing community.[3][circular reference] The height of the Rubik's Cube craze began to fade away after 1983,[4] but with the advent of the Internet, sites relating to speedcubing began to surface. Simultaneously spreading effective speedsolving methods and teaching people new to the cube to solve it for the first time, these sites brought in a new generation of cubers, created a growing international online community, and raised the profile of the art.
People prominent in this online community, such as Ron van Bruchem, Tyson Mao, Chris Hardwick, and Ton Dennenbroek, eventually wanted to meet in person and compete. So twenty years after the first world championship, they orchestrated a second championship in Toronto in 2003 and another smaller competition in the Netherlands later that same year. This revival of competition sparked a new wave of organized speedcubing events, which include regular national and international competitions.[5] There were twelve competitions in 2004, 58 more from 2005 to 2006, over 100 in 2008, and over 1150 in 2018. Since Budapest's 1982 competition, there have been nine further World Championships traditionally held every other year, the most recent in Melbourne, Australia. This new wave of speedcubing competitions have been and still are organised by the World Cube Association (WCA), founded by Ron van Bruchem and Tyson Mao.
Since the rise of speedcubing in popularity, numerous businesses such as Qiyi, Yuxin, Moyu, Gan etc. have opened up, specialising in either the making or selling of speedcubes. Now, Rubik's is no longer the only company making cubes. There are now dozens of companies making their own cubes, with improved technology to allow faster solving[6]. This has helped to launch speedcubing onto the global scene, not only as a sport and hobby, but a worldwide business.
The standard 3x3x3 can be solved using a number of methods, not all of which are intended for speedcubing. Although some methods (such as CFOP) employ a layer-by-layer system and algorithms, other significant (though less widely used) methods include corners-first methods and the Roux method. CFOP, Roux, ZZ are considered as the "Big 3" methods, as they are the most popular and can be used to achieve faster times than the others. The "big 3" used to be a "big 4" with the Petrus method as well, but, due to low popularity of people using this method, it had to be taken out from the "big 3". The CFOP method is used by most speedcubers.
The CFOP' (Abbreviation for Cross – F2L – OLL – PLL) method, also known as the Fridrich method, was named after one of its inventors, Jessica Fridrich, who finished second in the 2003 Rubik's Cube World Championships. While it is known as the Fridrich method, its origins are actually credited to David Singmaster, who was one of the first to publish a layer by layer method of solving in 1980,[7] and Guus Razoux Schultz, who built upon this and developed a more efficient system for the first two layers (F2L).[8] Jessica Fridrich then finished developing the method and published it online in 1997,[9] an event that was very influential in the revival of competitive speedcubing. The first step of the method is to solve a cross-shaped arrangement of edge pieces on the first layer. The remainder of the first layer and all of the second layer are then solved together in what are referred to as "corner-edge pairs", or slots. Finally, the last layer is solved in two steps — first, all of the pieces in the layer are oriented to form a solid color (but without the individual pieces always being in their correct places on the cube). This step is referred to as orientation and is usually performed with a single set of algorithms known as OLL (Orientation of Last Layer). Then, all of those pieces are permuted to their correct spots. This is also usually performed as a single set of algorithms known as PLL (Permutation of Last Layer). OLL and PLL uses 57 algorithms and 21 algorithms, respectively.
The CFOP method can be used as a less advanced method by dividing the steps into more steps, reducing the number of algorithms you need to learn but sacrificing time. Most people start learning CFOP with 4LLL (Four-Look Last Layer), which is the less advanced, slower, and algorithm-reducing way to learn CFOP. The 4 steps are divided into Edge Orientation, Corner Orientation, Corner Permutation, and Edge Permutation (can be called as EO, CO, CP and EP). Later on you can learn full OLL which has 57 Algorithms, and full PLL, which has 21 Algorithms. An average CFOP solve with Full OLL and PLL along with an efficient cross (which takes 8 moves at maximum) and efficient F2L (takes almost 30 moves) consists of 55-60 moves, which means that it has a higher move count than Roux and ZZ. However, Finger tricks and Algorithms are more researched with CFOP than any other method which explains why the majority of the fastest speedcubers use CFOP as their main speedcubing method.
The CFOP method is the most widely used speedcubing method. It is a more efficient version of the Layer-By-Layer beginner's method. It is very popular due to the vast amount of resources that teach and improve upon the CFOP method. Many advanced speedcubers such as two-time Former World Champion Feliks Zemdegs and former world record holder and champinon Max Park have also learned additional sets of algorithms for the last slot and layer, such as Corners of Last Layer (COLL), which orients and permutes the corners when the edges are oriented, or Winter Variation (WV), which finishes OLL while inserting the last pair and ZBLL, which combines the solving process of OLL and PLL in only 1 Algorithm.
The Roux method was invented by French speedcuber Gilles Roux. The first step of the Roux method is to form a 3×2×1 block usually placed in the lower portion of the left layer. The second step is to create another 3×2×1 on the opposite side, such that each block is sharing a bottom color. The remaining four corners are then solved using a set of algorithms known as CMLL (Corners of the Last Layer, without regard to the M-slice), which leaves six edges and four centers that are solved in the last step, L6E or LSE (Last Six Edges).
This method is not as dependent on algorithm memorization as the CFOP method since all but the third step is done with intuition as opposed to predefined sets of algorithms. Because of the frequent use of M moves, the Roux method can be performed without any rotations (unlike the CFOP method) which means it is easier to look ahead (solving a collection of pieces while at the same time looking for the solution to the next step) while solving. It is also considered one of the most efficient speedsolving methods with its average move count being in between 45 and 50 moves for experienced solvers. However, the Roux method of speedcubing has been criticized over the years because, unlike CFOP, ZZ or Petrus, Roux requires M (middle) slices to solve the LSE. Using M slice moves makes it harder to achieve higher TPS (turns per second) because the fingertricks are almost always flicks which can explain why Roux is slower than CFOP, but with enough practice you can get high TPS.
One of the users of this method, Kian Mansour, had broken the one-handed (OH) world-record average with the time of 9.54 seconds.[10] Sean Patrick Villanueva is the first Roux user to achieve a Sub-6 average of five in competition, and is ranked third in the world by 3x3 average. He also podiumed in 3x3 at Worlds 2019 (2nd Place).
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. 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.[11] 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[12]. 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.
Corners-first methods involve solving the corners then finishing the edges with slice turns. Corners-first solutions were common in the 1980s, and was one of the most popular methods that 1982 world champion Minh Thai used. Currently corners-first solutions are rarely used among speedsolvers. Dutch cuber Marc Waterman created a corners-first method in the cube craze, and averaged 18 seconds in the mid-late 1980s.
It is very likely that Fewest Moves methods were first experimented in the 1980s, and over the years, it became frequently used in competitions. It was used first in the World Rubik's Games Championship 2003, with Mirek Goljan setting the first world record of 29 moves. In 2019, Italian speedcuber Sebastiano Tronto broke the 3x3x3 FMC world record with just 16 moves, which is the current world record. This record was caused by the surge in popularity of the Domino Reduction method in 2019. Other methods that are frequently used in FMC are ELL (Edges of the Last Layer), LLEF (Last Layer Edges First), L3C (Last 3 Corners), and L4C (Last 4 Corners). Many speedcubers also use methods like Petrus, Roux, and CFOP for FMC.
In 2003, when the first blindfolded competitions occurred, world record solvers would use the 3OP (3-Cycle Orientation Permutation) Method. It was a method that orients and then permutes pieces using 3 cycles. As of 2020, methods such as 3-Style and M2 are the among the fastest and most popular blind solving methods. The Old Pochmann Method, which is a method that solves one piece at a time, is a common beginner method. Blindfolded solvers often use letter patterns to help them track which pieces they have solved. Another common method used is the Orozco Method, which is a simpler version of 3-Style, but much faster than the beginner Old Pochmann Method.
Since 2003, speedcubing competitions have been held regularly. The World Cube Association (WCA) was formed in 2004 to govern all official competitions. For a competition to be official, it must be approved by the WCA and follow the WCA regulations. Included in the regulations is the necessity of having one or more WCA delegate in attendance. A delegate's main role is to ensure all regulations are followed during the competition. Once the competition has finished, the results are uploaded on to the WCA website.[1]
The majority of puzzle competitions are held using a trimmed mean of 5 format. This involves the competitor executing 5 solves in the round in question, after which the fastest and slowest solve are disregarded and the mean of the remaining 3 is used. The 6×6×6 and 7×7×7 events are ranked by straight mean of 3 — only three solves, none of which are disregarded. In 3×3×3 blindfolded and 3×3×3 fewest moves challenges, either straight mean of 3 or best of 3 is used, while 4×4×4 blindfolded, 5×5×5 blindfolded, and multiple blindfolded challenges are ranked using best of 1, 2 or 3, depending on the competition.
When a round begins, competitors hand in the puzzle they will use. Puzzles are scrambled using a computer-generated scramble. Each round, five, three or one (depending on the format, mentioned above) scrambles are used. Every competitor in the round will receive each scramble once. Before starting a solve, a competitor has up to 15 seconds to inspect the puzzle (inspection is removed for blindfolded events). This is monitored by a judge with a stopwatch. Once the solve is complete, the judge records the time on the competitor's scorecard and it is signed by both. If the puzzle is unsolved and the timer is stopped, the time is recorded as "DNF" (Did Not Finish). There are also numerous reasons why the solve can receive a two-second addition to the solve time, such as a face being more than 45 degrees off, or the competitor going over the allowed inspection time. A competitor can also receive an extra solve to replace the one just completed, for example having a timer malfunction or being deliberately distracted by another person.
The official timer used in competitions is the StackMat timer. This device has touch-sensitive pads that are triggered by the user lifting one or both of their hands to start the time and placing both their hands back on the pads after releasing the puzzle to stop the timer.
Official competitions are currently being held in several categories.
Category | Cube type |
---|---|
Speedsolving | 2×2×2, 3×3×3, 4×4×4, 5×5×5, 6×6×6, 7×7×7 |
Blindfolded solving | 3x3x3, 4x4x4, 5x5x5 |
Multiple blindfolded solving | 3x3x3 |
One-handed solving | 3x3x3 |
Solving in fewest moves | 3x3x3 |
Competitions will often include events for speedsolving these other puzzles, as well:
The WCA organizes the Rubik's Cube World Championship as the main international competition once every two years. The latest championship was held in Melbourne, Australia from 11 to 14 July, 2019.[13]
Championship | Year | Host | Date(s) | Nations | Puzzles | Events | Winner | Winning time(s) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | 1982 | Budapest | 5 June | 19 | 1 | 1 | Minh Thai | 22.95 | [14] |
II | 2003 | Toronto | 23–24 August | 15 | 9 | 13 | Dan Knights | 20.00 | [15] |
III | 2005 | Lake Buena Vista | 5–6 November | 16 | 9 | 15 | Jean Pons | 15.10 | [16] |
IV | 2007 | Budapest | 5–7 October | 28 | 10 | 17 | Yu Nakajima | 12.46 | [17] |
V | 2009 | Düsseldorf | 9–11 October | 32 | 12 | 19 | Breandan Vallance | 10.74 | [18] |
VI | 2011 | Bangkok | 14–16 October | 35 | 12 | 19 | Michał Pleskowicz | 8.65 | [19] |
VII | 2013 | Las Vegas | 26–28 July | 35 | 10 | 17 | Feliks Zemdegs | 8.18 | [20] |
VIII | 2015 | São Paulo | 17–19 July | 37 | 11 | 18 | Feliks Zemdegs | 7.56 | [21] |
IX | 2017 | Paris | 13–16 July | 64 | 11 | 18 | Max Park | 6.85 | [22] |
X | 2019 | Melbourne | 11–14 July | 52 | 11 | 18 | Philipp Weyer | 6.74 | [13] |
XI | 2021 | Almere | 22–25 July | TBD | 11 | 17 | TBD | TBD | [23] [24] |
The following are the official speedcubing world records approved by the WCA.[25]
Note: For averages of 5 solves, the best time and the worst time are dropped, and the mean of the remaining 3 solves is taken. When only 3 solves are done, the mean of all 3 is taken.
Event | Type | Result | Person | Competition (Date(s)) | Result Details (Min:Sec.100ths) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3×3×3 | Single | 3.47 | Yusheng Du | Wuhu Open 2018 (24–25 November) | — |
Average | 5.53 | Feliks Zemdegs | Odd Day in Sydney 2019 (10 November) | (7.16) / 5.04 / (4.67) / 6.55 / 4.99 | |
2×2×2 | Single | 0.49 | Maciej Czapiewski | Grudziądz Open 2016 (19–20 March) | — |
Average | 1.21 | Martin Vædele Egdal | Kjeller Open 2018 (20–21 October) | (1.06) / 1.09 / (1.64) / 1.47 / 1.07 | |
4×4×4 | Single | 17.42 | Sebastian Weyer | Danish Open 2019 (14–15 September) | — |
Average | 21.11 | Max Park | Bay Area Speedcubin' 21 2019 (1 December) | 21.01 / 22.00 / 20.31 / (19.28) / (24.79) | |
5×5×5 | Single | 34.92 | Max Park | Houston Winter 2020 (25 January) | — |
Average | 39.65 | Max Park | Western Championship 2019 (22–23 June) | 40.34 / (36.06) / (42.65) / 40.82 / 37.80 | |
6×6×6 | Single | 1:09.51 | Max Park | Houston Winter 2020 (25 January) | — |
Average | 1:15.90 | Max Park | Houston Winter 2020 (25 January) | 1:09.51 / 1:23.93 / 1:14.27 | |
7×7×7 | Single | 1:40.89 | Max Park | CubingUSA Nationals 2019 (1–4 August) | — |
Average | 1:46.57 | Max Park | Houston Winter 2020 (25 January) | 1:54.24 / 1:42.12 / 1:43.34 | |
3×3×3 Blindfolded | Single | 15.50 | Max Hilliard | CubingUSA Nationals 2019 (1–4 August) | — |
Average | 18.18 | Jeff Park | OU Winter 2019 (14 December) | 16.77 / 18.32 / 19.44 | |
3×3×3 Fewest Moves | Single | 16 | Sebastiano Tronto | FMC 2019 (15–16 June) | — |
Average | 21.00 | Cale Schoon | North Star Cubing Challenge 2020 (18–19 January) | 23 / 18 / 22 | |
3×3×3 One-handed | Single | 6.82 | Max Park | Bay Area Speedcubin' 20 2019 (12 October) | — |
Average | 9.42 | Max Park | Berkeley Summer 2018 (16 September) | 9.43 / (11.32) / 8.80 / (8.69) / 10.02 | |
Megaminx | Single | 27.22 | Juan Pablo Huanqui | La Tienda Cubera Christmas 2019 (21–22 December) | — |
Average | 30.39 | Juan Pablo Huanqui | Wuxi Open 2019 (10–11 August) | 30.12 / (28.50) / (31.19) / 29.97 / 31.07 | |
Pyraminx | Single | 0.91 | Dominik Górny | Byczy Cube Race 2018 (23–24 June) | — |
Average | 1.86 | Tymon Kolasiński | Grudziądz Open 2019 (6 April) | (1.05) / 2.13 / (2.30) / 1.94 / 1.51 | |
Rubik's Clock | Single | 3.29 | Suen Ming Chi (孫銘志) | GDSY Open 2019 (23–24 March) | — |
Average | 4.38 | Yunhao Lou (娄云皓) | Hangzhou Autumn 2019 (9–10 November) | 4.16 / 4.81 / (5.12) / (3.85) / 4.17 | |
Skewb | Single | 0.91 | Andrew Huang | WCA World Championship 2019 (11–14 July) | — |
Average | 2.03 | Łukasz Burliga | CFL Santa Claus Cube Race 2017 (16–17 December) | 2.48 / 1.91 / 1.71 / (1.39) / (4.98) | |
Square-1 | Single | 4.59 | Martin Vædele Egdal | Danish Championship 2020 (4-6 September) | — |
Average | 6.54 | Vicenzo Guerino Cecchini | Bernô Feet Friendship 2019 (14–15 December) | 6.15 / 7.37 / (6.04) / 6.11 / (DNF) | |
4×4×4 Blindfolded | Single | 1:02.51 | Stanley Chapel | Michigan Cubing Club Epsilon 2019 (14 December) | — |
Average | 1:08.76 | Stanley Chapel | Michigan Cubing Club Epsilon 2019 (14 December) | 1:02.51 / 1:14.05 / 1:09.72 | |
5×5×5 Blindfolded | Single | 2:21.62 | Stanley Chapel | Michigan Cubing Club Epsilon 2019 (14 December) | — |
Average | 2:27.63 | Stanley Chapel | Michigan Cubing Club Epsilon 2019 (14 December) | 2:32.48 / 2:28.80 / 2:21.62 | |
3×3×3 Multiple Blindfolded | Single | 59/60 | Graham Siggins | OSU Blind Weekend 2019 (8–10 November) | 59:46 |
Members of the cubing community lubricate their cubes to allow them to be manipulated faster, easier, and more reliably than a non-lubricated cube. The WCA allows lubrication for official competitions.[26]
Popular lubricants among speedcubers are:
Checking a lubricant's MSDS is often helpful in identifying cube-damaging ingredients. Cube lubricants should belong to the silicone family of lubrications because these are not going to damage the cube plastic.[27]
Below are some definitions of words generally used by the speedcubing community. For a more complete list of speedcubing terminology, see the cubefreak.net glossary.
FMC
Fewest move challenge.
L3C/L4C
Last 3 Corners/Last 4 Corners
Last Layer Edges First. This is a variation of ELL (Edges of the Last Layer), but it ignores the corners. Has fewer moves and cases then the normal ELL, and after that is L4C.
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