Puzzled 2: 2015 Puzzling—Back after a long break

Thursday, June 11, 2015

2015 Puzzling—Back after a long break

After months away from puzzling I'm back for awhile. Got back into it about 3 weeks ago. It is different this time though than it has ever been in the past.

Instead of feeling compelled to solve every puzzle, or better yet, without notes—
Instead of feeling compelled to take on a new challenge—
Instead of feeling compelled to remember or relearn the best method—

I just pulled out my boxes of puzzles, opened them up, and looked for a nice easy puzzle to solve. I didn't care if it was the best method I had ever come up with or picked up. Just have fun, see what flows. If I wanted to refer back to old notes, fine; if not, fine. If I didn't feel like messing with a certain puzzle at the time for some reason, fine. For example, the Pyramorphinx is the Mefferts brand and is not smooth and fun to play with. The good one I had that was smooth was stolen. So the Pyramorphinx got left in the box. The Fluctuation Angle Cube is just so spikey when scrambled. Don't feel like that now. The Gear Cube Extreme has some crazy long algorithm that I never can remember and just don't want to fuss with right now. Some of the Gear puzzles have bad stickers that I don't want to mess with now. Basically I can't be bothered with anything that has alignment or sticker or bandaging issues right now. Been there done that. Just want some smooth simple fun.

So what have I been enjoying?
Each of the following got at least one solve and I want to solve them again soon.

2x2x2 Cyclone Boys Cube
2x2x2 Hollow Ball
3x3x3 Zanchi 5 Cube
4x4x4 Cyclone Boys Cube
Crazy 4x4x4 II
2x3x3
Crazy 2x3x3 without the freaky move
2x3x4
3x3x1 Scramble
3x3x3 Magic Octahedron
3x3x3 Mixup Cube
F-Skewb
Pyraminx Crystal
Pyraminx Trignis
Curvy Kite-ohedron Skewb
Skewb Dodecahedron

I solved the Pyraminx but don't really care if I solve it again for awhile. I enjoyed the Skewb but don't need to solve it again for awhile.

The Curvy Kite-ohedron Skewb (aka Curvy Rhombohedron although the faces are not rhombi) was scrambled in the box and yesterday it was calling out to be solved. It turned out to be fun so I also did the Skewb Dodecahedron (aka Skewb Ultimate). It was fun too. I solved them both much like I solve the Skewb, which is—

two opposite corners
the skew corners
the last 4 corners
3 cycle the centers

With the Skewb variants there are sometimes twisting and flipping that needs to be done too but it just flowed in nicely with the basic solve. I also solved the Skewb Pyraminx (aka Jing's Pyraminx), but don't want to solve it again soon. I don't like the way the stickers feel. So what I'm looking for here are puzzles that are pleasant to solve, pleasant to the touch,

What is next? Square-1 maybe. Or maybe I'll work through the ones in the list above again. Or maybe fiddle with the 2x3x4 Camouflage Cube that I have had a long time and have never solved.

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Rubik's Cube Books

I got my first Rubik's Cube in the early nineteen eighties. The only way I could solve it was to take it apart and put it back together solved. Until, that is, I got some little books that explained sequences of moves that could be used to put pieces where you want them without messing up what was already in place.

The Simple Solution To Rubik's Cube
by James G. Nourse
Notes on Rubik's Magic Cube
by David Singmaster
Solve That Crazy, Mixed-up Cube Puzzle
by Don Frederick.

I think I put together my own strategy using bits and pieces gleaned from all three books. Eventually I lost interest and forgot how to complete the cube, forgot I had those books, and lost track of the cubes.

Mark Jeays' Working Corner Method

http://jeays.net/rubiks.htm

In 2007 my interest in Rubik's Cube was rekindled when I watched the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. Marae found my 1980s cube for me and I tried to solve it. Huh-uh. I could do part of it, but not the last layer. Looking online I found various tutorials. Mark Jeays included YouTube videos with his Solution 2. This method worked for me and although I no longer use it in its entirety, nor could I, as I have forgotten the yellow edges sequences, I still find the basic working corner technique helpful, and use a slightly modified version of his corner twisting technique at times.

In the summer of 2014 we packed 30 or so puzzles and flew to visit Raymond and Fam in the Czech Republic. Breann, who had learned this method and no other, made some comment about bubururu or something like that, and it piqued my curiosity. What were those algorithms, and how similar are they to the EPS technique I use now when using a working corner? So I looked them up. Actually, the three algorithms were for dealing with the two last edges solved, which either needed to be swapped, or flipped, or swapped and flipped. The swapper is very similar to the one I have learned and used since, but I actually like it better in one sense, with a slight modification.

To swap UR and FR without flipping:

U' R U' R' U' R U' R' U'

To swap and flip UR and FR:

F' U' F U' F' U' F U2

To flip UR and FR:

F' U F U' R U' R' U

Will I actually learn and use these? Probably not. But I like them. :)

There is a slightly different implementation of the Working Corner Method. Arnaud van Galen calls it the Keyhole Method. I like his demonstration better than the one I originally learned. It just dawned on me why he is able to get away with doing it the way he does. He goes ahead and finishes the F2L before going to the last layer, unlike the way Jeays uses the working corner (keyhole) to also get the last layer. Since I no longer use the working corner to get the last layer, I should implement Arnaud's technique.

Jasmine's Scalable Method

http://peter.stillhq.com/jasmine/rubikscubesolution.html

This was the next method I learned. For awhile the idea of speed cubing appealed to me. This promised to be a good beginner's method for those that wanted to go on to faster method's later. Now that I know what I know, I wouldn't recommend this method if your goal is to be able to consistently solve the cube in less than 30 seconds. Rubik's Speedsolver Champion Leyan Lo presents a beginner's method that I like the looks of although I've never learned it. I have recently watched Arnaud van Galen's complete beginner's method video series and recommend them. Gilles Roux presents a beginners' method that is very close to one of my favorite ways of solving the cube. The simplicity and comprehensibility make this method a good place to start if you want to understand the Rubik's Cube. Also, if you are interested in speedcubing you should check out this YouTube video.

After trying for months to get under a minute with both Jasmine's Method and the Corner's First Method—and failing, I finally decided to quit trying and just enjoy cubing at a nice slow pace.

Don't get me wrong. Jasmine's Method has its merits. The sequences for orienting the last layer edges and corners, and permuting the last layer edges are still in my arsenal of useful algorithms.

Adam Cheyer's Corners First Method

Philip Marshall's Ultimate Solution

http://helm.lu/cube/MarshallPhilipp/
After learning to solve the cube corners first, what is next? An Edges First Method! This was a very difficult tutorial to follow, but once I got it, it was my favorite way to solve the cube for awhile. It uses only a few algorithms, and when you are finished solving the cube you feel like you've solved the puzzle, not just used memorized sequences to unscramble it.

Gilles Roux presents a beginners' method that could be used to solve the cube edges first. The simplicity and comprehensibility make this method a good place to start if you want to understand the Rubik's Cube. His technique is much easier to follow than Marshall's.