Speedcubing
Participants in this sport are called "speedcubers" (or simply "cubers"), who focus specifically on solving these puzzles at high speeds to get low clock times.
The essential aspect of solving these puzzles typically involves executing a series of predefined algorithms in a particular sequence with eidetic prediction and finger tricks.
Additionally, specialized formats such as 3×3, 4×4, and 5×5 blindfolded, 3×3 one-handed (OH), 3×3 Fewest Moves, and 3×3 multi-blind are also regulated and hosted in competitions.
[1] As of February 2025, the world record for the fastest single solve of a Rubik's cube in a competitive setting stands at 3.08 seconds.
[3][4] He also set the record for the average time of five solves in the 3×3×3 category with 4.05 seconds at Zhengzhou Open 2024 on December 8, 2024.
[7] The widespread popularity of the Rubik's Cube has led to an abundance of online resources, including guides and techniques, aimed at assisting individuals in solving the puzzle.
In 1979, Rubik partnered with Ideal Toy Company to garner widespread international interest in the cube.
Other attendees include Jessica Fridrich and Lars Petrus, both of whom later contributed to the development of new solving methods and the speedcubing community.
Those prominent in the online speedsolving community, such as Ron van Bruchem, Tyson Mao, Chris Hardwick, and Ton Dennenbroek, eventually wanted to create an organization where cubers from around the world could meet and compete against each other.
The most commonly used methods for speedcubing are CFOP, Roux, and ZZ, which are generally considered to achieve the fastest times.
The CFOP method is used by the majority of cubers and employs a layer-by-layer system with numerous algorithms for solving the final layer.
The method starts by creating a cross on any side of the cube, followed by F2L where 4 corner edge pairs are inserted into the cross, followed by OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer) where the top side is solved in 1 of 57 algorithms, and finally PLL (Permutation of the Last Layer) where you do 1 of 21 algorithms to solve the rest of the cube.
Roux, the second most popular method, which starts by forming a 3x2x1 block on both sides of the cube and solves the middle layer last, using fewer algorithms.
ZZ uses a unique step called Edge Orientation to improve the ergonomics of turning by removing the amount of rotations during a solve.
Other notable methods include Petrus, which has been popular at times in the past; however, it is now considered sub-optimal to CFOP and Roux and was abandoned due to its unfavorable finger tricks.
Its origins are credited to David Singmaster, who was one of the first to publish a layer-by-layer method of solving in 1980,[13] and Guus Razoux Schultz, who built upon this and developed a more efficient system for the first two layers (F2L).
[14] Jessica Fridrich then finished developing the method and published it online in 1997,[15] an event that was very influential in the revival of competitive speedcubing.
Many top speedcubers, including two-time World Champion Feliks Zemdegs and world record holder Max Park, learn 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 (also known as Valk Last Slot, or VLS), which finishes OLL while inserting the last pair, and ZBLL, which combines the solving processes of OLL corner orientation and PLL in only one algorithm, provided the last-layer edges are oriented.
Pseudoslotting is similar to another technique called keyhole in which the bottom layer is misaligned to allow a piece to be inserted independently of its solved counterpart.
[18] It is widely believed that Tymon Kolasiński (who holds the European record for a 3x3x3 single with 3.66 seconds)[19][20] is the best speedcuber who uses pseudoslotting.
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.
One of the users of this method, Kian Mansour, broke the one-handed (OH) world record average with a time of 9.54 seconds.
He also broke the WR single with a 6.05 a few weeks later, though he lost this to Dhruva Sai Meruva, a CFOP one-hand solver on October 6, 2024.
The next step solves the remaining first two layers using only left, right, top, and bottom face turns, one of the advantages of ZZ.
Dutch cuber Marc Waterman created a corners-first method in the cube craze and averaged 18 seconds in the mid-late 1980s.
[citation needed] At the highest level, there is typically not a standard method used for Fewest Moves solving.
Blindfolded solvers use letter patterns to help memorize sequences of moves in order to solve the cube.
A cycle of piece swaps is then used with the letter E being used as a buffer location for corners and D commonly being used for edges in the Old Pochmann method.
The current 3x3 average and single blindfolded world record holder is Tommy Cherry, from the United States.
A competitor can also receive an extra solution to replace the one just completed, for example in the case of a timer malfunction or a duplicate scramble.
