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[Help Thread] The "Square-1 Help / Alg Sharing" thread

Hazel

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I think this is the right thread?
I want to improve at Square-1, and I think I'll start at EP. The only alg I know for EP is a 13-slice long adjacent 2-swap algorithm, so I just use that a bunch of times to solve any EP case I get. I know this is horribly innefficient, so in what order should I learn new EP cases? As in which ones are essential, then once I've learned those which ones should I move on to?
And one more thing, is sarah.cubing.net a good place to learn Squan algs?
 

cubeshepherd

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Feb 18, 2018
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2016STEE01
I think this is the right thread?
I want to improve at Square-1, and I think I'll start at EP. The only alg I know for EP is a 13-slice long adjacent 2-swap algorithm, so I just use that a bunch of times to solve any EP case I get. I know this is horribly innefficient, so in what order should I learn new EP cases? As in which ones are essential, then once I've learned those which ones should I move on to?
And one more thing, is sarah.cubing.net a good place to learn Squan algs?
For learning EP on square 1, I used this websitehttp://www.cubezone.be/square1step5.html
The first 6 algs on step 5 (which is EP) I would recommend that you learn first, and once you have those down, the one flip U and D layer algs are the next one that would learn. The "3 swap in the U and 0 in the D layer" algs you can learn, but I only know 1 and I rarely use it. And what I mean by that is since I know the 1 swap U and D layer algs I just use those and I rarely only have one layer by itself that need EP alone. After you have those down I would leave the EP and make sure the you have all the other steps down and algs learned before learning more EP algs. That is just my thought, and please do what ever you would like in what ever order you want.

I have not looked at Sarah's website for Square 1, but I am sure that it is similar to the one that I provided with great algs as well.
 

Thom S.

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Sep 26, 2017
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1,292
I think this is the right thread?
I want to improve at Square-1, and I think I'll start at EP. The only alg I know for EP is a 13-slice long adjacent 2-swap algorithm, so I just use that a bunch of times to solve any EP case I get. I know this is horribly innefficient, so in what order should I learn new EP cases? As in which ones are essential, then once I've learned those which ones should I move on to?
And one more thing, is sarah.cubing.net a good place to learn Squan algs?

Adj-Adj, Opp-Opp, Opp-O, all the U Perms H-Opp should be a good start
Sarah Strongs website is still quite good

For learning EP on square 1, I used this websitehttp://www.cubezone.be/square1step5.html

This is Lars Vandenberghs site but the algorithms are really outdated(I think he added them in 2005 or 2006) so rather don't use it
 
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So I'm a square 1 noob (avg like 45-50) and I have been doing cubeshape by grouping all the edges. Today I learned what scallop-kite is, and practiced a little bit trying to do it intuitively, however very inefficiently. Does efficiency just come with practice? And can someone give an example of getting scallop kite on this scramble? Thanks!
(4, 0)/(2, 5)/(-5, 1)/(2, -4)/(-3, 0)/(-2, -3)/(-3, -3)/(1, 0)/(0, -4)/(-4, 0)/(2, 0)/(-2, -2)/
 

Neil Johnson

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So I'm a square 1 noob (avg like 45-50) and I have been doing cubeshape by grouping all the edges. Today I learned what scallop-kite is, and practiced a little bit trying to do it intuitively, however very inefficiently. Does efficiency just come with practice? And can someone give an example of getting scallop kite on this scramble? Thanks!
(4, 0)/(2, 5)/(-5, 1)/(2, -4)/(-3, 0)/(-2, -3)/(-3, -3)/(1, 0)/(0, -4)/(-4, 0)/(2, 0)/(-2, -2)/
Yes efficiency comes with time, but for some cases it’a a lot easier to just learn the case like the scramble you showed: in this case, it’s much easier to change the bottom into shield shield or solve it into scallop scallop and then solve it
 

Lid

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Jul 8, 2008
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So I'm a square 1 noob (avg like 45-50) and I have been doing cubeshape by grouping all the edges. Today I learned what scallop-kite is, and practiced a little bit trying to do it intuitively, however very inefficiently. Does efficiency just come with practice? And can someone give an example of getting scallop kite on this scramble? Thanks!
(4, 0)/(2, 5)/(-5, 1)/(2, -4)/(-3, 0)/(-2, -3)/(-3, -3)/(1, 0)/(0, -4)/(-4, 0)/(2, 0)/(-2, -2)/
As Neil points out, in many cases the "scallop/kite" way is not the best.

The shape for the provided scamble you could do: 2,2/-2,0/2,0/-1,0/-3,-3/ (shield/barrel).
 

Thom S.

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Sep 26, 2017
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You probably know about
1,-3 / 2,-1 / 0,4 / -3,0 / 0,-1 / 2,-3 / 0,4 / 0,4 / -2,2 / 0,1 / 3,0 /

generating some gives me these results
4,-3/2,-1/0,4/-3,0/0,-1/-4,3/4,0/0,4/2,-2/0,1/0,3/
4,-3/-4,5/4,0/-3,0/-1,0/2,-3/4,0/0,4/2,-2/0,1/0,3/
-2,3/5,-4/4,0/0,-3/-1,0/-3,2/4,0/4,0/-4,4/0,1/0,3/
-2,3/-1,2/0,4/0,-3/0,-1/3,-4/4,0/4,0/-4,4/0,1/0,3/ Think that's my favourite
/-3,0/0,-1/2,-2/0,-4/0,-4/4,-3/1,0/3,0/-4,0/4,-5/2,-3 if it wasn't for the 2,-2, this one would be quite good
/-3,0/0,-1/2,-2/0,-4/0,-4/-2,3/0,1/3,0/0,-4/-2,1/-4,-3 like really good
/-3,0/0,-1/-4,4/-4,0/0,-4/3,-2/0,1/0,3/0,-4/1,-2/-4,3 regripless but a bit weird
/-3,0/0,-1/-4,4/-4,0/0,-4/-3,4/1,0/0,3/-4,0/-5,4/-4,3 bad, but I converted it in less than 1:30 minutes

tell me, if you like one
 
Last edited:

Hazel

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in your walls :3
What are the equivalents of sub-20, 15, and 10 on square-1? Are they the same as 3x3?
This is the 667th reply to this thread apparently :p
 

Hazel

Premium Member
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in your walls :3
What are the equivalents of sub-20, 15, and 10 on square-1? Are they the same as 3x3?
This is the 667th reply to this thread apparently :p
Bump, also what are the biggest things to focus on when trying to become sub-30? And when is a good time to learn a better cubeshape than the one taught in beginner videos, should I learn it now or can I wait longer?
 

Thom S.

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Sep 26, 2017
Messages
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Bump, also what are the biggest things to focus on when trying to become sub-30? And when is a good time to learn a better cubeshape than the one taught in beginner videos, should I learn it now or can I wait longer?

Advanced Cubeshape is very well suited for starting at the 40s. Know your CPs, EOs and get CO in two seconds or less.

My strategy was:
Be stuck at 50s
do 50+ Solves a day
be sub 25 after two weeks
 

Hazel

Premium Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2017
Messages
1,681
Location
in your walls :3
Advanced Cubeshape is very well suited for starting at the 40s. Know your CPs, EOs and get CO in two seconds or less.

My strategy was:
Be stuck at 50s
do 50+ Solves a day
be sub 25 after two weeks
Ok! How important is knowing full CP?
 
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