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Red Bull Rubik's Cube World Championships

One Wheel

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I am not sure if you should take part in such a discussion, as you are not even speedcuber. Inspection is essential to speedcubing, because it helps to optimize the total solving time by allowing you to plan ahead and optimizing the time is accompanying us from the very beginning of the WCA (improvement in the hardware, allowing stickerless, concaved, pillowed cubes, ridges, florian holes etc). It helps us to determine who is better than another.. Without inspection majority of people would do almost-random or very inefficient moves just to have illusion of a progress. You can't show your true potential and skill if you start straight away. That doesn't sound like fun at all.
I disagree. Inspection time is an arbitrary innovation that is no more inherent to speedcubing than a particular color scheme. It has allowed for some really cool innovation in methods that would not have been feasible without it, and for that reason as well as continuity in records I think it ought to be maintained.
 
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Choppiness, slowness, inconvenience, benefits etc are irrelevant. A solve begins the moment you see the cube and the timer must start at that point. The only real question is the best way to physically start and stop the timer. When I see cubers demonstrating their skills to non cubers I feel really uncomfortable when they look at it first. The general view is that it's cheating (in terms of what solving a puzzle means and not specific WCA rules).
I personally feel the objection to losing inspection time is purely down to people putting a huge amount of time and effort into a particular approach and the low times they have achieved. They do not wanting that destroyed. That of cause is totally understandable and I'd feel the same in their position. However that doesn't stop it being an illogical arbitrary head start on the timer and destroying the purity of solving a Rubik's Cube as fast as possible. It should never have been introduced in the first place however it feels too late to change it now, upset so many people and wipe out years of solve times.
As a speedcuber, inspection time might be arbitrary but it makes solving much more interesting and fun, and that's enough justification for me. It's a hobby, so I think being interesting is worth the compromise. Using the time well is a skill that's hard to master for some methods like CFOP and Roux. Other things like ZZ and CSP are really cool but are practically useless without inspection time. I get why some people prefer the idea of not having inspection time because it's more pure and objective, but I strongly disagree with it being better for competitions.
 

Tony Fisher

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I am not sure if you should take part in such a discussion, as you are not even speedcuber. Inspection is essential to speedcubing, because it helps to optimize the total solving time by allowing you to plan ahead and optimizing the time is accompanying us from the very beginning of the WCA (improvement in the hardware, allowing stickerless, concaved, pillowed cubes, ridges, florian holes etc). It helps us to determine who is better than another.. Without inspection majority of people would do almost-random or very inefficient moves just to have illusion of a progress. You can't show your true potential and skill if you start straight away. That doesn't sound like fun at all.
It isn't essential at all since you can solve a cube as fast as you can without it. In addition you are welcome to inspect for as long as you want providing you start the timer at the beginning of the actual solve (the moment you look at it). As for me not being a speedcuber, firstly I devised my own method, was speedcubing before most members on this forum were born and practiced for hours on end and timed my solves. Never once did I consider peaking at the cube before starting my watch. Secondly since I don't do it now but still have an interest in all aspects of puzzles I can be objective.
You talk about not fun, and a whole host of other reasons you don't like it. Once again they are all irrelevant. It's about solving a Rubik's Cube from start to finish regardless of anything else. That's the very basis of what you are doing and over a period of time you would have discussions on forums like this and develop different approaches. Just look at Mats Valk's 374 solves in one hour with no inspections. He fell into a natural rhythm and coped just fine. It was nice to watch pure solving for once. And if you couldn't cope then someone else who can will beat you.
Once again I will repeat that I think it would be kind of unfair to drop it now and force people to change. But I have yet to hear a single convincing argument why it even exists.
 

pglewis

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Once again I will repeat that I think it would be kind of unfair to drop it now and force people to change.

Agreed. Precedent has been set, stats have been amassed, and entire methods have been developed around the rule and pushing the toothpaste back into the tube isn't easy.

But I have yet to hear a single convincing argument why it even exists.

As best I can figure, simply due to the precedent set by the World Championships in the 80's?

If I consider competition conditions without inspection I think a lot of single solves might come down to the luck of what you initially see in your random orientation. Someone could be blessed with an orientation that initially exposes an easy cross or x-cross while someone else may have that information on the back/bottom. I understand the "purity" opinion, if you tell the average person you can solve a cube in under 20 seconds they're going to expect to say "go" and start a timer. But there may still be a slim argument for a little more fairness in competition through inspection.
 

efattah

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On the topic of inspection, I personally think it would be *extremely* interesting to eliminate inspection times for the extremely fast events (2x2, skewb, pyraminx etc.) I have often wondered what the limit for 2x2 solving is without inspection. Quite dramatically slower than the current times, for sure.
 
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On the topic of inspection, I personally think it would be *extremely* interesting to eliminate inspection times for the extremely fast events (2x2, skewb, pyraminx etc.) I have often wondered what the limit for 2x2 solving is without inspection. Quite dramatically slower than the current times, for sure.
I'd be curious to see what the best solvers could do. I'd think 3.5-4.5 or so for each of those events.
 

Sajwo

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Their page has been updated. There will be first National Qualifiers in Vienna next month.

A few interesting things:

- For 3x3 speedsolving there will be 8 seconds of preinspection
- Each competitor will receive Rubik's Speedcubes, but they will be allowed to use their own cubes (!!!)
- You need to have 3 or 5 of your cubes, depending on an event
 

Sion

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Their page has been updated. There will be first National Qualifiers in Vienna next month.

A few interesting things:

- For 3x3 speedsolving there will be 8 seconds of preinspection
- Each competitor will receive Rubik's Speedcubes, but they will be allowed to use their own cubes (!!!)
- You need to have 3 or 5 of your cubes, depending on an event
Looks like someone gave up trying to eliminate competition.
 

pglewis

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Their page has been updated. There will be first National Qualifiers in Vienna next month.

A few interesting things:

- For 3x3 speedsolving there will be 8 seconds of preinspection
- Each competitor will receive Rubik's Speedcubes, but they will be allowed to use their own cubes (!!!)
- You need to have 3 or 5 of your cubes, depending on an event

Curious that they've decided to bring inspection back, it seemed like there was quite a bit of support for no inspection in the conversation here.

With my paranoia somewhat tamed I'm very interested to see how this pans out, if they decide to continue with future events, and what they learn and address from the challenges of this first one. I expect hiccups, flaws, and some complaints but an exhibition like this with top level talent could be really entertaining.
 

Mike Hughey

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Curious that they've decided to bring inspection back, it seemed like there was quite a bit of support for no inspection in the conversation here.
I thought I remembered that it was the one-handed version (fast hand) that was no inspection? So maybe this is decreasing the inspection for regular 3x3x3, not increasing it?
 

Mikel

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Their page has been updated. There will be first National Qualifiers in Vienna next month.

A few interesting things:

- For 3x3 speedsolving there will be 8 seconds of preinspection
- Each competitor will receive Rubik's Speedcubes, but they will be allowed to use their own cubes (!!!)
- You need to have 3 or 5 of your cubes, depending on an event

Per the Rulebook they state:

"2.2. All participants are provided with standard Rubik’s speedcubes by the organisers. If they prefer, participants are also allowed to use their own customized cubes at the events."


"Their own customized cubes" does not specify if they can use any brand or the RSC. I would still bet on them being required to be RSC's.
 

Sajwo

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Per the Rulebook they state:

"2.2. All participants are provided with standard Rubik’s speedcubes by the organisers. If they prefer, participants are also allowed to use their own customized cubes at the events."


"Their own customized cubes" does not specify if they can use any brand or the RSC. I would still bet on them being required to be RSC's.


I'm pretty sure that both Michal and Antonie confirmed that you can use whatever cube you want and that there will be very high price. They couldn't say what their source was, but we should find out quite soon :)
 

Mike Hughey

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Some of the rules differences are fascinating. No +2s, for instance. I suppose that introduces complications that would be confusing to spectators.

I think the reason for the limitations to inspection time are due to the fact that inspection time makes little sense to spectators. The whole thing is very much geared towards making it as engaging to spectators as possible.
 
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This is very interesting:
(Red Bull Rubik’s Cube Tournament Rules)
Article 8. Cubes
8.2. Cubes may be enhanced and modified as long as the design of the Rubik’s Cube remains and is comparable
to the provided Standard Rubik’s Speedcubes.
8.2.1. Alternatives to colored tiles, stickers or colored plastic pieces are allowed. Color schemes may differ from
the Standard Rubik’s Speedcube, as long as every side has one uniform and unique color.
8.2.2. Sides of 50.0 mm to 58.00 mm are allowed, as long as all sides are of equal length.

Maybe the use of Rubik's Brand cubes isn't mandatory after all?
 
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