Extremely Easy 4x4 BLD :)

[masterofthebass]

12:26pm] dlundwall: f' F U2 B u F' D' u' L D2 B' f2 D2 B f' u U2 L2 U' F2 u2 L B2 f2 F2 L' u2 U2 B D u2 L' F D u B2 F r' R U


I couldn't pass posting this. KConny got it, and shared it with me. My time was a 5:49 Extremely easy centers, and 2 long cycles for edges.

 

[KConny]

This was my first success on 4x4 BLD.
It seems that my greatest skill in cubing is getting easy scrambles.

 

[Mike Hughey]

8:21.60. 3:30 memorization.

I had double parity on it (that costs me at least 30 seconds), and 3 cycles for edges instead of 2. I must have held the cube slightly differently somehow. (Although I don't see how, since the best orientation for centers was pretty obvious - did you do something non-obvious to get better edges?) But the centers were ridiculously easy.

Dan, you're just too good. Too bad you don't ever get good BLD results in competition. You may be one of the top 5 in the world at big cubes BLD (with Chris, Ryosuke, Rowe, Rafal). Which, despite my misleading official competition placing, I will never be.

 

[masterofthebass]

actually, I had 3 cycles, but I counted one of as my parity, since it was a 3 cycle. I didn't scramble in my solving orientation either, so my parity was with 2 M slice edges. Either way, it was very easy, and I pushed myself to go fast because I knew it was easy. i want to see someone like Rowe or Chris do this Also, I'm definitely not one of the top 5 big cube BLDers in the world, seeing that I've never even attempted a 5x5. Also, my memo is so slow compared to those guys, I wouldn't even put my self in remotely the same category. I usually spend 5-6 minutes on memo for most solves (this was like 2:30)

 

[Mike Hughey]

You won't have any trouble doing a 5x5x5 BLD if or when you attempt it. You'll probably get your first one right. And it will probably be sub-20, like Ryosuke Mondo. I think you do belong in that category, but you just never practice it, so you're not realizing your full potential. A little bit of practice and you would get your accuracy up and your memorization times faster, and it's clear you already have the speed of those guys.

I only know of 5 cubers (plus one who's not currently active) who have ever done sub-6 on any 4x4x4 BLD scramble, lucky or not. And you're one of them. There might be some others, but I don't know who they are.

By the way, thanks for that scramble, KConny and masterofthebass. I've gone a long time since my last sub-9.

 

[masterofthebass]

Mike, you are way overestimating my memo ability. I can't even get 4 cubes multi in under 20 minutes... Nationals is going to be my first attempt at a 5x5 BLD and I'm planning to take about 35 minutes, or more. I did try a step-by-step solve a couple of nights ago (taking each type of piece individually) and I succeeded there. I think at some point, I'll just end up sitting down and making journeys/rooms, and get a word list together. Then, but probably not, I'll be able to get some good BLD results.

 

[alexc]

Ohhh, I have to try this!

EDIT: DNF
I can't understand why this is easy. The centers were obviously lucky, but the wings and the corners weren't good for me. Off by two corners and ten wings.

 

[Mike Hughey]

For me, all that was easy was the centers. I think there were a couple of solved edges, but that was made up for by the couple of extra cycles.

I suspect the main reason I got such a great time is that I knew it was supposed to be easy so I went as fast as I could. On a normal solve, I would certainly have double-checked my memo, so it would have been a more typical over 4 minutes time, but thanks to the centers being so easy, it felt pretty secure, so I went for it. If you could somehow convince yourself before every solve that it's going to be easy, I think your times would improve dramatically.

Alex, what was your time?

 

[blah]

OMFG, I love you KConny! That was my first sub-10! 9:41.22. Too bad it had to be lucky And it's only my ninth success Should've gotten something slightly better, spent like 10 seconds thinking which center orientation was better, wasn't as obvious for me as it was for everyone, I need more experience...

Centers was, needless to say, extremely easy. Corners was easy too! Orientation was 2 easy algs, permutation was 3 independent cycles which had zero setups. And this was my smoothest edge execution ever, I don't think I paused for more than a second throughout the entire edges stage, okay make it two seconds. Memo wasn't nice though Memorized two edges wrong and panicked, could've possibly been sub-9 if everything went smoothly. Oh well...

Thanks again for the scramble Super morale booster.

 

[alexc]

@Mike
6:54

 

[Mike Hughey]

@Mike
6:54

Uh, clearly you've gotten better than me too. Nice time, DNF or no DNF.

 

[alexc]

Thanks, I got a closer DNF at 7:28 today also. Off by 2 centers and 3 wings.

 

[Mike Hughey]

Yes, I saw that on the other thread. That was another reason I wrote that you have gotten better than me. I'm becoming convinced that in order to place at the US Open in 4x4x4 BLD it will be necessary to have a sub-10 solve. So the top three there will probably be the top three in the world once that competition is complete. (Unless some competition in the next few weeks, like the Czech Open, has an earlier breakthrough.)

 

[tim]

Yes, I saw that on the other thread. That was another reason I wrote that you have gotten better than me. I'm becoming convinced that in order to place at the US Open in 4x4x4 BLD it will be necessary to have a sub-10 solve. So the top three there will probably be the top three in the world once that competition is complete. (Unless some competition in the next few weeks, like the Czech Open, has an earlier breakthrough.)

I bet you'll become first or second in 4x4x4 BLD at US Open.

 

[Mike Hughey]

I bet you'll become first or second in 4x4x4 BLD at US Open.

Thank you, Tim. I know I won't beat Chris, though - he'll probably be sub-7, and I have yet to get a sub-8 solve (not even with this scramble!). And I still think it'll take sub-10 to get third place. But I will admit I might have a chance at second even with that being true - I'm getting a lot of sub-10 solves now - almost half of them are these days.

The thing is, if Rowe or Dan (or now I should include Alex as well on this) hit one, they're going to have amazing times - either of them could very easily beat Chris on a lucky solve. (Whereas I could not beat Chris even on a lucky solve, unless he DNFs. And Chris doesn't DNF both solves very often - probably the most amazing thing about him!)

 

[Swordsman Kirby]

I bet you'll become first or second in 4x4x4 BLD at US Open.

Thank you, Tim. I know I won't beat Chris, though - he'll probably be sub-7, and I have yet to get a sub-8 solve (not even with this scramble!). And I still think it'll take sub-10 to get third place. But I will admit I might have a chance at second even with that being true - I'm getting a lot of sub-10 solves now - almost half of them are these days.

The thing is, if Rowe or Dan (or now I should include Alex as well on this) hit one, they're going to have amazing times - either of them could very easily beat Chris on a lucky solve. (Whereas I could not beat Chris even on a lucky solve, unless he DNFs. And Chris doesn't DNF both solves very often - probably the most amazing thing about him!)

Heh, didn't include anyone unknown in the realm of 4x4BLD.

 

[Mike Hughey]

Heh, didn't include anyone unknown in the realm of 4x4BLD.

You're a wildcard, Tim. I know you're twice as fast as me at 3x3x3 BLD (like Alex); I know you could be really good and just never have shown it. And there are a few others like that too. That's actually why I think it will take sub-10 to be third place; there are SO MANY people competing, and there is reason to believe that most of them have at least an outside chance at a sub-10 solve. The field for 4x4x4 BLD at the US Open is truly amazing - at least as good as what was at Worlds last year.

 

[masterofthebass]

I'm just going to go really slow on the first one, and make sure i get everything right. I really want to get a full success, and I'm tired of not being ranked If I get the first, then I'l try to go fast on the 2nd, but we'll never know.

 

[alexc]

I'm just going to go really slow on the first one, and make sure i get everything right. I really want to get a full success, and I'm tired of not being ranked If I get the first, then I'l try to go fast on the 2nd, but we'll never know.

I'm using that strategy too. Wait, the format is only best of 2 for 4x4 blind? I thought it would be best of 3. Oh no, 5x5 blind won't be best of 1 will it?!

 

[Mike Hughey]

I'm just going to go really slow on the first one, and make sure i get everything right. I really want to get a full success, and I'm tired of not being ranked If I get the first, then I'l try to go fast on the 2nd, but we'll never know.

I'm using that strategy too. Wait, the format is only best of 2 for 4x4 blind? I thought it would be best of 3. Oh no, 5x5 blind won't be best of 1 will it?!

I'm assuming it will - that's the standard now. Chris Hardwick has campaigned for the idea of the following "standard" format for 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 BLD:
4x4x4: best of 2
5x5x5: best of 1
Time limit: 1 hour for all 4x4x4 + 5x5x5 BLD solves. If you start a solve, you are allowed to finish that solve regardless of the additional time. So if you do both 4x4x4 solves and are able to begin your 5x5x5 solve at 59 minutes from the start of the event, you may finish the 5x5x5 solve even if it takes you another hour.

Not everyone has adopted this "standard", and it's not written into the rules (organizers can do whatever they want), but it is coming to be mostly the accepted format.

Alex, you' won't have any problem with the time limits. But it is admittedly true that 5x5x5 BLD is pretty nerve-racking, because you have only one chance. I'm lucky that I had 2 chances when I got my solve at the VA Open; I missed the first solve and got the second one. Not sure I'll ever have a chance like that again.

We'll have to ask the organizers of the US Open to know what the limits are there, but since they've allotted an hour for it, I would certainly guess it's likely they will follow this format.