Abram Grimsley's progression thread | APB!!! and learning BLD!!!

What is your favorite non-wca puzzle?


  • Total voters
    104
  • Poll closed .
4x4 pb single:
Generated By csTimer on 2023-07-26
single: 43.66

Time List:
1. 43.66 L U' D F2 U B' D' L' U' B U2 B U2 R2 F' R2 F' D2 R2 F' D2 Rw2 U Uw2 F2 U B' Rw2 Fw2 U' R2 F' R2 Rw U B' U' L Uw' R2 Rw Uw Fw R U' Fw2 @2023-07-26 11:31:12
i thought you got a 39 +2 in the weekly comp a while ago
 
Cfop pb average:
Generated By csTimer on 2023-08-05 (solving from 2023-08-05 17:06:16 to 2023-08-05 17:08:35)
avg of 5: 12.55

Time List:
1. 12.07 R2 F2 R2 U' B2 U B2 D2 L2 B2 F' D' R' F' D B L' B' D B' @2023-08-05 17:06:16
2. (11.82) U2 R U' R2 L' F' L2 B L U2 R2 L2 F2 R2 U F2 R2 U' R2 U2 B2 @2023-08-05 17:06:57
3. 12.75 B' L2 U' R2 U' L2 F2 D F2 U2 L' B2 L F L F' R' D L2 @2023-08-05 17:07:28
4. (18.68) R' U2 B' R2 B2 R2 F2 R2 U2 R2 U2 L' D' R2 F' L B U' F' @2023-08-05 17:07:58
5. 12.83 R' F2 R U' F R F2 D2 R2 B2 D2 F2 U F2 U' F2 B2 L2 F @2023-08-05 17:08:35
 
Forget everything I just said. cfop pb average:
Generated By csTimer on 2023-08-05 (solving from 2023-08-05 17:22:25 to 2023-08-05 17:24:26)
avg of 5: 11.47

Time List:
1. 10.72 L2 U' R2 F2 L2 F2 D F2 L2 F2 D' R' B' R B2 F' R D L F' U @2023-08-05 17:22:25
2. 11.79 U R' L2 D' F R B' U' B2 R' U2 R U2 D2 L2 U2 B2 L B2 L' F @2023-08-05 17:22:55
3. (10.25) R U B2 R D' L D' F' B' L2 B2 R2 F L2 F U2 D2 L F2 @2023-08-05 17:23:27
4. 11.91 U L2 B2 U' F2 R2 F2 D2 L2 D L' D' L' B U' L' B' F' R2 D' @2023-08-05 17:23:56
5. (14.54) D' L U L2 D2 R2 B2 F2 D' L2 D R2 F2 D2 L U F L' U2 R' @2023-08-05 17:24:26
 
IT HAPPENED BOYS!!!!!!!
SUB-40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Generated By csTimer on 2023-08-06
single: 37.31

Time List:
1. 37.31 F2 U' R2 F2 U2 L2 B2 D' F2 U L2 B2 R' D' R' B2 D F D' R' U2 Fw2 Rw2 Uw2 F' L Uw2 F R L2 F L2 D R Fw2 Uw' F B Rw' U B' Rw' Fw' R2 D @2023-08-06 19:04:18

LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
20230806_190615.jpg

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
 
So,...................I am quitting zz and returning to cfop. Not because I think cfop is better (because zz was definitely better and funner), but because I want to.
One of the reasons is I want to improve on cfop. I recently have been getting a good amount of 9's and 10's. Seeing such good times (at least for me) makes me want to grind and improve my cfop skills more.
Another reason why I want to switch back to cfop, is I was lazy and unmotivated to continue learning zz. I only got to eo and half of eo-line. I average around sub-30 with zz and have multiple sub-20 solves (I even have an 11 pb single!). I feel good leaving my times there where they are.
And the third and most important reason I'm leaving zz, is APB. After hearing about APB from Swagrid Cubing and Rowan Fortier, and then watching Liam Highducheck's videos on APB, I have become intrigued and inspired to learn and improve APB. I'll start by doing oll and pll at first, then eventually move on to learning zbll. Hopefully I can help the method develop and improve to be as good and/or better than cfop. If learning two methods simultaneously were possible for me, I probably would just do all three methods. But for now my main focus for 3x3 will be cfop and APB.

I have no doubt in my mind that I will one day return to zz. ZZ is a great method, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in it to at least try it out, and see if you like it. I really enjoyed every zz solve I ever did! And until next time, so long, ZZ.

(Expect more cfop solves to start popping up soon.)
 
Last edited:
5x5 pb average:
Generated By csTimer on 2023-08-08 (solving from 2023-08-08 16:16:02 to 2023-08-08 16:28:06)
avg of 5: 2:08.36

Time List:
1. (1:56.02) D' Rw' F2 U2 R' Uw B2 Rw L F2 R Rw Bw2 Fw Dw' Bw D' L2 Dw' Uw2 D' B2 D' Lw Rw' Bw2 L' Uw Lw B2 L2 Uw' U Fw' Rw2 Uw Fw Bw Uw Bw' D2 Fw' Rw2 F2 Lw2 R2 F Fw2 Rw B Fw R' Uw2 F Dw' L B' D R' Rw' @2023-08-08 16:16:02
2. 2:11.76 L2 Dw Rw2 R2 U' L' Lw' Bw' Dw Bw' D2 Fw2 D' Fw Uw Bw2 Fw' B' Dw2 F2 Fw2 Lw2 D2 B Dw B' L2 Dw Fw2 Dw' U R2 Fw' U' Bw2 Dw' Uw L' Uw F' B' L U' D2 F Fw' L R D U2 Lw2 U2 L' F2 Lw' R2 F' R D L @2023-08-08 16:18:48
3. 2:01.84 B2 Dw2 B' F' Dw F' L2 B' Uw2 F Fw Bw U2 Dw' Bw' Uw' B2 Rw Bw D2 Rw2 Lw Bw2 L' R F' D F' Bw D L Lw R' Uw D' Lw' U D Rw R2 D Lw2 Rw Fw2 Bw2 Uw2 D Rw2 Uw2 Bw2 U Lw F Rw D R2 Lw2 Uw2 Lw F @2023-08-08 16:21:55
4. 2:11.47 L' Dw2 Lw Fw' L Lw2 R F Rw D2 F2 L2 Uw Rw' Lw L2 R' Uw' D2 Fw Bw2 Uw' D2 Dw' Lw' Uw2 Dw Lw2 Bw' F Uw F' B' Fw Lw' Bw Rw' Bw B F U B2 Bw' Uw' U' B' Bw' Lw2 Dw2 U' D Bw R B2 F' U2 Fw Bw' F' Uw2 @2023-08-08 16:25:02
5. (2:16.45) Lw2 F Dw' Bw' Fw L2 Rw' Dw F2 Uw2 R' F2 R' B Dw' Lw2 D Dw2 Uw' U2 L2 Fw' U Dw2 B D B2 U Dw2 D' R' Uw Rw' Dw Rw L2 U Lw2 L2 Rw' R2 B2 F' Fw' U Uw B' Bw L R' Bw Dw' Rw' F2 B Lw2 U2 Rw Bw L @2023-08-08 16:28:06
 
Ha-ha!!! Can this week get any better?!!
3x3 pb single:
Generated By csTimer on 2023-08-08
single: 8.60

Time List:
1. 8.60 L B' U' F2 B U' D' L' B2 U' F2 U2 R2 U' L2 F2 U2 L2 @2023-08-08 23:35:44

Recon:
x2: blue in front / yellow on top
D' L' U' F' U' R' B2 F' / CROSS
L' U2 L U' L U L' / FIRST PAIR
L' U' L U' L' U L / SECOND PAIR
U2 R' U' R2 U2 R' / THIRD PAIR
y U R U' R' U2 y' R' U' R / FOURTH PAIR
U (R U2 R2 F R F' R U2 R') / OLL
U2 (R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2) / PLL
 
Ha-ha!!! Can this week get any better?!!
3x3 pb single:
Generated csTimer on 2023-08-08
single: 8.60

Time List:
1. 8.60 L B' U' F2 B U' D' L' B2 U' F2 U2 R2 U' L2 F2 U2 L2 @2023-08-08 23:35:44

Recon:
x2: blue in front / yellow on top
D' L' U' F' U' R' B2 F' / CROSS
L' U2 L U' L U L' / FIRST PAIR
L' U' L U' L' U L / SECOND PAIR
U2 R' U' R2 U2 R' / THIRD PAIR
y U R U' R' U2 y' R' U' R / FOURTH PAIR
U (R U2 R2 F R F' R U2 R') / OLL
U2 (R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2) / PLL
.
Wow, getting PB with a 57 move solve is impressive. Quick trick to eliminate the rotation for the fourth pair, you can do U R D R' U R D' R' then insert. I randomly inserted with U' R2 D' R U R' D R2 which gave a ZBLL you probably know, but if anyone on earth can actually see that in advance I would be surprised.

Based on your solution I would recommend working on your cross efficiency/ergonomics. Of course, I don't know how good your crosses are generally, but I'm just going off of this one solve. If I had to do white cross here, I would probably do x' z DU Lw D' R D2 F2, where I would change the F2 to Dw' L' U L U2 L to get an xcross.
Ergonomics wise, your cross solution is essentially just setting 3 edges up into being one move from solved, then adding three moves to actually solve them. These 3 last moves can be done in any order as long as red goes before blue. When you plan a lot in inspection, you want to base that order mainly on what leads to the best F2L, but in this case that takes ages to plan becauss the solution is 8 moves. Just go off of finger tricks then, and based on that the best order for the last 3 moves is B2 R' F' (which, here, leads to better F2L as well)
 
.
Wow, getting PB with a 57 move solve is impressive. Quick trick to eliminate the rotation for the fourth pair, you can do U R D R' U R D' R' then insert. I randomly inserted with U' R2 D' R U R' D R2 which gave a ZBLL you probably know, but if anyone on earth can actually see that in advance I would be surprised.

Based on your solution I would recommend working on your cross efficiency/ergonomics. Of course, I don't know how good your crosses are generally, but I'm just going off of this one solve. If I had to do white cross here, I would probably do x' z DU Lw D' R D2 F2, where I would change the F2 to Dw' L' U L U2 L to get an xcross.
Ergonomics wise, your cross solution is essentially just setting 3 edges up into being one move from solved, then adding three moves to actually solve them. These 3 last moves can be done in any order as long as red goes before blue. When you plan a lot in inspection, you want to base that order mainly on what leads to the best F2L, but in this case that takes ages to plan becauss the solution is 8 moves. Just go off of finger tricks then, and based on that the best order for the last 3 moves is B2 R' F' (which, here, leads to better F2L as well)
Thanks for the advice!
Yeah, my cross solutions can be quite egregious. I'm still trying to grasp the concept of a good cross solution much less xcross. Lol!
Also, thanks for the alternative F2L solution. That's a new one for me. And I wouldn't have seen the zbll alternative. I'm not that good at look-ahead. Lol
 
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