F2L and lookahead guide - example solves - not a video.

[bluedasher]

Wow very thorough. Nice job.

 

[amostay2004]

Them Brits think about F2L too much

 

[FatBoyXPC]

Man, those were very nice to see. I'm not going to do quite a bit of slow F2L solves and see if I can't get anything tricky like that. I like how you attempt to solve two pairs at once using the L2/R2 way of inserting the second pair.

When I was following along, I saw something else. Instead of doing F' L F L' to the Red/Blue pair. Instead I did U L' U' L U L' U L y R' U' R2 U' R' to insert the Orange/Blue and Red/Blue pairs. That leaves you with U' L' U' L U' L' U L. This is quite a bit higher move count though. You're left with U (AUF) then R' F R U R' U' F' R for OLL then a Ja perm. I had a total move count of 38 just for the last 3 pairs / OLL / PLL. So the 15 moves for Cross + first pair and my 39 turns = 54. I really need to slow down and try to come up with optimized F2L. I guess I've known that for awhile but I know my look ahead needs far more work.

 

[Escher]

Btw I only just found out that if we solved the green and red pair normally, it would leave us with an easy L' U2 L for orange blue (11 moves in total)

However I didn't know this would happen, I think maybe I should learn about the effects that F2L algs have on other pieces in the future...

Now I had noticed that, but who wants the usual approach in a 'show off your f2l tricks' thread?

EDIT: @fatboy: glad you liked them I'll make some more asap, this is definitely not the extent of my tricks - I have tons more I just didn't get a chance to show in only 3 f2ls.
I think whats probably more appropriate is just making f2l as seamless as possible, then adding tricks as you go along - I didn't know any of this until I was at least 12 average.

 

[oprah62]

Would you recommend learning these at a 15 secs average?? I already know some tricks.
Also, do you have a collection of these tricks?
How do you keep a flawless f2l with fast recg., while doing these complicated tricks?

 

[Escher]

Would you recommend learning these at a 15 secs average?? I already know some tricks.
Also, do you have a collection of these tricks?
How do you keep a flawless f2l with fast recg., while doing these complicated tricks?

Well, if it helps you get better times

I've not written anything down except here, the rest is in my brain.

My f2l isn't flawless yet... plus - keep in mind these solves are optimised for trickiness. In an actual 2h speedsolve I would probably do half as much as I have written here - look through any posts of single solves of mine in the accomplishment thread and you'll see that they're more commonly only optimised in terms of pair order selection rather than move optimised like here (I'll write more about pair order later).

 

[Robert-Y]

Them Brits think about F2L too much

Not too surprising if you consider the fact that Breandan, Rowan and I are the top 3 cubers in the UK

(Who knows? Simon/Thom/etc. could easily change this in the future )

 

[oprah62]

you'll see that they're more commonly only optimised in terms of pair order selection rather than move optimised like here (I'll write more about pair order later).

This I am interested in. Thanks for the guide.

 

[Joker]

I'll check this out later.
Too lazy to whip out my cube and read all that text now

EDIT

OP: I find the words in your sig inspiring =D

 

[teller]

See...I've known all along that there was more to speed than just "practice." Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent. But permanent what? First Weston, and now this--I'm starting to see the multi-slotting landscape, and man...it's a deep subject.

 

[FatBoyXPC]

I do some multislotting tricks, but usually only to hide a pre-built pair. I don't know why but I haven't thought to do it to hide the easy RUR' trigger either. I'm very much interested in pair order too. I'm guessing it's got something to do with filling FL/LB slots then FR/RB? I try slot in the back to help my look ahead, but I won't waste a cube rotation to do it

 

[Forte]

This was awesome Rowan! Rate good!

 

[Tim Major]

Solve 2:

B' R2 D L2 U2 L' F2 U B F2 D B L' D' B2 L B F2 U2 F2 B D2 F' R' U2

A cruel scramble on inspection.

Cross: y2 x U' R F' U R2 D x'

Notice how the order of putting cross edges in affects stuff: I could just have easily done U' R F D' U R2 and broken up that pair... Usually on this kind of cross I would never bother with looking ahead, it's just not that nice.

z2 L' D' L D L' U R' U' x U R' U' x' L U' L'
This just seemed extremely obvious to me. 14 move double X-cross, meaning, I don't need to look at any of this, so I can lookahead to next pairs. You could even rotate y2 at the start of the solve.
z2 y2 R' D' R D R' U L' U' x' U L' U' x R U' R'

Interesting... I'll look more into these in a bit. I do a lot of multi slotting myself (just intuitive really). Some of the cases I've seen so far, I use different things. Longer, but with less double turns. Faster for me to execute.

Thanks.

 

[Faz]

This just seemed extremely obvious to me. 14 move double X-cross, meaning, I don't need to look at any of this, so I can lookahead to next pairs.

Yeah, because you can totally see that 2nd pair in inspection... ^^

Pretty cool stuff Rowan

 

[Escher]

z2 L' D' L D L' U R' U' x U R' U' x' L U' L'
This just seemed extremely obvious to me. 14 move double X-cross, meaning, I don't need to look at any of this, so I can lookahead to next pairs. You could even rotate y2 at the start of the solve.
z2 y2 R' D' R D R' U L' U' x' U L' U' x R U' R'

Interesting... I'll look more into these in a bit. I do a lot of multi slotting myself (just intuitive really). Some of the cases I've seen so far, I use different things. Longer, but with less double turns. Faster for me to execute.

Thanks.

Actually I'm pretty sure that's just an 11 move x-cross.

 

[joey]

I'd also find it useful if you could provide a few actual speedsolve solutions.

 

[Tim Major]

Actually I'm pretty sure that's just an 11 move x-cross.

I'd consider a double X-cross as the fact I planned for that, it wasn't just lookahead to the next pair
I don't get how to explain. IMO, if I expected, did the X-cross then did the next pair, sure that's just an X-cross. But when I saw in inspection that there would be a free pair at the back, that meant I could just execute the 14 moves like an alg, while looking ahead to the 3rd pair.

 

[Faz]

How the hell did you see that 2nd pair from inspection.

 

[Escher]

How the hell did you see that 2nd pair from inspection.

Yeah this^

Quick speedsolve solution:

B U' R' L F L' B U L2 D2 R' F2 L' U2 F2 L2 R' F B2 R U F U' L F

y x U' D x' D' R D' L (6)
U L' U L2 U' L' (6|12)
U2' y R U R' L' U' L U' L' U L (11|23)
U2' y R' U2' R U R' U' R (8|31)

(then I'd use the two gen COLL to get an EPLL)

Very normal solve, no tricks, but a reasonable example of pair order selection. An approach I used before my lookahead good enough was just 'solve whatever appears first'. In this case the solution would have looked a lot more like:

(Identical cross and first pair) (12)
U' y' R' U2' R U' R' U R (8|20)
U' y' R' U2 R U' R' U R (8|28)
U' y' R U R' U2 R U' R' (8|36)

When I have time later I'll explain more and do more examples...

 

[joey]

You know the best thing about ordering is when you instinctively do the non obvious pairs first and you get left with a better pair but you don't know how you knew that!