Fridrus Method

[ostracod]

I've been cubing since this summer. I'll admit that I have very poor dexterity. But I like to think a lot about the Rubik's Cube. I made my first method during the early fall. It's an OK method, but heavily algorithm based. Then during the late fall, I made a new method by merging the first few steps of the Fridrich method and the Petrus method. This resulted in an extremely intuitive method, which I named the Fridrus method. My site for the method is below:

http://web.mac.com/teisenmann/iWeb/method2/main.html

The steps for doing the Fridrus method are:
1. Create a 2 x 2 x 2 block (Petrus step 1)
2. Extend the block, making it 2 x 2 x 3 (Petrus step 2)
3. Place two edges (Fridrich step 1 "cross")
4. Make 2 corner-edge pairs, and place them into their appropriate slots (Fridrich step 2 and 3)
5. Pair another corner and edge, and place the pair into another slot (Unique to Fridrus)
6. Solve the last layer (Fridrus)

The last layer already has a corner and two edges permuted! That means that it can be solved using one of 38 algorithms. I think that this method could be very effective, in the hands of a good speedcuber.

My record with this method is 1:07... which also happens to be my personal record (YES, I'm pretty slow!) And I use somewhere over 70 moves on average (which is pretty good for me). Relative to how fast I could do 3 other methods (my first method, Petrus method, and my first custom method), this method is the best one for me.

Is this a new method? Are there similar methods? What are your opinions? I'd love feedback!

 

[watermelon]

I have not seen this method posted online anywhere else, but I have toyed with the idea of keeping a 2x2 block solved on LL, making an easy 1 look LL.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend looking at the Heise method: http://www.ryanheise.com/cube/heise_method.html It is similar to yours in some ways, yet different in others.

Back to your method: after creating the 2x2x3 block, solving the other 3 F2L pairs are more difficult than regular, but not too hard. I think this method could be really fast with some practice. Good work on creating it !

P.S. If you'd like, I would definitely enjoy helping you to generate some algorithms for this method (maybe some F2L pair algs as examples, and of course, all of the LL algs if you haven't already made them).

P.P.S. There are already LL algs here (http://www.ws.binghamton.edu/fridrich/L1/ece.htm), but only one or a few is provided per case... There could definitely be other (possibly better) algs, so I still hold my offer!

 

[ostracod]

Thanks for the reply, watermelon. I've looked at Ryan's pages, and his method is a pretty neat idea. I like how the last step uses no algorithms, but commutators.

It's true that the corner-edge pairs are harder to achieve, since there's the block that cannot be destroyed. I've been experimenting to find mini algorithms which move things around in various cases. Perhaps it'd be helpful to use a computer program to search for more obscure pairing algorithms. I think I've collected all of the algorithms for the LL from Bernard Helmstetter's site. I had to sift through over 1000 algorithms, so it's likely that I missed some. Thanks for the LL link!

 

[ostracod]

Lol, i just got 1:06. A new PR >_<

 

[Killer128]

looks like my average is about two second ahead of yours =) hehe 64.84 =)

 

[ostracod]

What method do you use?

And I just got 1:01 out of nowhere >_>

It was kinda lucky, cause I had a 1 algorithm last layer (which isn't that rare with the Fridrus method...)

 

[AvGalen]

3. Place two edges (Fridrich step 1 "cross")

If you already have a 2x2x3 block, you only need to place 1 edge to finish the cross.

 

[Johannes91]

If you already have a 2x2x3 block, you only need to place 1 edge to finish the cross.

Depends on which cross you're solving.

 

[Lucas Garron]

I've always heard it called "Petrich" ( because you start out with Petrus).
Then again, you do something slightly different...
I don't think the extra stuff on LL is worth it, though...
(definitely not for speed)
Hmm, let me explain: it's much faster to have larger sets of algs doing more things, so if you're going to do some OLL and PLL, you might as well use all of it.

When I solve Petrus, I actually do something ridiculously compound:
2x2x2
2x2x3
Orient edges
Place one "cross" edge (up to 2 moves)
Solve one slot
Place the edge in the other slot (most often 2 extra moves)
CLS
PLL

What do we want to call that?

My PB is 22.00

 

[Marcell]

3. Place two edges (Fridrich step 1 "cross")

If you already have a 2x2x3 block, you only need to place 1 edge to finish the cross.

No, you got it wrong. He builds the 2x2x3 block vertically(so one of the two corners involved is on the top layer and the other is on the bottom), and the finishes cross on the bottom.

Very interesting idea indeed. But after finishing the cross one has really little freedom for those remaining F2L pairs. Seems troublesome.

 

[ostracod]

Yes, in the Fridrus method, it's TWO edges placed to make a cross. And I don't think that it's too much trouble to keep things safe and sound during step 4. Pairing edges + corners during that step mostly involves repetitive hand gestures, which are easy to do (usually involving just two/three sides).

And to Lucas: That sounds like a better way of doing step 4 of the Petrus method. "Petrich" would be a better way to name my method, since the Petrus steps come first. But I've always called it Fridrus.

Happy Thanksgiving, btw! ^_^

 

[Johannes91]

"Petrich" would be a better way to name my method ...

Petrich is pure Petrus F2L with OCLL -> PLL instead of COLL -> EPLL.

 

[TimMc]

Eh,

I use:
- Create a White Cross on the bottom
- Insert all the Corner/Edge Pairs (pair them up at the same time)
- Use one alg 1-3 times to create a Blue cross on the top
- Use Niklas to flip the top corners so that the face is Blue
- Use J Perm to permute the corners
- Use H Perm, Z Perm or U Perm to permute the edges
Solved

I average sub 40 with this method *shrug*

Tim.

 

[MAHTI-ANSSI]

What's your source, Johannes?

 

[Johannes91]

What's your source, Johannes?

It's quite common, I've heard it many times. For example:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/petrusmethod/message/544
http://twistypuzzles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=39668#39668
http://twistypuzzles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=60349#60349
http://twistypuzzles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=67102#67102

 

[ostracod]

It seems that there's many variations of Petrus + Fridrich hybrid methods. Mine looks the most lobsided... but I like it, and I don't plan to stop using it anytime soon. The main reason I like it is because don't have to waste my time learning 50 LL algorithms to get good at it; all I have to do is practice practice practice. And using mostly intuition hasn't slowed me down.