Old, old method (1980)

[rasiel]

Hey everyone, new guy here.

I'm in my mid-forties and remember when the cube came out and I was the only kid in my neighborhood who had one. I figured out how to solve it, I think, via the included instructions which was a straight forward layer by layer solution. I can remember eventually getting good enough to solve it under two minutes. At that time that impressed other kids and adults alike.

Anyway, fast forward 30+ years and I pick one up again but have by now forgotten how to solve the bottom layer. I know for a list hosted on SPEEDsolving.com everyone reading this is probably rolling their eyes. Come on, bear with me

My problem is that the solutions for the third layer I can find are much different than I remember. The algorithms are complex and alien to me even after memorization. As done nowadays all the newbie layer-by-layer methods have you turn the cube upside down whereas back in the day you kept the top side up. This part isn't too hard since I can just invert the notation but I still would like to for old times' sake recall the initial sequences I learned as a kid. What I do remember is that you would first get the corners of the bottom layer into their correct corners then work them until the colors were properly aligned and as a last step get the middles done. Oddly, I think I remember the last moves to be M-B-M'-B-M' and so on until the piece came back around in this counterclockwise fashion maybe a couple times until the cube was solved.

My question is, does anyone know what this method might be?

Many thanks!

Ras

 

[brian724080]

Welcome to the forums! I think that your method is just cycling through the possible orientations of the middle layer edges and the first layer corners, and I can't really tell unless you show a video of you solving the cube that way. The tutorials that teach you to do the cross on top (top layer facing down) are no good if you plan to get faster. Badmephisto has a good Beginner's method tutorial that you should be able to follow. However, even though the Beginner's method is just a simplified version of CFOP designed for one to transition to CFOP, you can still learn other methods once you feel like you need to move on. You can take a look at the link about choosing methods in my signature below. Good luck!

 

[AlphaSheep]

The method I first learned was the Nourse method, which sounds similar. The steps are as follows:

1. Cross on top.
2. Corners of the top layer
3. Edges of the middle layer
4a. Rotate the bottom layer until at least two corners are in their position, and then swap two of them if necessary.
4b. Repeat an algorithm until the bottom corners are correctly oriented.
5a. Cycle the bottom edges into their correct positions
5b. Perform one of two ridiculously long, inefficient algorithms to flip the last two or four edges the right way up.

There was an algorithm for the last 2 steps, in the stupid notation used in the method: L- R+ F+ L+ R- B- L- R+ F- L+ R- B- L- R+ F2 L+ R-, which cycles three edges clockwise which you'd often use to finish the cube.

I should just point out that this method was popular in the 80's despite being horribly inefficient and complex, and having extremely long obscure algorithms.

 

[rasiel]

It wasn't Nourse because I remember clearly no mention of a cross on top. You just winged it as far as the top layer goes and then steps 3 and forward. Your 5b step is absolutely unknown to me but the one one I was familiar with must've been its cousin because your description is spot on.

Thanks guys - this was mostly for nostalgia's sake. It'll take me a while before I can get the hang of completing the cube with the new methods but I'll get there!

Ras

 

[newtonbase]

You can often find original
Rubik's solution sheets on eBay. I'll bet if you look through the pictures of completed items you'll find what you need.

 

[pixl]

There was another early 'simple' method from this book:

"You Can Do The Cube" by Patrick Bossert, 1981
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003P9XCN0

And for reference, the Nourse method, even though it doesn't appear to be the one you learned...
"The Simple Solution to Rubik's Cube", by James G. Nourse, 1981
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0553140175


Having returned to the cube myself, after 40-odd years, I've taken to the Badmephisto tutorials (see post #2), and built up to "intermediate" CFOP. Bit of a head-wtist to learn a new approach,rather than just try to re-kindle old muscle memory, but IMHO worth it to keep pushing the grey-cells to learn new stuff these days

 

[LNZ]

I have the book you are refering too. I brought it off Ebay.

Title: The Easy 5-Step Method Guaranteed To Solve All cubes ( aka The Simple solution to Rubik's Cube)
Author: James G. Nourse
Year: June 1981
Company: Bantam Books
ISBN: 0-553-14017-5

 

[rasiel]

Can you post the series for the 3rd layer?

 

[pdilla]

This is great. I love seeing the old and the new having a conversation.

 

[LNZ]

Steps 4 and 5 deal with the bottom layer.

STEP 4: Bottom corners (BFL, BFR, BLP, BPR)

Rotate the B face until the largest amount of bottom corner cubies are properly positioned with no concern for orientation.

Rotate the B face until you get either 2 or all 4 of the bottom corner cubies positioned.

It will always be possible tp position 2 or all 4 of the bottom corner cubies just by rotating the B face.

If all 4 are correctly positioned, proceed to step 4B. If 2 are correctly positioned, the 2 that remain out of place will be either on adjancent corners or opposite (diagonal) corners.

If they are on adjancent corners, do step 4B.

If they are on opposite (diagonal) corners, do step 4C.

STEP 4B

If the two out of piece corner cubes are adjancent, do the following sequence. Hold the cube so that the cubes that must be exchanged are BFL and BFR.

R- B- R+ F+ B+ F- R- B+ R+ B2

Now go to STEP 4D

STEP 4C

If the two out of place corner cubes are diagonal, do the following sequence. Hold the cube so that the cubes that must be exchanged are BFL and BFR.


R- B- R+ F+ B2 F- R- B+ R+ B+

STEP 4D

The 4 bottom corner cubes are all now properly positioned. Look at the B face and hold the cube so the color pattern on the bottom corner cubes matches one of 7 patterns BC1 to BC7.

Turn the entire cube (if needed) until you get one of the seven patterns.

This matching of color patterns is done to determine which will be your F face for the next sequence.

Make sure the T face is as always and proceed to STEP 4E.

BC1 (NOTE: B = Pattern pieces)

* W X B
* B X W W
X X B X X
* W X W B
* B X *

BC2

* W X W
* B X W B
X X B X X
B W X W W
* * * B


BC3

* W X W
B W X W B
X X B X X
* W X W W
* B X B

BC4

* B X W
* W X B W
X X B X X
* W X B W
* B * *

BC5


* B X B
* W X W W
X X B X X
* B X B W

BC6


* B X W
* W X B W
X X B X X
* B X W B
* * X * *

BC7


* W X W
B W X W B
X X B X X
B W X W B
* * X * *



STEP 4E

Perform the following: R- B- R+ B- R- B2 R+ B2

If the 4 bottom corner cubies are not corretvly orientated after performing this sequence, go back to step 4D. One may have to perform STEP 4# up to 3 times.

 

[LNZ]

STEP 5

BOTTOM EDGES (BF, BL, BP, BR)


Orient the 4 bottom edge cubes. Check to see how many of these four cubes are already are correctly positioned (without regard to orientation). At this point there will be either 4, 1 or none of these bottom edge cubes already positioned.

If none are correctly positioned, go to STEP 5A.

If one is correctly positioned, go to STEP 5B.

If 4 are correctly positioned, go to STEP 5C.


STEP 5A

Do the following sequence (all 11 moves). It does not matter how the cube is held as the T abd B faces remain as above.

(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B2 (L- R+) F+ (L+ R-)

Go to STEP 5B.


STEP 5B


Hold the cube so that the properly positioned bottom edge cube is in BF. THen do the following sequence (all 11 moves).

(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B2 (L- R+) F+ (L+ R-)

If the 4 bottom edge cubes are still not correctly positioned, do the sequence again with the properly positioned cube in position BF.

As this point, all of the bottom edge cubes will be in their correct position. If the cube is completed, go to STEP 5G, otherwise go to STEP 5C.


STEP 5C

All 4 bottom edge cubes are properly positioned and the B face with sgow the bottom color in patterns BE1, BE2, BE3. Hold the cube so the pattern matched.

If needed, turn the whole cube in your hand until you get one of the three patterns.

Be sure the T face is same as always and the F face is as indicated in the patterns BC1, BC2, BC3.

If it is BE1, do STEP 5D.

If it is BE2, do step 5E.

If it is BE3, do step 5F.

BE1


* W B W *
* B W B W
B W B W B
* B W B W
* * B * *

BE2

* W B W *
* B W B W
* B B B W
* B W B W
* * B * *

BE3


* W W W *
* B B B W
B W B B W
* B W B W
* * B * *

STEP 5D

Do the sequence (all 18 moves)

(L- R+) F2 (L+ R-) B2 (L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B2 (L- R+) F2 (L+ R-) B-

Go to STEP 5G.

STEP 5E

Do the sequence (all 30 moves). Hold the cube that the tw ocorrectly orientated bottom edge cubes are in positions BL and BR.

(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B+
(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B+
(L- R+) F2 (L+ R-) B+
(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B+
(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B2

Go to STEP 5G.

STEP 5F

Do the sequence (all 17 steps). Hold the cube so that the BF and BR are correctly oriented.

(L- R+) F+ (L+ R-) B- (L- R+) F- (L+ R-) B- (L- R+) F2 (L+ R-)

Then go back and do STEP 5B.

STEP 5G

Solved cube!

 

[RobinPoohG]

Hey everyone, new guy here.

I'm in my mid-forties and remember when the cube came out and I was the only kid in my neighborhood who had one. I figured out how to solve it, I think, via the included instructions which was a straight forward layer by layer solution. I can remember eventually getting good enough to solve it under two minutes. At that time that impressed other kids and adults alike.

Anyway, fast forward 30+ years and I pick one up again but have by now forgotten how to solve the bottom layer. I know for a list hosted on SPEEDsolving.com everyone reading this is probably rolling their eyes. Come on, bear with me

My problem is that the solutions for the third layer I can find are much different than I remember. The algorithms are complex and alien to me even after memorization. As done nowadays all the newbie layer-by-layer methods have you turn the cube upside down whereas back in the day you kept the top side up. This part isn't too hard since I can just invert the notation but I still would like to for old times' sake recall the initial sequences I learned as a kid. What I do remember is that you would first get the corners of the bottom layer into their correct corners then work them until the colors were properly aligned and as a last step get the middles done. Oddly, I think I remember the last moves to be M-B-M'-B-M' and so on until the piece came back around in this counterclockwise fashion maybe a couple times until the cube was solved.

My question is, does anyone know what this method might be?

Many thanks!

Ras

Hello, Ras. I was so excited to find your post, because I am looking for the same method, and just like you, for the solution to the bottom layer. I see that someone posted those final steps for solving the bottom, but I can't decipher the notation for BC1 through BC7, with all the X * W B W and so on. I don't know what those symbols mean. I remember pictures in the book of the patterns. Were you able to figure out what the notation meant? Or did you find the solution somewhere?