Hexagonal Francisco

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Hexagonal Francisco method
Hexagonal francisco.png
Information about the method
Proposer(s): Andrew Nathenson, Henry Helmuth
Proposed: 2016
Alt Names: HF, HXF
Variants: Quadrangular Francisco, Triangular Francisco
No. Steps: 5
No. Algs: 145 (CLS/CSO=104, L5EOP=20, PLL=21)
Avg Moves: 60?
Purpose(s):

The Hexagonal Francisco method is a variation of the Triangular Francisco 3x3 speedsolving method invented by Michael Gottlieb. It was created by Andrew Nathenson, also known by his YouTube alias ColorfulPockets, with the help of Henry Helmuth.

The Steps

  • 1. Build a hexagon and place it on DB. A hexagon is a 1x2x3 block + a corner in the DFL slot.
  • 2. Solve the E layer. You can use many strategies, including Keyhole.
  • 3 or 4. Simultaneously orient the U-layer corners while inserting the last corner. You can use CLS or CSO (which disregards edge orientation) for this. If you use CLS, this step can be number 4.
  • 3 or 4. Use L5EOP to orient the U-layer edges while inserting the last D-layer edge. A two-step approach, first intuitively inserting the edge and then orienting with OELL, requires only 3 algorithms.
  • 5. Permute the Last Layer.

Pros

  • After the hexagon, the method requires very few cube rotations; steps 2 through 4 can be done using only R, U, r, u, and M moves.
  • Look ahead is usually easy, and recognition is not too hard.
  • There is a lot of freedom in step 2.

Cons

  • CLS/CSO has 104 algorithms.
  • The move count is slightly higher than many other speedsolving methods.
  • Building the hexagon can be hard to get used to.

Trivia

  • The method is named after its starting shape; an irregular hexagon.

See also

External links