Table abuse
In one-handed speedsolving, table abuse is the technique of frequently using the table to get unstuck or to execute a move with more ease. Roux OH solvers are especially known for their table abuse for M-slice turns and have turned it into a veritable style; Thom Barlow is believed to be the first to popularize this style.
The term "table abuse" was originally negative. Indeed, the WCA regulations between 2004 and 2007 explicitly forbade the use of the table in OH:
- Article C: One-handed Solving
- ...
- During the solve no other body part or the table or any other available object may touch the puzzle. Once a competitor touches the puzzle with one hand, he may not touch the puzzle with the other hand.
- If the competitor drops the puzzle unintentionally during a solve, the competitor may start doing moves again when the puzzle has no contact with the surface anymore.
The mention of table was removed in the 2008 regulations [5], thus legalizing table abuse. The legality of the technique remained a common question among speedcubers through around 2010. Some, including Thom Barlow, dispute the term "abuse."[6]
Angles
Most Roux practitioners of table abuse press on the cube's DR edges at a 45 degree angle onto the table. Another method is to lean on the FR edge at a 45 degree angle (see Alex Lau's video in External Links).
