We continue stacking Rubik themed obsessions. Let's start with Rubik's Race, a cool puzzle somewhat resembling the 15 puzzle. The players get a random 3x3 pattern and compete in matching the pattern on the boards by sliding the tiles as quickly as possible. Simon created a digital one player version on Replit.com:

Play: https://rubiksracesimulator.simontiger.repl.co/
Simon's Code: https://replit.com/@simontiger/RubiksRaceSimulator#index.html

And then there came the big day when Simon's real cubes from the SpeedCubeShop finally got customs clearance and arrived!

Simon's currently completely in love with his 5x5, even though it pops sometimes. No problem, Simon assembles it back together in a matter of hours! Below are the current personal best and average scores:

  • superflip!
  • assembling the 5x5
  • the 3x3 inside the 5x5
  • First timed 5x5 solve: just over 6 min

We have also discovered that setting up a cubing station outside can be quite entertaining. Simon's current PB on a 3x3 is just above 43 seconds:

What Simon seems to be enjoying most is not so much improving his speed as challenging himself with new ways to solve puzzles and new puzzles to solve. A second batch with more difficult puzzles is on its way from the SpeedCubeShop. While he is waiting for those, Simon is teaching himself to solve the 3x3 blindfolded, which is a very different method involving memorizing letter sequences.

letters for blind solving (from jperm.net)

Solving is, of course, not enough. Simon also enjoys exploring the internal structure of the thing and that means going all the way to the core:

a 3x3 and its core
the current status, what Simon can and can not solve so far

I mostly learn from CubeSkills. If CubeSkills doesn't have it, I fall back to J Perm. If J Perm doesn't have it, I fall back to Z3Cubing. And Z3cubing has it. (Except for 5BLD where I don't know a single person who knows how to do it 😞)

Neva has also been teaching herself using Feliks Zemdegs' tutorials on CubeSkills.com and has learned most of the most basic version of CFOP: "The only thing I don't know yet are some last layer algorithms!"

training a blind technique
Neva timing herself solving one F2L pair