slateblog

This ought to be unnecessary. The Gear Cube can be solved with just one algorithm and this has two. However, they’re so simple that I forget them all the time. It’s dumb. And it’s easy to fix! Just make a quick blog entry for it to go along all those other algorithm entries. OK, let’s get to it: First get the corners, which is really quite simple. Then worry about those edges. This algorithm swaps the top-front center and the top-back center. I don’t usually forget that, but the R2, U, R2, U sometimes eludes me. That is enough to solve the Gear Cube, but not the Gear Ball which needs something to move around those pesky inner edges. Here you can move around eight at a time. If all are awry, just do this algorithm twice. If not, you should have one stripe of correctly-placed inner edges. Put that in your M layer, going from left to right and do a R, U, R, U, R, U algorithm. Then of course, just rotating those final edge pieces is a cinch. So, there you go! Easy to remember!

I love me those odd-numbered cubes. Those even-numbered ones are a PITA sometimes and their parity is obnoxious. However, a nice 5×5 is a relaxing, fun jaunt. And relaxing is the word to use…as it’s not difficult and there’s only this parity to know. It’s an easy algorithm but I’d forgotten it along the way. Muscle memory only goes so far when you haven’t used it in a year plus. Here’s a quick-to-look-up algorithm. Placing the mismatched singletons on the right just do the following algorithm for an easy fix!

(Ll)’ / U² / (Ll)’ / U²
F² / (Ll)’ / F² / (Rr)
U² / (Rr)’ / U² / (Ll)²

I remember buying my Skewb when I was just getting into cubing and realized…it’s not that cool. There’s really no true challenge and therefore it sat on my shelf, rarely touched. In the years since, I’ve purchased other octahedral puzzles: the skewb diamond, the rainbow cube, a face-turning octahedron, the flower rex cube. And it turns out…nah, they’re not that cool either.

Among my collection, those are collectively my least-favorite bunch of cubes.

However, I should at least know how to solve them, and I only recently realized I never actually solved my Skewb Diamond. So, I went out to figure it out and I was beyond frustrated. Tutorials weren’t clear enough (I plan on making my own) and it just annoyed me. But now, I think I have it down, and so as usual I’m tossing up some algorithms for future reference as I will inevitably put these away and forget about them…again!

Let’s get to it!

Skewb: (R’ / L / R / L’)(Alg will turn front center piece)

1. Solve White Face
2. Match Centers
3. Top-Layer Corners

The second step will swap the Front and Top centers as well as Left and Right centers.

The last maneuver requires the algorithm to be performed twice.

4 Incorrect

• Place yellow headlights on left (facing left)
• Place yellow on front right facing front
• Place yellow on back right facing back

Bar – Algorithm 2x

• Yellow in Front Right – Facing Right
• Yellow in Back Left – Facing Back

Skewb Diamond

Step One
The first step is to solve one side, not including the single-sticker center.

Then find one other correctly-placed corner to make a second complete side.

Step Two
Now, with a four-color piece facing you, place that new, correctly-placed piece in the back left and rotate the puzzle forward. The correct piece is now in the front-left position and the original face is on the left in your left palm. Perform this algorithm:

Solve All Corners
R / U’ / R’ / U / F

Step Three
You will face one of two situations. You’ll have to swap a three-cycle of faces or you’ll have four.

Four-Cycle
To swap four, place a four-sticker piece facing you. This algorithm swaps top & below 4-sticker piece as well as swapping top right back & top left back. The algorithm is:

Four-Cycle
R / U / R’ / U’ (x3)

Three Cycle
Find the base side (around which the three cycle goes) and put that in left palm.

Colors of the three-cycle around this face will be on bottom, back-left and top-left.

Using the opposite side of base side (same color) as your front face, the single-sticker triangle looking right at you with a flat top. Remember, one ill-placed center will be on the bottom.

Three-Cycle
Clockwise: U / R / U / R’ (x2)
Counter-CW: R / U’ / R’ / U’ (x2)

I wasn’t too enamored with summer cube purchases but last night’s 2x4x6 victory was quite a memorable one. I went back to the face-turning octahedron today and tried Super Antonio Vivaldi’s tutorial. I conquered this one in the past but it wasn’t all too fun. Trying this again…I don’t know if it really is. The eight-faced beast challenges my brain…I guess that’s a good thing. Anyways, algorithms that I keep forgetting…

Years later I’m updating this section to be a bit more clear. I’ve gotten a bit better at things by now (February 2022, to be specific) so let’s hope it’s even easier in the future!!!

Step 1: Get 3 corners
This is intuitive. Get all the corners on one color’s face set up properly. Don’t worry about anything else.

Step 2: Solve remaining corners
Place your first face downwards and scope out the top. You’re going to get the next three corners aligned. We’re going to use the standard algorithm here, but where we begin depends on how things turn.

You should have one corner piece in the proper spot here and aligned properly. (I suppose if you don’t, do this algorithm twice).

Holding the pointy corner towards you, you’ll do the traditional D, D, U, U.

If you start R’, L, R, L’

• Both the front and right corners will swap spots clockwise and they’ll rotate.
• The left corner will slide right but won’t rotate.
• Thus, keep the properly-aligned piece in the left corner and do this algorithm.

If you start L, R’, L’, R

• Both the front and left corners will swap spots counter-clockwise and they’ll rotate.
• The right corner will slide left but won’t rotate.
• Thus, keep the properly-aligned piece in the right corner and do this algorithm.

Step 3: Solve edges
Now we’re going to rotate edge triangles. This 3×3 algorithm is slightly modified and is done with the right and top faces. You’ll hold the puzzle with a tip facing you, but angled downwards so the algorithm can be done using the top layer. This will rotate three edges, either clockwise or counter-clockwise and will require deconstruction/reconstruction to get everything in order. I try to refrain from using two moves-algorithm-undo those two moves b/c my brain isn’t so smart.

Clockwise: R, U, R’, U, R, U, R’, U
Counterclockwise: R’, U’, R, U’, R’, U’, R, U’

Step 3: 3-Cycle centers
This moves the UR center to UL center to LL center (left face, left center)
Use the face with the 1 center and slice down. (a M’, I suppose)
Your LL center should now be in the UR center spot
R down, L down, R up
Move the slice back
R down, L up, R up

Maybe I should just quit cubing entirely. My recent purchases are all giving me a hard time and I feel less and less capable of doing any of this any more! Today, I’ve gotten closer to solving the 2x4x6 cuboid. Closer. I haven’t done it yet. I say this because I purchased it in July. That’s three months ago. It’s stumped me for more than three months.

My woes may soon come to a close, though. I think I might be able finish this. The problem is I never feel like I have time to dedicate to it. I couldn’t even write this post without having a child of mine climb all over me.

However, I hope for success to be in my future. Using Super Antonio Vivaldi’s parity tutorial, I’m working through the last few stragglers. I’ll forego writing about the first steps for now and get into the last parity algorithms.

First, get the orange & red touching white & yellow edge pieces. Then get the middle-center edge pieces (for me, green & blue touching white & yellow). You may encounter parity here. Then get the outer center edge pieces using the same algorithms.

The inner centers are next. Inner 2×2 blocks are done just like doing the last centers on a higher-order standard cube. Line up the centers, down, right, down, left, up, right, up, left. Hope that still makes sense. Outer centers are last and can use the same parity algorithms, though that’s where I’m stuck as I write this. Here’s what you need to know.

Even Layered Parity (4 edge pieces swap)(Same as 3x4x5)
2U 2R 2F 2U 2u 2F 2R 2U

Brick Parity (3 edge pieces swap)(Right side)
2F U 2R U’ 2L U 2R U’ 2L
2F 2r 2F
2L U 2R U’ 2L U 2R U’
2F 2r

Brick Parity (Left Side)
2F U’ 2L U 2R U’ 2L U 2R
2F 2l 2F
2R U’ 2L U 2R U’ 2L U
2F 2l

This works for inner or outer centers. Here’s how these pieces move.

The left side brick parity would rotate 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 1 and our view of the back layer would be (as you flip & look at it):
3 – – –
– – – 1

The front layer would be
2 – – –
– – – –

Right would be opposite. Dunno if this helps.

Floppy Parity (2 Edges – Front-Left piece + Down-Back-left piece)
2R 2B 2U L 2U R’ 2U R 2U 2F R 2F L’ 2B 2R
(Then do 2l and Red Bull 2x more)

Edit: Solved It!!! Three months of frustration! Now…to put it on the shelf proper or to scramble again? Hmmm. :)

I’ve received my new cubes and one of them is a strange one. The MoYu Crazy Yileng Fisher Cube (long title!) is a cool 3×3 shape mod but it requires the flipping of centers. Since I generally dislike picture cubes, I never bothered to know these.

In working on this puzzle, I need to remember these. One isn’t bad. The other may take me a bit. Therefore: Algorithms! This is just for my future reference. Which I’ll need.

180º (place on top)
R U R’ U (x5) or
(R U R’ U’) (R’ F) (R2 U’) (R’ U’ R U) (R’ F’)

90º (place on top & right)
[(R U’ R U) (R U) (R U’) (R’ U’ R2)] X 3

I think I like this puzzle. The standard 3x3x2 is just a quick solve, not one I dedicate much time or effort to. However this is a different take on things and perhaps I’ll extend my collection into the bigger crazy cubes. I’d like a basic Crazy 3x3x3. In any event, for now, I wanted to write up some notes. Here is my solve method and my latch piece is red/green/yellow. That’ll lock the center circle in place.

1. Solve inner cross
2. Solve inner corners (on Right) (R2/U2/R2/U2)
3. Find ‘latch’ corner – keep on bottom (left)
4. Solve bottom outer edges (keep latch out of the way)
5. Solve bottom corners (use a dummy piece)
6. Adjacent corner swap (latch on back-left)(headlights in front)
   • Turn 180 degrees and move headlights to the right side)
   • Reverse (2L/U’/2L/U/2L – rotate clockwise – 2L/U/2L/U’/2L)
7. Last-layer edge swaps (keep latch out of the way)

I got this one a few months back and was entirely stumped. It’s only the second cube to leave me without a solution completely. (The other is WitEden’s Camouflage 3x3x4 – and I think I broke that one!) Anyways, thanks to MartyWolfman’s marvelous tutorial; I can now solve it! I love cubing but I’m not the most brilliant at coming up with my own algorithms and solutions. For this one, he used a lot of beginner’s method algorithms: something I’d forgotten entirely! For purposes of going back to this puzzle, here are some algorithms and methods of solving. I might need this entry someday!

Inserting Middle Layer

Right + Back
R / U / R / U / R / U’ / R’ / U’ / R’

Right + Front
R’ / U’ / R’ / U’ / R’ / U / R / U / R

Last-Layer Situations

• If Dot (Algorithm 2x)
• If L (Place L in F & R)
• If Bar (Place on L & R)

Turn top 2 layers to the R face = Y
Y’ / R / Y / R / U / R’ / U’ / Y’ / R’ / Y

Then fix BR bottom corner
R’ / U2 / R (to orient)
R’ / U’ / R

Then re-fix middle layer

Orient Last Layer

One top piece last layer facing you on left
R / U / R’ / U / R / U2 / R’

Put proper piece on BR
R / U2 / R’ / U’ / R / U’ / R’

Final Layer Edge-Piece 3-Cycle (correct piece in back)
R / U’ / R / U / R / U / R / U’ / R’ / U’/ R2

I hate this algorithm and I always forget it. Having just purchased a 4x4x6 cuboid, I found the first time I got close to solving it, I ran into this familiar parity. So…for the purposes of ease (i.e. I can look it up on my site whenever!) here’s the algorithm!!!

r2, B2, U2, l, U2, r’, U2, r, U2, F2, r, F2, l’, B2, r2