Speedsolving the Cube: Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step Instructions for Many Popular 3-D Puzzles (Paperback)

~ Dan Harris (Author), Robert Steimle (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

They call it “speedcubing”—a mind-bending blur of quick twists and turns that solves Rubik’s Cube in times that have been clocked at less than 20 seconds! Today, thanks to the 2003 revival of the Rubik’s World Championships, speedcubing is spreading like wildfire. Here, complete with detailed illustrations and basic as well as advanced solving techniques, is the ultimate speedcuber’s guide. It not only gives the solution to the familiar 3x3x3 cube (which has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000—that’s 43 quintillion—possible positions), but also the 2x2x2, 4x4x4, and staggeringly difficult 5x5x5 puzzles. With millions of cubes out there and countless would-be champions looking for tips to improve their times, this is the definitive manual for this unique sport.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402753136
• ISBN-13: 978-1402753138
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,683 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #20 in

  Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Math Games

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A serious cubing book, May 18, 2008

By	Norman Richards "..." (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book seems best suited to people who already know how to solve the cube and who would like to find out how to improve their solutions. In my case, I hit a wall with my homebrew solution at about 60 seconds. While 1 minute solves are nice, it's not impressive in a world where a 20 second solve is not terribly competitive. This book seems to have the solution for that. It's too early to claim success, but what I've worked through so far is very good.

Would this book be suitable for a cubing novice? That's a tough call. The book does start from scratch teaching a basic solution, but I feel other resources online are a little clearer for the absolute beginner. However, a dedicated learner could work entirely from the book. Just keep in mind that pace is very quick, and the author doesn't do that much hand holding.

Would this book be suitable for an experienced speed cuber? That's hard to say, since I'm not in that category. If you follow another solving system, the book should be a very easy introduction to the authors strategy. I suspect that no matter where you are, you'll get a few new algorithms and tricks. There's also the 2x2x2, 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 solutions, which ought to provide additional value to the hardcore cuber.

This book is deceptively short. Although it weighs in at barely 160 pages, there's really a lot of content if you work through the material. It's taken a week to work through the first 50 pages, and that's just the intro material. I suspect it will be months, if not years, before I've even come close to exhausting what the book has to offer. In that regard, it's a tremendous value, and I can wholeheartedly recommend the book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first step to becoming a speed cuber starts with this book!, June 20, 2008

By	Wolfgang Jaeger (Pleasant Grove, UT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had tried to learn the so-called "speed cubing" methods online and had been completely frustrated. Dan Harris lays it all out perfectly: it is very easy to follow and understand. That doesn't mean that the technique is all that easy to learn: with a massive amount of algorithms to memorize it will certainly be an undertaking of some months before you can claim complete mastery of the CFOP method.
The sections on the 2x2, 4x4, and 5x5 cubes are also very easy to follow. There is one typo that I found in the 5x5 chapter. The algorithms in Table 8.3, p125 are wrong: they are written (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) (U2 u2) (R' r') (R r) and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) (U2 u2) (R2 r2). I spent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't complete the centers. I found that the correct algoritms are (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) U2 (R' r') and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U2 (R2 r2).
At the end of the book there is also a chapter that has algorithms for all sorts of cool patterns that can be applied to an already finished cube.
This is a great book and no true Rubik's fanatic should be without it!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written Book, April 17, 2008

By	Brandon Simpson "Author of 'Demystifying Span... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

I think this book is very well written. Dan Harris clearly knows his way around a Rubik's cube. My favorite part of the book was the section on the history of the cube and the stats.

Even though the book is good, it is difficult to solve the cube without actually seeing someone do it. I learned how to solve the Rubik's cube from a YouTube video by Dan Brown. I think his YouTube user name is Pogobot.

Brandon Simpson