Blinfolding 3x3x3
by Brian Nicole Uy
This blog I created will teach you how to Blindfold solve a Rubik’s Cube 3x3x3. The method I am going to describe here is the “Two-Cycle Method”, but I am going to describe my way of memorization. You can get to as fast as 5 minutes with this method.
First of all, remember that the Rubik’s Cube has only 20 movable pieces, 8 Corners and 12 Edges. So it is like you have to remember 20 stuffs.
We blindfold the Rubik’s cube 3x3x3 in four steps: Orient Corners, Orient Edges, Permute Corners and Permute Edges, Respectively.
We memorize the Rubik’s Cube in this order: Edge Permutations, Corner Permutations, Edge Orientations, and Corner Orientation. I will tell you later why.
You can say that Blindfolding is hard, but actually it is not. You can think that turning each side can ruin your illustration, and you are correct, but we have formulae or algorithms that we can use to avoid this problem.
Here are the following formulae that I am using:
Let me give you some Arithmetic:
B+B=0
A+A=0
A+B=B
B+A=A
0+A=B
0+B=A
Let me give you a group:
Eo={(U,U’)(D,D’)(F,F’)(B,B’)(2L,2R)}
The Eo group is not a formula but a group
Orientation
Edge Orientation:
SS :{( M U M U M) 2U (M’ U M’ U M’) 2U} --- It flips the UB (Upper
Back) edge and the UF (Upper Front) edge.
SS :{( M U)
4(M’U)
4} ---It flips four edges: {(UF) (UB) (UL) (UR)}
Corner Orientation:
SS :{[( R’ D’) (R D)] 2 U [(D’ R’) (D R)] 2 U’} ---It twists the UFR corner Counter-Clockwise and the UBR corner Clockwise
Permutation
SS :{( R U R’) (U’R’) F 2R (U’R’) U’ (R U R’) F’} ---It swaps UR with UL and swaps UFR with UBR. It looks like a T, so it is called the “T-Permutation”.
Okay, let us go to the memorization phase
Follow this scramble, White face on top and red face on front:
D F2 L2 F R2 U D R2 F2 L' F U2 L2 R F' U2 F2 R U' F' D' R' B2 D L'
Memorization Phase:
Let me tell you how I name each pieces of a Rubik’s Cube 3x3x3
Corners
UFL
1
UFR
2
UBR
3
UBL
4
DFL
5
DFR
6
UBR
7
UBL
8
Edges
UL
A
UF
B
UR
C
UB
D
FL
E
FR
F
BR
G
BL
H
DF
I
DR
J
DB
K
DL
L
You can notice I named the corners and edges position in a counter-clockwise manner.
We are going to hold the cube in a way where the white center is on top and red center on front
Permutation Memorization:
Edge Permutation:
We memorize the Edges using sequences of letters
Okay, let me tell you, we will swap two edges at a time using the T-Permutation. We always swap the UR with the UL.
I WILL REWRITE THIS PHASE
Corner Permutation
Corners
UFL
1
UFR
2
UBR
3
UBL
4
DFL
5
DFR
6
UBR
7
UBL
8
There are eight corners on a Rubik’s Cube 3x3x3, and we will name each corner position in a counter clockwise manner
I WILL REWRITE THIS PHASE
Finally, this is the easiest part.
Orientation Memorization:
Edge Orientation
Okay, let me teach you first how to Identify if an edge is oriented or not.
Let me give you a group:
Eo={(U,U’)(D,D’)(F,F’)(B,B’)(2L,2R)(2U,2D)(2F,2B)}
An Edge is oriented if it can reach its destination when and if you use any of the dominant or range any of the ordered pair of the Eo group. I mean, that certain edge can reach its solution if you use any of the maneuver or any combination of maneuvers on the Eo group.
Let me demonstrate to you how:
Look at your cube; let us identify each edge one by one.
Edge A:
It is already oriented and permuted, so don’t need to remember its permutation and orientation. Just leave it, do not disturb it.
Edge B:
Okay, let as use the Group above to put the edge B to its correct position.
SS :{ 2U B’}
If you perform the solution set above I just wrote, it will put that Edge B to its correct position right? If so, then that edge is oriented. So don’t mind it also.
Edge C:
Okay, you can imagine if you do an R’ move, it can reach its position right? But R’ is not included in the Eon group, so it means that edge is inoriented.
Edge D:
SS :{ 2U F’}
2U move and F’ move, is with in the Eo group and it reach its correct position in a correct. So it is oriented.
Edge E:
SS :{ F’}
So it is oriented
Edge F:
SS :{ 2R 2B}
2R and 2B is with in the Eo group. It is then oriented.
Edge G, H and I are oriented
Edge J:
Using any moves in the Eo group cannot put the J edge in its correct position and correct orientation, so it is considered inoriented
Edge K:
SS :{ D’}
So it is oriented.
Edge L is also oriented.
So now you have identified the orientation of edges. Only C and J are inoriented so you only have to remember two letters. It is easy right?
Just remember that you can use any move except {(R, R’) (L, L’)} to test if an edge is oriented. If it cannot reach its solution by just using any moves with in the Eo group, then it is immediately considered inoriented.
PS: There are cases when there are more inoriented edges than oriented ones. So you just have to do is to remember the oriented edges instead of inoriented ones. But if there are less inoriented edges than oriented ones, then you just have to remember the inoriented edges. It is Just a common sense.
Corner Orientation
Okay, the reason we memorize the corner orientation last is because the first step in solving process is the corner orientation. So it means you only have to put the Corner Orientation Memorization in a short term memory. I hope you now get it.
This can be a bit tricky.
A corner can be considered oriented when one of its three colors face the same direction or opposite the direction of its top or bottom center color. Example, the top of your cube right now is white and bottom is yellow. So it means all the yellow and white of all the corners should be facing either up or down, whatever which is logically possible. Let me show you in this scramble
Corner 1: It is oriented, because its white color is facing the same direction as the white center.
Corner 2: Is inoriented, because the white color is not facing the same direction as the white center.
Corner 3: It is also inoriented because its yellow color is not facing up ward, which is opposite to where the yellow center is facing.
Corner 4-5, 7-8: Those are also inoriented.
It is so obvious if a corner is oriented or not, but there is one problem, a corner can be either inoriented or twisted counter-clockwise or clockwise.
Let me show you how to identify if a corner needs to be twisted clockwise or counter clockwise.
The oriented Corners are 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8
2 must be twisted counter clockwise in order to be oriented
3 must be twisted clockwise
4, clockwise
5, counter clockwise
7, counter clockwise
8, clockwise
Let all counter clockwise=B and all clockwise=A
You can memorize this way: 2B 3A 4A 5B 7B 8A or B257 A248
But any way, the first step in solving process is orienting the corners, so you just need to put the Corner Orientation memorization in your SHORT-TERM MEMORY.
I memorize this way: I don’t memorize them as a sequence, but I visualize them. I imagine the corner on Down Left Back is, for example B; Up Right Back as B also, Down Front Right as A and et cetera.
It depends on you.
All memorization depends on you
So in all, you have to remember these
Lenny Bad Girl Is Badly Dead Elsewhere. Killed Him Dead. Fernando Junior Flew
852
CJ
B257 A248
So it is easy right?
This is easier comparing to the Memorization Phase
The Solving Phase
Method written by Brian Nicole Uy(I am not the one who invented this method by the way, I got it from somewhere else I can't seem to remember, I just did some variation on the original 2-cycle method for Cubers of Chiang Kai Shek College, I forgot the inventor of this method too. Sorry.)
