WCA Events, Hardware, World Records and More!

WCA (World Cube Association) Puzzles, World Records, Best Speed Cubes, and NAR's (North American Record)

Besides the puzzles I am showing you today, there are some other WCA puzzles that are not cubic. They are: Pyraminx, Megaminx, Skewb, Square-1, and Clock

7x7

• Single- Feliks Zemdegs, 2:23.55, NAR- Kevin Hays, 2:30.35
• Average- Feliks Zemdegs, 2:30.14, NAR- Kevin Hays, 2:42.85
• Best Cube, Moyu Aofu, basically the only good one on the market. Very good though.
• Extra info- If you wanted to see the exact moves that Feliks did on his single, you can't, because he does the solve almost entirely under the table.

Along with Kevin Hays (MERICA), Feliks is the best 7x7 solver, so when the Aofu GT came out, some World Records were made.

6x6

• Single- Kevin Hays, 1:33.35 (NAR)
• Average- Feliks Zemdegs, 1:43.83, NAR- Kevin Hays, 1:45.98
• Best Cube,Moyu Aoshi, and again, the only good one on the market.
• Extra Info- A lot of cubers go straight from 5x5 to 7x7, skipping 6x6 completely. This is because 6x6's don't turn extremely well, even the good ones.

Kevin Hays specializes in big cubes. Feliks Zemdegs specializes in all cubes.

5x5

• Single-Feliks Zemdegs, 44.83, NAR- Kevin Hays, 51.26
• Average-Feliks Zemdegs, 50.15, NAR- Kevin Hays, 55.66
• Best Cube, Yuxin 5x5, but new Moyu Bochuang looks very promising, but is not out to the market just yet
• Extra Info- The main of most currently is the Yuxin, because it has larger outer layers for better 3x3 stage.

How Do You Solve It?
You use the same method on 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7, so I will tell you next.

4x4

• Single- Feliks Zemdegs, 21.54, NAR- Bill Wang, 25.10
• Average- Sebastian Weyer, 26.03, NAR- Kevin Costello III, 29.20
• Best Cube, Mini Moyu Aosu, challenged by many new ones this year, but most people think it's still the best.
• Extra Info- Every odd-layered cube (2x2, 4x4, 6x6...) has the internal mechanism of the next layered cube... sort of.

How To Solve a 4x4 (Basically)

• There are two main methods, Reduction and Yau.
• Yau is the faster one, but Reduction is the beginner method of 4x4
• Reduction- Solve the centers, solve the edges, and then solve like a 3x3. There are two cases on 3x3 stage that you can't get on a normal 3x3 though.
• Yau- Kind of like a mixed up reduction. Solve two centers, solve three edges, solve the remaining centers, solve the remaining edges, and solve like a 3x3.

2x2

• Single-Rami Sbahi, 0.69 (NAR)
• Average- Lucas Etter, 1.51 (NAR)
• Best Cube,Dayan or Moyu Tangpo, Personal Preference
• A lot of people don't like the Dayan because they say it's slow and pops too much. but all the faster people use them, and the world records have been set with them too.

How To Solve a 2x2

• There are a lot of methods.
• Most people learn them in this order: LBL (Layer By Layer), Ortega, CLL, EG1, EG2
• LBL- Solve one layer, solve opposite face, solve opposite layer
• Ortega- Solve one face, solve opposite face, solve the rest.
• CLL- Solve one layer, solve the rest
• EG1- Solve one face a specific way, solve the rest
• EG2- Solve one face the other way, solve the rest.
• Pros use a combination of CLL, EG1, and EG2

And Finally, 3x3

• Single- Lucas Etter, 4.90
• Average- Feliks Zemdegs, 6.54
• Best Cube- This is majorly based on opinion. A lot of people like the Guoguan Yuexaio, which is a side company of a very successful cube brand, Moyu.

How to Solve a 3x3

• There are also many methods for 3x3
• The most common method is the Fridrich Method, AKA CFOP
• The method you were taught is a simplified CFOP method
• You start by making a cross (C)
• Then, instead of putting in the corners and edges separately to form the middle layer, you connect the corner and edge in the top layer and put it in where it is supposed to go. It is called F2L (F)
• F2L is the longest step
• Then, instead of making a yellow cross
• F2L stands for First 2 Layers
• Then, instead of making a yellow cross and then the yellow face, you use one algorithm to solve the whole face. This is called OLL (Orienting Last Layer)
• Finally, instead of solving the corners and then the edges, you solve it all in one step. This is called PLL (Permuting Last Layer)