Results of contest #173 (Sep 6, 2019)

(F' D B U) // EO (4/4)
B' L' B' R' F' // ~ DR (5/9)
R2 L2 B' U2 // Ps 2x2x2 (4/13)
L B2 U2 // F2L-1 (3/16)
R F' R' D2 // end

(U’ L U2 D R) // EO (5/5)
(U F’ B2 U’ R2 D’ B2 D’ F2 U’ F’) // DR (11/16)
(R2 D’ U2 Bw2) // 4X3E (4/20)

Skeleton: Bw2 U2 D R2 F U * F2 D B2 D R2 U B2 F U’ R’ D’ U2 L’ U
* = U2 B’ Bw U2 B’ Bw (6-2/24)

(F' D B U)//eo
L2//sq
(F2)//p
R F' B L U2//223
L' B L2//bad 3e6c

R L2 ** F' B L U2 L' B L2 F2 * U' B' D' F
*R2 U R2 U' (4-1)//good 4c5e
**B' U' F R F' U F' L' F B//holy crap finish

R L2 B' U' F R F' U F' L' B2 L U2 L' B L2 F2 R2 U R2 U2 B' D' F

25

U B R D' F // EO
R2 U' (R' D2) // 2 squares
(R U' R2 L' D2) // 14 to 5c

U B ^ R D' F R2 U' D2 L R2 U R' D2 R

^ - # U2 R D' R' U2 R D R' // 18 to 3c
# - R U L U' R' U L' U' (25)

Solution: U B R U L U' R' U L' U R D' R' U2 R F R2 U' D2 L R2 U R' D2 R

U' R D' F U2 R' U R2 //2x2x3
U' L' F' L' F L2 //f2l-1
U' L U' L' U L * U L' U' //AB3C

insertion: * R' U L' U' R U L U' (8-6)

R' U' F L2 D B2 D' U2 B2 F2 U' F2 U2 R D B F R D2 B L' U2 F' U' R' U' F
F' U R U F U2 L B' D2 R' F' B' D' R' U2 F2 U F2 B2 U2 D B2 D' L2 F' U R

U B R D' F' //EO
L2 F2 D' F2 D //223
L U' L' (L2) //F2L-1
(U L' U2 L) //F2L
R' U2 R U R' U R U //yes, this is optimal

U B R D' F' L2 F2 D' F2 D L U' L' R' U2 R U R' U R U L' U2 L U' L2 (26)

R (B' D' U R') // EO (5/5)
D' B' U F' D F2 D' U // bad 6c (8/13)
Skeleton: R D' B' * U F' D F2 D' ^ U R U' D % B
* = F' D F U F' D' F U' // 5c (8-7/14)
^ = L D2 L' U L D2 L' U' // 3c (8-2/20)
% = U2 B' D2 B U2 B' D2 B // solved (8-2/26)

SOL R' F2 U' F2 U2 F' U'
SOL B' R2 L' D' L U D' F' U' R U F D R2 U'
INV R' D B2 R'

U' D' F D2 B' // EO (5)
L F2 R2 // 2 squares (3/8)
(U' L D' ) // AB4E6C (3/11)
(B2 U' R2 U B2) // AB4C (5/16)

U' D' F * D2 B' L ** F2 R2 B2 U' R2 U B2 D L' U

* F' R2 F L F' R2 F L' (8-2/22)
** L' B R B' L B R' B' (8-4/26)

R' U2 F B R' // EO + 3 pairs (5/5)
F U B' R2 * F' // 123 + square (5/10)
U' ^ B' D2 F U F' D // 3e3c (7/17)

* = R' L F2 R L' U2 (6-1/22)
^ = U' F' U B' U' F U B (8-3/27)

found a really lucky 22 to 3c

(F B D' L F2) //pseudo-2x2x2 5/5
(B D' R' F) //pseudo-2x2x3 4/9

now (D' F) F' is very tempting. that leads to F2L-1 in 12, but with 4 misoriented edges (I actually got a 32 out of that, shown at the bottom)

instead I switched:

F2 D L B L' //EO 5/14
B2 R D' R' //F2L-1 4/18

you can see how I was still able to take advantage of the pair. F2L-1 is 6 moves longer with EO added in the middle, which, considering 4 edges were flipped, isn't bad.

now the lucky part:

B D' B2 D //AB3C 4/22

solving F2L from F2L-1 would have led to a 24-move F2L into an 11-move ZBLL (just diag-sune COLL)

Insertions cancelled 2:

F2 (*) D L B L' B2 R D' R' B D' B2 D F' R D B' F2 L' D B' F'

(*) [F' U F, D'], cancels 1 at the beginning and 1 at the end. there were a couple comms that cancelled 2 "purely". also optimal insertion.

other promising starts I found:

5-move EO on inverse: (R' F' D' L2 B)
3 pairs in 3 moves on normal: U' B' D2

now for the promised 32, which I found in the first 15 minutes:


(F B D' L F2) //pseudo-2x2x2 5/5
(B D' R' F) //pseudo-2x2x3 4/9
(D' F) F' //F2L-1 3/12
D L' D' L D L' D' L //F2L 8/20
U D2 R' D R' D' R2 D R' D U' B2 //LL 12/32

double sledge into a long OLL+PLL skip. actually this OLL is the optimal LLEF :)

After I found this (which is pretty good for my standards) I spent the last 45 minutes trying other starts. Eventually, in the last 15 minutes I ended up trying to switch after the 2x2x3. Classic example of why you should not give up after a good result, because something better might be waiting for you :)

(F' D' B U) //EO (4/4)
R2 B R [1] //Setup to 3c1e (3/7)
(D2 F2 B' R B' R') //DR (6/13)
L2 D2 F * U2 B2 L2 B' R2 D2 [2] //2e2e (9/22)

Then I have inserted 2 3-cycles:
[1] = U' D' F2 U D' L2 (6-3)
[2] = L B2 L' R D2 R' (6-2)

For 29, but I should have remembered the 8 mover:
* = R2 D2 F2 R2 U2 L2 B2 U2 (8-6)

For 22. I tried to reconstruct it for like 10 minutes, without success :(

(B F D’) // square (3/3)
(L F2 D’) // pseudo 2x2x2 (3/6)
F // fix pseudo (1/7)
(B’ F D F’) // 2x2x3+2 pairs (4/11)
B’ R’ D’ R D // F2L-1 (5/16)
U R’ U’ R B’ // AB4C (5/21)

F B’ R’ D’ R D U R’ U’ R B’ F D’ F’ B D F2 L’ D F’ B’

F B’ R’ D’ R U + D R’ U’ R B’ F D’ F’ B D F2 L’ & D F’ B’
+ R’ U2 R D R’ U2 R D’ (8-5/24)
& B’ D F2 D’ B D F2 D’ (8-3/29)

Final: F B' R' D' R U R' U2 R D R' U R F B' D' F' B D F2 L' B' D F2 D' B D F B'

R B R L B' L2 U F' B' //222
D F' R2 //333
F D2 L' * F' L //F2L-I
D F L' F' L D //Skeleton
* = L2 F' D2 L2 B' L2 B D2 L2 F

U' B D' R2 F // EO (5)
L F2 # U' R' D // 2x2 (5)
U D L D' R' U' R B2 // F2L-1 (8-1)
L' D & L D' L // 3C (5)

No optimal insertion on this skeletton :'(

I beat IF by doing this :

#: L2 U' R' U L2 U' R U (8-6) still 3c
&: D' R D L2 D' R' D L2 (8-3)

Block building start