New Rubik's Cube World Record Set—11.13 Seconds BLINDFOLDED

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Read all about it on CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/16/rubiks.ap/index.html).
As if 11.13 seconds wasn't bad enough, the guy did it blindfolded! :eek:

[Ghoulish Delight]

Having once had the solution memorized, the blindfolding isn't all that impressive. The solution is a repeated pattern, nearly identicle every time. Once you've got your starting position set, it's simply a matter of repeating the motions.

The speed, however, is insane. I don't think I could have even done it in under a minute.

[Alex]

I didn't read the article. I assume he wasn't blindfolded until AFTER seeing the initial configuration?

If blindfolded from the beginning then much more impressive. But I once played a game of chess against a guy who played me and three other boards simultaneously while sitting under my dorm room desk unable to see any of the boards. He won all four games.

I also had another dorm mate on the gymnastics team who could do a one-handed hand stand on the back of my deak chair without tipping it over. I've never decided which of these feats impressed me more (since I could never do either of them).

[Ghoulish Delight]

I didn't read the article. I assume he wasn't blindfolded until AFTER seeing the initial configuration?Good point, I forgot to make that caveat to my yawn. Like I said, the mechanics to solving the cube are nearly identical every time, save for one or two points which depend on the starting configuration. If the contestants are able to inspect the starting configuration before being blindfolded, then it's really not a significant handicap to be blindfolded, just a mattter of muscle memory.

[Kevy Baby]

I wonder if there is a mathematical solution where you are never more than X number of moves from a solution?