The possibility of solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube under 2 seconds - Optimizing block building

Block building is an essential skill in speedcubing competitions. However, there is currently no systematic method to understand or analyze block-building techniques. Rewatching gameplay reveals only the outcome, not the underlying mechanism. This paper presents a systematic approach, the “AK-cubie method” (or “cubie method” for short), for constructing near-optimal block-building move sequences within a short computation time. Speedcubers can use the accompanying software to train their look-ahead and block-building skills. We hope this work will contribute to breaking the 2-second world record in the near future.