# Welcome Thay Cambridge 2015



## joey (Nov 10, 2015)

We're holding another Cambridge (UK) competition!

Date: 19/20 th December
Location: ARM, Cambridge (same as last two years)

Check the UKCA site for more details: http://www.ukca.org/competitions/upcoming-competitions/welcome-thay-cambridge-2015

(note: FMC might be swapped for Megaminx, so the schedule may change slightly)


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## Isaac Lai (Nov 10, 2015)

What is "thay" supposed to mean?


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## joey (Nov 10, 2015)

Previous competition was "Welcome To Cambridge" (To welcome Andrea Javier to the UK)

The competition this year is being held because Thaynara is visiting the UK (Thaynara is shortened to Thay, and sounds a bit like To)

Crap joke / word play by me.


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## Ollie (Nov 10, 2015)

Yay, no big BLD. 

Will try and come to this, I should still be in the UK.


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## joey (Nov 10, 2015)

Ollie said:


> Yay, no big BLD.
> 
> Will try and come to this, I should still be in the UK.


Hope you can make it.


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## DuffyEdge (Nov 10, 2015)

There's around a 3% chance I can make this  Would love to come to Cambridge at some point. Hopefully it's in early December next year


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## joey (Nov 10, 2015)

DuffyEdge said:


> There's around a 3% chance I can make this  Would love to come to Cambridge at some point. Hopefully it's in early December next year



Next year? You think way too far in advance. Carpe Diem.


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## Thaynara (Nov 10, 2015)

Thanks Joey for making this happen. I'm looking forward to it a lot!


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## BillyRain (Nov 10, 2015)

In b4 everyone is pronouncing Thay's name like it's spelled


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## joey (Nov 10, 2015)

BillyRain said:


> In b4 everyone is pronouncing Thay's name like it's spelled


Then thay would be wrong 



Thaynara said:


> Thanks Joey for making this happen. I'm looking forward to it a lot!


Gotta do whatya gotta do.


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Nov 10, 2015)

I'll probably go, maybe, perhaps, possibly, I don't know. We'll see. I wouldn't be too surprised if this is the first UK comp I ever miss since I started, considering the time period it'll take place. But I'll see what I can do.


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## OrigamiCuber1 (Nov 10, 2015)

Sorry, I can't make this one .


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## DJ4Y (Nov 10, 2015)

Considering half term holiday will have started by the time this comp comes around, I could probably make it, fingers crossed!


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## fabdabs1234 (Nov 10, 2015)

cant make it


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## illius (Nov 10, 2015)

If you swap FMC out, I may have to rethink my plans. But I'll probably go! Thanks for organising.


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## ~Adam~ (Nov 10, 2015)

Cool schedule.

I'll be there but might drive myself and Sarah up after she finishes work on the Sat.


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## TDM (Nov 10, 2015)

Definitely won't be there (again).


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## newtonbase (Nov 10, 2015)

Bad weekend for me. I'll have to wait for the next comp to mess up 3BLD again!


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## Yes We Can! (Nov 10, 2015)

joey said:


> Crap joke / word play by me.



You're really selling this one!


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## bubbagrub (Nov 10, 2015)

joey said:


> We're holding another Cambridge (UK) competition!



Yay! 



joey said:


> (note: FMC might be swapped for Megaminx, so the schedule may change slightly)



If it makes any difference, I vote for FMC...


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## CubeRoots (Nov 10, 2015)

oh cool I can actually come to this one.


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## Kev43 (Nov 10, 2015)

That's the perfect date for me, I'll try to not miss registration again =D

I like the schedule too !


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## ronaldm (Nov 11, 2015)

Can you remove me from all event plz? I can't make it


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## ~Adam~ (Nov 11, 2015)

I can't see how many have registered on WCA and also forgot to register until just now.


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## joey (Nov 11, 2015)

Thanks to all the people registered so far, keep em coming.


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## chungdavi (Nov 11, 2015)

Just registered for the competition. Hope I'll be able to make it.


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## Thaynara (Nov 11, 2015)

Please remove me from fm. Thanks


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Nov 11, 2015)

This comp, Zak Messenger meets his greatest rival yet...

Personally, I'm routing for Zak Messenger over Zak Messenger.


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## illius (Nov 13, 2015)

It's goals time! (Well, a bit early).

Pyraminx: sub-10/sub-13
Skewb: sub-25/sub-27
3BLD: success/not happening
3x3x3: sub-19/sub-comp pb single
4x4x4: sub-2/not happening
5x5x5: sub-4/not happening
Sq-1: sub-1 maybe if I continue practicing/sub-1:20
OH: sub-45/sub-50
FMC: NR or sub-30 (pick one)/boo no mean 

See you all soon!


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## Ollie (Nov 15, 2015)

I think I can come for Saturday, depends what I can get off and whether I go back to Leicester! 

Some goals:

3x3x3: attend, sub-20 average with ZZ
BLD: average NR


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## Berd (Nov 15, 2015)

No multi  Ah well, can't make this one. Enjoy everyone!


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## illius (Nov 21, 2015)

Can the Sq-1 cutoff (soft) please be 1:30? Also, is FMC going to be changed to (evil) Megaminx?


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## mark49152 (Nov 21, 2015)

Since we're asking, can the 5x5 soft cut please be 4:00?


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## MTGjumper (Nov 21, 2015)

Can the sq1 soft cut be 12 seconds?


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## Berd (Nov 21, 2015)

MTGjumper said:


> Can the sq1 soft cut be 12 seconds?


Savage!


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## Hssandwich (Nov 21, 2015)

Berd said:


> Savage!



Yes?


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## LucidCuber (Nov 21, 2015)

illius said:


> Can the Sq-1 cutoff (soft) please be 1:30? Also, is FMC going to be changed to (evil) Megaminx?



You'll get lucky eventually.


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## illius (Nov 22, 2015)

LucidCuber said:


> You'll get lucky eventually.


I average 1:10 now. I think I'll make it. Never mind about changing the cutoff haha. Also, which hotels to stay in? I haven't been to Cambridge since I was 5, and since my Christmas exeat begins a couple of days before the competition, my parents are considering going round Cambridge again.


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## kinch2002 (Nov 22, 2015)

Yeah, people should practise for half an hour instead of asking for cutoffs to be changed. 1:30 on sq-1 is stupidly slow imo (no offence intended). It's like 30-40 twists to solve with 5 algs.


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## mark49152 (Nov 22, 2015)

kinch2002 said:


> Yeah, people should practise for half an hour instead of asking for cutoffs to be changed.


What is harsh about soft cuts is that they are a barrier to registering an official average at all, even a slow one. What's more, it's inconsistent between countries and events. There are plenty of people slower than me with official 5x5 averages.

Since I started 5x5 I have done 600 timed solves at an overall average of 3:18, which allowing time for scrambling and inspection is about 50 hours of practice, maybe 60-70 with untimed solves and other practice. I know there are people who put in much more, but that's a significant investment born from genuine interest and enthusiasm, not just "half an hour". I'm now at about 2:45, so closing in on the cut, but it will take a lot more effort to get there.

BTW, my question was in jest, and I'm not really complaining, just making an observation and giving the perspective of a competitor who's affected by the cut. I understand the practical reasons for needing harsher cuts on more time-consuming events, and I accept it. In a way it's good to have the cut as a goal rather than some arbitrary PB time, and without the cut I wouldn't ever have the motivation and gratification of beating it .


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## illius (Nov 22, 2015)

kinch2002 said:


> Yeah, people should practise for half an hour instead of asking for cutoffs to be changed. 1:30 on sq-1 is stupidly slow imo (no offence intended). It's like 30-40 twists to solve with 5 algs.



I was joking about the cutoff change. However, 'half-an-hour' is not really a fair thing to say. I have only practiced Sq-1 for the past week. I have done 350 solves. I have spent hours just today, and I am still slow. I guess that the fact is that some improve faster than others, and I do not improve very quickly at Sq-1. On the other hand, I am getting the QiYi soon, which hopefully will bring me under the cutoff.


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## ~Adam~ (Nov 22, 2015)

I really had to work hard to get sub cut at 5x5, but SQ-1 cut is relatively easy to get.


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## BillyRain (Nov 22, 2015)

When I was affected by cuts I guess I used to complain a bit too.. but then it just gave me motivation to find out why I wasn't improving. Then, instead of raw practice I started to look at example solves and learned how to be more efficient. That was the key. 

That said, saying "half an hour" was a little condescending lol...


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## illius (Nov 22, 2015)

cube-o-holic said:


> I really had to work hard to get sub cut at 5x5, but SQ-1 cut is relatively easy to get.



For me, the 5x5x5 cut is impossible to beat, because my AoChuang lies in pieces (cubes just love to explode with me). Luckily, I might buy a YuXin. My SS is quite bad.

I think that Sq-1 should be easier than it is. I reckon that it is the easiest event to be world-class in, thanks to the (supposedly amazing) QiYi. When I buy it soon, I shall probably be sub-60.


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## Ollie (Nov 22, 2015)

A series titled "How to make UK soft cuts" would be awesome.


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## Isaac Lai (Nov 22, 2015)

Ollie said:


> A series titled "How to make UK soft cuts" would be awesome.



"How to make Polish soft cuts"


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## Kev43 (Nov 22, 2015)

mark49152 said:


> What is harsh about soft cuts is that they are a barrier to registering an official average at all, even a slow one. What's more, it's inconsistent between countries and events. There are plenty of people slower than me with official 5x5 averages.
> 
> Since I started 5x5 I have done 600 timed solves at an overall average of 3:18, which allowing time for scrambling and inspection is about 50 hours of practice, maybe 60-70 with untimed solves and other practice. I know there are people who put in much more, but that's a significant investment born from genuine interest and enthusiasm, not just "half an hour". I'm now at about 2:45, so closing in on the cut, but it will take a lot more effort to get there.


At WGC in May I got annoyed because the 5x5 cutoff was always 2:30 and my average was 2:30. Not making the cut is frustrating so I decided to solve 5 cubes a day every day. Sometimes 12 on week-ends. After 123 days of this I think I'd cut around 20 seconds off my average, so now I'm confident I'll make the cut next time.

I might do that for 6x6 as well. It takes very little effort really, just the will to solve your cubes _every day_


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Nov 22, 2015)

Hay guiz

pls make the 7x7 cut 25 minutes so I can compete

thanx :^)




Spoiler



(Oh wait, there is no 7x7 this comp. Joke ruined.)


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## DJ4Y (Nov 22, 2015)

Tyler Comfy Hat said:


> Hay guiz
> 
> pls make the 7x7 cut 25 minutes so I can compete
> 
> ...



Done.


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## mark49152 (Nov 23, 2015)

cube-o-holic said:


> I really had to work hard to get sub cut at 5x5





BillyRain said:


> When I was affected by cuts I guess I used to complain a bit too.. but then it just gave me motivation to find out why I wasn't improving. Then, instead of raw practice I started to look at example solves and learned how to be more efficient. That was the key.



Yeah, as a Hoya/AvG user, I know I'm trading off some efficiency for easier lookahead. What I don't know is how inefficient it really is. 10% more moves than Yau/Freeslice? Or 50%? Have a look at this, would be great to see what you guys think: Efficiency of 5x5 edges methods



Kev43 said:


> At WGC in May I got annoyed because the 5x5 cutoff was always 2:30 and my average was 2:30. Not making the cut is frustrating so I decided to solve 5 cubes a day every day. Sometimes 12 on week-ends. After 123 days of this I think I'd cut around 20 seconds off my average, so now I'm confident I'll make the cut next time.


Generally I do 12 solves per session for 5x5, maybe 1-2 sessions per week. What I've found recently is kind of the opposite of what you say - frequent short sessions are OK for sustaining my level, but it's when I find time to do longer sessions of 20-30 or more that I start to see bursts of improvement. Unfortunately finding that much practice time isn't easy .


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## Shaky Hands (Nov 24, 2015)

Can you add me to 4x4 please? Just want to see if I can meet the Hard Cut as I'm fairly useless at it. Thanks.


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Nov 24, 2015)

Could we have more info on the venue, please? There's more than one place called "ARM" in Cambridge, which one am I looking for? The only info you've provided is that it's the "same as last two years", which isn't that helpful to us newbies.

While we're at it, any hotel recommendations?


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## Thaynara (Nov 25, 2015)

Tyler Comfy Hat said:


> While we're at it, any hotel recommendations?


I think most people are staying at the Travelodge Cambridge Station.


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Nov 25, 2015)

^ Thanks.

By the way, Jess and I will have a spare spot in our hotel room, if anyone is interested.


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## RicardoRix (Nov 25, 2015)

This is the address:
110 Fulbourn Rd, Cambridge, Cambridge CB1 9NJ, United Kingdom

It's on the outskirts of cherry hinton, towards Fulbourn.
From Cambridge town, you are very likely just to take Cherry Hinton Road (turns into Fulbourn road) all the way to the venue. Still about 1-2 miles though, cherry hinton road is loooong.
At town end of cherry hinton road there is Travel lodge in the middle of loads of stuff like restaurants, cafes and a cinema. I think that's the closest and the most convenient.


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## joey (Nov 26, 2015)

Sent an e-mail, megaminx has been added. Please reply to that e-mail if you want to be added, I won't be looking here for people asking to be added.



Shaky Hands said:


> Can you add me to 4x4 please? Just want to see if I can meet the Hard Cut as I'm fairly useless at it. Thanks.


Done. Everyone else wanting things changed, please e-mail me.



Tyler Comfy Hat said:


> Could we have more info on the venue, please? There's more than one place called "ARM" in Cambridge, which one am I looking for? The only info you've provided is that it's the "same as last two years", which isn't that helpful to us newbies.
> 
> While we're at it, any hotel recommendations?



Sorry, forgot we had opened several new offices since then. As RicardoRix said.


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## Shaky Hands (Nov 27, 2015)

joey said:


> Done. Everyone else wanting things changed, please e-mail me.



Thanks.


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## joey (Nov 28, 2015)

Another thing, if you can't make it, please e-mail me as soon as possible!


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## joey (Nov 29, 2015)

There is now a small waiting list. I will be emailing those on it tonight.


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## kinch2002 (Nov 29, 2015)

mark49152 said:


> What is harsh about soft cuts is that they are a barrier to registering an official average at all, even a slow one. What's more, it's inconsistent between countries and events. There are plenty of people slower than me with official 5x5 averages.
> 
> Since I started 5x5 I have done 600 timed solves at an overall average of 3:18, which allowing time for scrambling and inspection is about 50 hours of practice, maybe 60-70 with untimed solves and other practice. I know there are people who put in much more, but that's a significant investment born from genuine interest and enthusiasm, not just "half an hour". I'm now at about 2:45, so closing in on the cut, but it will take a lot more effort to get there.
> 
> BTW, my question was in jest, and I'm not really complaining, just making an observation and giving the perspective of a competitor who's affected by the cut. I understand the practical reasons for needing harsher cuts on more time-consuming events, and I accept it. In a way it's good to have the cut as a goal rather than some arbitrary PB time, and without the cut I wouldn't ever have the motivation and gratification of beating it .



I was directing my comments at Sq-1 (addressed below) - sorry for the generalisation of my statement! Interesting insight about cuts though. 2:30 on 5x5 is certainly not an achievable target for 30 minutes of practise! Indeed some people will have to work for months or even a year or 2 to get there, but as you've stated, time constraints make it difficult to justify increasing it. This formula probably doesn't work for other events, but a world class solver would take 5 minutes of solving time to finish an average - same as 2:30 x 2 solves 

I'm not directing the following points at you specifically, but merely writing some random thoughts:

I don't have an issue with the existence of cuts. This is a competitive hobby, which mean I always like to draw comparisons to "real" sports: Rewarding faster people by letting them have more solves and medals should not be confused with elitism and does not necessarily mean we're not being inclusive enough. I like to think we're a lot more accommodating than most equivalent hobbies/sports actually.

I think different cuts in different competitions/countries is fine - again, that's perfectly normal for every other comparable activity. I wouldn't feel strongly against making them consistent though, but logistics and a wide variation in abilities across the world make a strong argument for the status quo.



illius said:


> I was joking about the cutoff change. However, 'half-an-hour' is not really a fair thing to say. I have only practiced Sq-1 for the past week. I have done 350 solves. I have spent hours just today, and I am still slow. I guess that the fact is that some improve faster than others, and I do not improve very quickly at Sq-1. On the other hand, I am getting the QiYi soon, which hopefully will bring me under the cutoff.



I thought by saying that you wanted 1:30 cutoff you meant that you were 1:30 or below already and if that is the case, I still believe that 30 minutes of practise can get you sub-1. Of course some people improve faster than others, but (no offence intended) maybe you haven't learnt the right things? Maybe I can help...using Vandenburgh, there is a set of 5 algs that can get you sub-30 fairly easily with some cubeshape knowledge and still sub-40 even with beginners cubeshape.
CP: Intuitive, average of 2 slice, max 3 slices.
EO: Opp-Opp (alg is M2) and single edge swap. Each case is max 2 of those algs.
CP: Double J. All cases can be done with 1 or 2 double Js (4 slices each alg)
EP: Adj-Adj (4 slices) until you reduce to Adj parity (long ). Also you should know H perm already from 3x3 (M2 U M2 U2 M2 U M2) so you don't have to do 4 adj-adjs for that.
By the way, "M2" is 1,0/-1,-1/0,1

Maybe I should make a tutorial on this minimal-alg-but-still-fast method.


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## bubbagrub (Nov 29, 2015)

kinch2002 said:


> Maybe I should make a tutorial on this minimal-alg-but-still-fast method.



I'd find that useful...


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## Thaynara (Dec 1, 2015)

If anyone's interested, I'm selling my GoPro camera with 32g sd card. Obv great for cubing videos so pm me if interests you. Can give it to you at the comp


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Dec 1, 2015)

Thaynara said:


> If anyone's interested, I'm selling my GoPro camera with 32g sd card. Obv great for cubing videos so pm me if interests you. Can give it to you at the comp



Sounds cool. How much were you thinking of selling it for? Also, what mounts do you have for it?


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## Thaynara (Dec 2, 2015)

Perhaps £40? I have the basic mounts for my gopro hero (quick release buckle, two adhesive mounts and a skeleton backdoor) plus the 32g sd card. Only used it for a month so it's pretty much brand new.
Please someone take it as I have no use for it


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Dec 2, 2015)

Nice nice. I'll buy it!


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## Thaynara (Dec 2, 2015)

oh nice! Please pm me here or on facebook just so I won't forget to pack and bring it to the UK 
Also look for me at the comp because I don't know you ops


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## illius (Dec 2, 2015)

kinch2002 said:


> I was directing my comments at Sq-1 (addressed below) - sorry for the generalisation of my statement! Interesting insight about cuts though. 2:30 on 5x5 is certainly not an achievable target for 30 minutes of practise! Indeed some people will have to work for months or even a year or 2 to get there, but as you've stated, time constraints make it difficult to justify increasing it. This formula probably doesn't work for other events, but a world class solver would take 5 minutes of solving time to finish an average - same as 2:30 x 2 solves
> 
> I'm not directing the following points at you specifically, but merely writing some random thoughts:
> 
> ...



The terrible thing is that I use that method, with some extra intuitive algorithms. Oh dear. What cube shape speed do you think that I should aim for sub-60 with? I was averaging 80 seconds when I last checked, but my Sq-1 decided to fall apart. Maybe somebody can help me fix it at Welcome Thay Cambridge. Today the QiYi was ordered anyway.


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## kinch2002 (Dec 2, 2015)

illius said:


> The terrible thing is that I use that method, with some extra intuitive algorithms. Oh dear. What cube shape speed do you think that I should aim for sub-60 with? I was averaging 80 seconds when I last checked, but my Sq-1 decided to fall apart. Maybe somebody can help me fix it at Welcome Thay Cambridge. Today the QiYi was ordered anyway.


I think cubeshape should be 10-15 secs max once you are familiar with beginners method (all 8 edges together then split). Even if you spend 10 seconds doing each sub-step from there (20 for really bad EP cases) that is still going to get you 1 minute average. And 10 seconds is quite generous for algs that are mostly 4 slices


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## illius (Dec 2, 2015)

kinch2002 said:


> I think cubeshape should be 10-15 secs max once you are familiar with beginners method (all 8 edges together then split). Even if you spend 10 seconds doing each sub-step from there (20 for really bad EP cases) that is still going to get you 1 minute average. And 10 seconds is quite generous for algs that are mostly 4 slices



Okay thank you. I think that once the QiYi arrives (with the AoLong GT!), I'll probably get sub-1 (touch wood).


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Dec 18, 2015)

Just arrived at the hotel. Anyone else lurking around here?


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## mark49152 (Dec 20, 2015)

Great comp, thanks Joey and team for organising! See you all in Manchester!

DYK: my best 5x5 solve was faster than my worst 4x4 solve (2.02, 2.06).

Happy Holidays to all


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## illius (Dec 20, 2015)

Great competition!

RESULTS:

FMC: oopsy daisy I got a 38. Next time I'll actually practice and not forget NISS.
3x3x3: yippee singles! Although I didn't get a sub-20.3 average, I am happy.
4x4x4: all-time pb single. Nearly made the cutoff
5x5x5: who does 5x5x5?
BLD: Nearly a success. 3 twisted corners off.
OH: Amazing times. I am very happy with this.
Pyraminx: Quite happy, made the final.
Skewb: Not the best, but still comp. PBs all around.
Sq-1: yayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayay sub-30 single and sub-40 average!!!!

Thanks for a great third competition. I might go to Harrow(?) in March, and possibly even Manchester (though it's not looking too likely right now). Probably WGC in April, although my sister has GCSEs, so I cannot confirm anything. ABHC is almost certainly a yes though. I can't go to European Champs because of a choir tour to Poland the next day.

See you all soon.


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## Berd (Dec 20, 2015)

illius said:


> I might go to Harrow(?) in March



Is this a thing?


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## DJ4Y (Dec 20, 2015)

Berd said:


> Is this a thing?



Mollerz told me it is a possibility, and I really hope it happens since I live like 20 mins away lol


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## Shaky Hands (Dec 20, 2015)

Another fun competition, really enjoyed it. Must have been involved in judging 10 times the number of cubes I actually solved, which was a really good way to put some faces to names too.

I managed to beat the best 4x4 score I'd managed in practice during the competition by 24 seconds too. Will aim to learn how to solve some other cube types before the next event.

Thanks to all the organisers and competitors. Enjoy the holiday season. Cheers.


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## illius (Dec 21, 2015)

Also, I have decided to practice OH and Sq-1 more. I finally would like to get a BLD success soon (and bigBLD).


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## joey (Dec 21, 2015)

Thanks for coming everyone!

I had fun organising, got a few decent singles (9.10, 36 and 37 on 4x4) which I was content with since I haven't had a chance to practise much recently.

See y'all next year at WTC 2016!


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Dec 21, 2015)

DYK?

-I finally got a sub-40 average in comp?
-The comp's namesake was lovely, as were all the other foreign cubers visiting for this comp, nice to meet you all!
-Thaynara recognised who I was without my hat.
-May or may not have been spooned by Coggers.
-"Is it just me, or is Cambridge full of hipsters?" -Lawrence
-The venue was nice and well ventilated, I only went to take a trip outside for fresh air once
-Zoe's signature is a little love heart

Good comp. Thanks Joey!


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## DJ4Y (Dec 21, 2015)

Tyler Comfy Hat said:


> DYK?
> 
> -I finally got a sub-40 average in comp?
> -The comp's namesake was lovely, as were all the other foreign cubers visiting for this comp, nice to meet you all!
> ...



Well done on finally getting sub 40 avg, gogo sub 35?


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## Mollerz (Dec 21, 2015)

Results
Scrambles


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## newtonbase (Dec 22, 2015)

Tyler Comfy Hat said:


> DYK?
> 
> -I finally got a sub-40 average in comp?!



That's one of my goals for Manchester. Sub Comfy Hat.


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## Tyler Comfy Hat (Dec 22, 2015)

Oh nice. My goal for Manchester is to be sub-me too.

Another DYK:
-I came in the same place this comp (43rd) as I did in The Glorious North.


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