Heyyy, I’m Gael, from Argentina!!! A bit of background:

  • 8× South American Records (SARs) and 10× Argentine National Records (NRs)
  • #10 World Rank in Sum of Ranks (2024)
  • 7-time Argentine National Champion

I’ve written two books on speedcubing (you can find both on Amazon by clicking on their titles below):

  • The Cubing Bible (2025): A complete technical reference with 39 contributions from elite speedcubers (Luke Garrett, Tommy Cherry, Leandro López, Carter Kucala, Stanley Chapel, and more). +500 pages, +2500 algorithms, +50 methods — all 17 WCA categories, explained from beginner to world-class level.
  • Beyond the Cube (2024): Focused on the mental side of speedcubing. My story as a cuber, and everything I learned about controlling nerves, building long-term habits, dealing with frustration, comparisons, and pressure.

If you’re looking for a cube-related Christmas gift, both books are available in English and Spanish, sold worldwide on Amazon (and soon in major speedcubing stores).

Ask me anything — about the books, improving in any category, competition preparation, Sum of Ranks strategy, or the South American cubing scene! :))

  • The book looks great! and if i get the chance to ask a CR holder i want to ask for general advice for 4x4 and 5x5 :) I avr 12 on 3x3 between 55-58 on 4x4 and around 2:30 on 5x5 and i would love to get just some advice on what i could do as a daily routine to improve. id be willing to spend 30 minutes for 5x5 a day and 30 for 4x4 as well as some solves over the whole day.

    parent

    Great! You’re already quite advanced and at a stage where how you practice can matter more than how much you practice.

    All NxN cubes require a lot of lookahead (the bigger the cube, the more this is true), so this becomes the most important skill to develop in your case. These are, in short, the main lookahead tips I give in my book:

    • Solves: you’ll naturally improve over time.
    • Slow turning: deliberately oriented toward improving lookahead.
    • Mindset: while executing an algorithm, don’t focus on the pieces of the step you’re solving—focus on the rest of the cube instead.
    • Tracking: follow the position of a key piece you noticed during another step (for example, in 5x5, remembering that there was a red–blue edge block).
    • Three-dimensional vision: start trying (in solves or slow solves) to intuit not only the pieces you see, but also the ones you don’t see (but know must be there).
    • Mantra: mentally repeat something like “never stop turning” while solving.
    • Categories: practicing categories that require heavy lookahead will improve it the most. Megaminx and Big Cubes are the best for this.
    • Prediction: especially on smaller cubes like 3x3—or even 4x4—predicting as much as possible during inspection will reduce the need for lookahead in the messiest parts of the solve.

    Lookahead tips specific to NxN:

    • Transitions between phases are the most important moments (e.g., centers → edges). If there’s any moment to focus extra, it should be those transitions.
    • If you can’t find a built edge block, you can always focus on solving a specific piece in the middle layer.

    More technical advice:

    • If you want to be competitive in the long run, I recommend switching to YAU for both categories. This will require developing more efficiency: more solves, learning new algorithms, slow turning oriented toward efficiency, analyzing your own solutions, practicing efficiency-heavy categories, and studying example solves from cubers slightly stronger than you.
    • You can learn the basic L2E and L2C cases in 5x5.
    • You can learn basic OLL and PLL parity cases.
    • Use an optimal order for 4x4 edge 3-2-3.
    • The bigger the cube, the more important your mains tend to be.

    These are some specific tips for 4x4 and 5x5, but many times the real reason we don’t improve lies elsewhere than the method itself: plateaus, competition nerves, practice strategy, etc. (By the way, I talk about all of that in the book.)

    I hope this helps, and I wish you the best on your journey!! 😊

    parent root

    thanks! I really appreciate that. I already use YAU for 4x4 and 5x5 and i use the aosu uv single and the aochuang single matte. I only know the normal oll and pll parity algs for 4x4 and the edge parity alg for 5x5. Now where i read your advice, i got some more questions. What do you mean with an optimal order for 4x4? Do you think i should get other cubes as mains (Im really happy with the performance of both of the cubes, and the matte on the 5x5 is already getting grippier)? And now for 3x3 lol. Do you have any advice on how to start with cross+1 or on how to mentally be abled to learn the last 15 OLLs?

    parent root
    • About cross + 1:
      • Advanced tips:
        • Some pairs are easier to track than others (for example, when certain pieces don’t move during the cross). Start by predicting the ones that move the least.
        • An alternative approach is, instead of looking for a pair that stays intact while doing the cross, to find a good pair first and then build the cross without disturbing it. You change the order, but the result is the same.
        • Always have a clear goal: cross + first pair.
        • It’s useful to practice without inspection time. For competition inspection, the book obviously includes other tips.
        • To practice all of this, you can use solves, example solves, and slow turning.
      • Elite tips:
        • X-Cross can be done through Keyhole, through pairs, or through blocks. You should practice all of them.
        • Start seeing Cross + 1 as an indivisible unit. That is, don’t just look for the best cross and then the best pair (or vice versa), but optimize the cross and the first pair simultaneously, treating them as a single step.
        • When applying the previous point, the goal is to plan the next pair after Cross + 1 (this can be combined with EO).
        • For even more advanced practice, you can use two strategies: practice categories that involve 1-look to improve tracking (especially 2x2), or do an exercise Tymon uses where you try to predict the entire F2L (even if it takes you an hour)
    parent root

    Perfect! Let’s go step by step:

    • Your main cubes are not a limiting factor. You can still improve a lot with them.
    • It’s fine to know only a few algorithms for 4x4 and 5x5. You can learn them gradually as you improve, but they’re not nearly as important as, for example, PLL in 3x3.
    • The optimal 3-2-3 edge order in 4x4 is an order that, at most, forces you to rotate only once during the entire edge stage. It’s a bit hard to explain without images, but here’s my attempt (where X slot is the slot where you need to insert the edge): Uw → FL slot → FR slot → y → FR slot → Uw’ → (FR slot → Uw → FR slot → Uw’) ×2. As you can see, there’s only one rotation and all edges get solved.
    • About learning Fridrich, these are the summarized tips from the book that I think are useful at your stage:
      • It’s better to be decent but consistent than brilliant but inconsistent.
      • Don’t evaluate your practice only by how long it takes to learn algorithms, but also by how long it takes to review them.
      • Don’t focus on what’s missing. Enjoy the process without counting the days.
      • Don’t replace an algorithm you’ve already learned with one that seems better—at least until you’re Full CFOP.
      • Learn algorithms in order from most useful to least useful.
      • I don’t think there’s a magic number of algorithms per day; it depends on your style, memory capacity, motivation, method, and free time. Between 0.5 and 3 per day is usually recommended
    • (continued in the next message)
    parent root

    And u/GaelLapeyre I forgot to say. I will also probably pick up the book, but i will probably be getting it from a cubestore, because its 25$ cheaper there

    parent root

    What price are you seeing it at?
    It’s currently $67 USD on Amazon, but you might be seeing an older listing.

    parent root

  • Finally an all inclusive hard copy resource! Can't wait to get a copy.

    parent

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate it — I hope it becomes a great resource for you 🙌

    parent root

  • omg YOURE the one who made the cubing Bible?! I've been eyeing it

    parent

    Haha yes, that’s me 😄
    I’m really glad you’ve been checking it out!

    parent root

    I've been thinking of getting it for myself as a gift in February it looks so useful

    parent root

    Awesome! I'm sure you'll find the content very helpful as a speedcuber. I spent many hours making it as comprehensive as possible, and it includes tips from the world's best :))

    When you get it, let me know what you think!

    parent root

  • No ai content? (Not an accusation just worried due to formatting of the comment. Looks like a great resource)

    parent

    Nope. I created all the illustrations (fingertricks, photos of algorithms, illustrations) myself. My sister designed the covers for both books :)

    parent root

    Thanks! I’ll be picking up a copy for sure it looks great!!!

    parent root

    Great! Thanks so much for trusting my books. Let me know what you think!!

    parent root

    Oh, with your edit to the comment, I think you might have been referring to the content of the Reddit post? If that's the case, yes, I translated the comment with AI because I'm not a native English speaker (I didn't leave the book to an AI, it was translated by a speedcuber who is also a certified translator).

    parent root

  • A guy in the 70's: * Make a fun cube puzzle from 6 rotating axes *

    A guy today : * Write a book with thousands of pages on how to solve it *

    Love this community.

    parent

    Hahhaha, what most people see as just a toy is, for us speedcubers, something that genuinely changed our lives!

    parent root

    I know! Still I find it fascinating.

    parent root

  • Congratulations on the book. Is any part of the book about the cube mechanism itself and how they have allowed cubing times to go down (like springs, magnets, torpedoes, stickerless cubes, the like)? I've been really interested in the history of the development of cube technology. I will be picking up the book regardless. Thank you for writing it.

    parent

    Pages 108 to 111 discuss how to lubricate the cube. Topics such as the different adjustment methods for cubes (screws/magnets) are mentioned.

    I have been careful throughout the book when it comes to recommending cubes because my goal is for this book to remain relevant for years to come, and the best cubes on the market are constantly changing. So I only give recommendations on when to change the main and what features you should look for, but not specifically which cube to buy (except in the 3x3 beginners chapter).

    As for the history of cube hardware, no, I haven't talked about it (just a presentation of each cube at the beginning of its chapter). My goal with the book was to provide all the resources to be the best speedcuber possible, in the shortest time, with the least effort, and with the maximum chance of success. The history of cubes didn't help that purpose, so I didn't take it into account.

    Thank you very much for trusting my books! Let me know what you think!

    parent root

    The history of cubes didn't help that purpose, so I didn't take it into account.

    Yes, I suppose that would be the topic for another book (or perhaps another author). Thank you

    parent root

  • This is incredible. Thank you.

    parent

    Thank you so much! I’m really glad you liked it 😊

    parent root

  • I got the Cubing Bible on kindle! Really like it but now I want the physical copy! Really appreciate the work put into these. Is the kindle version the exact same as the physical copy?

    parent

    I’m really glad you liked the book so much that you want a physical copy too — that honestly means a lot to me!

    Yes, the content is exactly the same in both versions. The main difference is the experience.

    Thanks again for the support, and I’m really happy you’re enjoying it 😊

    parent root

  • I have never liked how most cubing books focus only on tutorials and algorithms, with nothing about real improvement. Then this masterpiece came out. Great work!

    parent

    Thank you! I wrote the book I wish I had when I started — something that gathers all the resources needed to improve faster, smarter, and with fewer dead ends. I really appreciate it 😊

    parent root

  • Thank you for writing this up. Just ordered it. ☺️

    parent

    Thank you so much! That truly means a lot to me 😊
    I hope you enjoy the book! Let me know what you think!

    parent root

  • There's a spanish version?

    parent
    parent root

  • I definitely need to get a hand on one of this. Having troubles with this 4x4 is really frying my brain

    parent

    I’m sure the book will help you with that! I spent a huge amount of time making it as complete and structured as possible, and it also includes advice and contributions from some of the best cubers in the world!

    Whenever you decide to dive into it, I hope the book helps make that process a lot smoother! Very happy to help :)

    parent root