Corner Twists

This is a topic that pisses some people off, for obvious reasons. Having a super-fast solve with no problems, one that is going to be a personal best in competition, the on your last turn you twist a corner and DNF. Or half way through your F2L you twist a corner and have to stop later to fix it, ruining a time completely. Even for me, I rarely get corner twists but I hate when I do and it just gets in the way. And we complain about it like it’s bad, Feliks Zemdegs lost a world record to a corner twist, which would just be awful beyond belief. There are many different opinions, and I want to look at them and explain my thoughts and ideas on the issue.

            The first idea some people have had is that a solved cube with a corner twist should be considered just a solved cube or maybe a plus 2 or another penalty simply called corner twist. There is an issue with that idea that JRcuber brought up in one of his videos that I believe explains why this doesn't work pretty well. He said that people would intentionally twist a corner to improve F2L cases. While I’m not sure how viable this would be in a speed solve, I can say that this sounds like grade A cheating, and I think it would ruin the sport.

            My main concern with the idea of allowing corner twists is that every sport has its challenges. In track, you can’t trip or in swimming, you can’t swallow a bunch of water. If you do, you lose the race. In cubing, you can’t corner twist, because it’s the challenge. You have to be able to completely solve the cube, with all the problems that arise from trying to do so. That is one reason that this sport is so difficult, because it’s not just the memorizing, it’s the look ahead, and finding the right cube, and dealing with corner twists.

            The final reason that corner twists should still be a DNF is because of the simple idea that the cube must be solved when you are done. If you are leading a race, then trip, and don’t even finish the event, no one is going to say you won. That isn't how it works. You can’t have a speed solving competition if the cube isn't solved. This is the reason why I think corner twists should be DNF’s. The question is, does Feliks agree with me after that 5.33 fail? I hope that is your first question is you meet him.