Buzz
This guide introduces the layer-by-layer method for solving the Rubik's Cube, ideal for beginners. This approach is simpler compared to other methods, requiring fewer memorized moves. Practicing this method also prepares you for the Fridrich speed-solving technique, aiming for sub-20-second solves in competitions. With patience and determination, you can master Erno's stubborn cube. Good luck!
Steps
Learn the Terminology
Names of the Three Types of Pieces. There are three types of pieces in a Rubik's Cube, based on their positions:
- Center pieces are located in the middle of each face, surrounded by eight other pieces. Only one face of these pieces is visible, and they never move.
- Corner pieces are found at the cube's corners. You can see three faces of these pieces.
- Edge pieces sit between the corners. Two faces of each edge piece are visible.
- Note — The types of pieces never change. For example, a corner piece always remains a corner piece.
Master the naming conventions for each face. A Rubik's Cube has six faces, each with a center piece of a distinct color. For instance, the "red face" is the one with the red center piece, even if other red pieces are on different faces. To simplify, you typically name the faces relative to the one you're currently focusing on. Here are the terms used in this guide:
- F (Front) — Position the cube at eye level. You're directly looking at the front face.
- B (Back) — The face directly opposite you, which you can't see.
- U (Upper) — The face pointing toward the ceiling.
- D (Down) — The face pointing toward the floor.
- R (Right) — The face on your right side.
- L (Left) — The face on your left side.
Understand clockwise and counterclockwise rotations. To determine "clockwise" and "counterclockwise," you must look directly at the face being referenced. Using the conventions above, a single letter (e.g., L) means you rotate that face 90º clockwise (a quarter turn). A letter followed by an apostrophe (e.g., L') means you rotate it 90º counterclockwise. Here are some examples:
- F': Rotate the front face counterclockwise.
- R: Rotate the right face clockwise, moving it away from you. (To understand why, rotate the front face clockwise, then flip the cube so the front becomes the right).
- L: Rotate the left face clockwise, moving it toward you.
- U': Rotate the upper face counterclockwise, turning it toward you when viewed from above.
- B: Rotate the back face clockwise when viewed from behind. Be careful, as this appears counterclockwise from the front.
Add a '2' to repeat an instruction. A "2" after an instruction means you rotate the corresponding face 180º instead of 90º. For example, D2 means rotating the down face 180º (a half turn).
- With these instructions, you don't need to specify clockwise or counterclockwise, as the result is the same either way.
Name a specific piece in the Rubik's Cube. This guide will also help you identify specific pieces. To do so, list all the faces where the piece appears. Here are some examples:
- BD = The edge piece on both the back and down faces.
- UFR = The corner piece on the upper, front, and right faces.
- Note — If the instruction refers to a square (a single colored sticker), the first letter indicates the face containing it. For example:
- The LFD square → Find the corner piece on the left, front, and down faces. Identify the square on the left face of this piece (since L is the first letter).
Solve the top face
Rotate the Rubik's Cube so the white center is on the U face. The white center will remain in this position unless otherwise noted. The goal of this step is to position the white edge pieces around the white center to form a "+" on the white face.
- This instruction assumes you have a standard Rubik's Cube with yellow opposite white. If you have an older cube, following these instructions may be more challenging.
- Do not move the white center away from the top face. This is a common mistake in this step.
Move the white edge pieces to the top face to form a cross. There are many variations in this initial step, so this guide cannot provide specific step-by-step instructions. However, you can follow this general process:
- If the bottom row of the R or L face has a white edge piece, rotate that face once to move the white piece to the middle row. Proceed to the next step below.
- If a white edge piece is in the middle row of the R or L face, rotate the F or B face, depending on which face is adjacent to the white piece. Continue rotating until the white piece is on the bottom face. Proceed to the next step below.
- If a white edge piece is on the bottom face, rotate the bottom face until the white piece is directly opposite an empty (non-white) edge position on the top face. Flip the entire cube so the "empty edge" is at the UF position (Upper face, Front edge). Rotate F2 (180º) to move the white piece into the UF position.
- Repeat these steps for each remaining white edge piece until they are all on the top face.
Extend the cross to the corners. Observe the upper edge pieces on the F, R, B, and L faces. You must rotate the cube so each edge piece aligns with its corresponding center color. For example, if the FU edge (Front face, Upper edge) is orange, the F face center must also be orange. Here’s how to align the colors on these four faces:
- Rotate the U face until at least two of the four faces have matching edge and center colors. (If all four faces already match, skip the remaining steps.)
- Flip the cube so one of the misaligned edges is on the F face (with the white cross still on the U face).
- Rotate F2, ensuring a white edge piece moves to the D face. Note the other color of this edge piece (e.g., red at the FD position).
- Rotate the D face until the red edge is below the red center.
- Rotate the red face 180º. The white edge will return to the U face.
- Check the D face for a new white edge piece. Note its other color (e.g., green).
- Rotate the D face until the green edge is directly below the green center.
- Rotate the green face 180º. The white cross will reappear on the U face. By now, the F, R, B, and L faces should have matching edge and center colors.
Move the white corner pieces to the white face. This step is more complex, so follow the instructions carefully. Once completed, the white face will have four white corner pieces alongside the center and edge pieces.
- Find a corner piece on the D face with a white sticker. A corner piece has three stickers of different colors, referred to here as white, X, and Y. (The white face does not need to be the D face at this point.)
- Rotate the D face until the white/X/Y corner is between the X and Y faces. (Remember, the "X face" is the one with the X-colored center.)
- Rotate the cube so the white/X/Y corner is at the DFR position, but don’t worry about the exact orientation of the colors. The F and R face centers should match the X and Y colors, respectively. Ensure the U face remains white.
- At this point, the corner piece can be in one of three positions:
- If the white sticker is on the front face (at FRD), rotate F D F'.
- If the white sticker is on the right face (at RFD), rotate R' D' R.
- If the white sticker is on the bottom face (at DFR), rotate F D2 F' D' F D F'.
Repeat the process for the remaining corners. Apply the same steps to move the remaining three white corners to the white face. By the end of this step, the entire top face will be white. Each of the F, R, B, and L faces will have their top row colors matching the center pieces.
- Sometimes, a corner piece may already have a white sticker on the U face but in the wrong position, meaning the other two colors on that corner do not match their respective centers. In this case, flip the cube so the misaligned corner is at the UFR position, then perform the F D F' rotation. The white sticker will move to the D face, allowing you to reposition it correctly using the steps above.
Complete the Middle Layer
Find an edge piece on the D face without yellow. The white face remains on top, and the incomplete yellow face stays on the bottom. Locate an edge piece on the D face that does not have yellow. Take note of its two colors:
- The color on the D face is X.
- The other color on the edge piece is Y.
- Ensure this is an edge piece. Do not start with a corner piece.
Rotate the entire cube so the X color faces the front. Turn the cube along its vertical axis (like spinning a globe). Stop when the center piece with color X is on the front face.
- The U and D faces remain unchanged during this rotation.
Rotate the D face. Turn the D face until the X/Y edge piece is at the DB position. X will be on the D face, and Y will be on the B face.
Adjust the cube based on the position of color Y. The specific rotation steps depend on where the Y-colored center is located:
- If Y matches the center of the R face, rotate F D F' D' R' D' R.
- If Y matches the center of the L face, rotate F' D' F D L D L'.
Continue this step until the top two layers are complete. Look for a new edge piece on the D face without any yellow squares. (If none are found, proceed to the next step.) Repeat the steps outlined in this section to position them correctly. Once you've finished rotating, the F, R, B, and L faces will have their top and middle rows matching in color.
Adjust if any edge pieces on the D face have yellow. Ensure you've checked all four edge pieces on the D face. Each edge piece has two colored squares, and you must confirm that these squares do not contain yellow to apply the steps above. However, if the edge pieces don't meet this requirement (and the top two layers aren't solved yet), adjust as follows:
- Select an edge piece with a yellow square.
- Flip the Rubik's Cube so this edge piece is in the FR position. The white face should remain on top. (Do not change any faces; simply flip the entire cube.)
- Use the formula F D F' D' R' D' R.
- You'll now have an edge piece without yellow on the D face. Return to the beginning of this section and follow the instructions for the edge piece above.
Complete the yellow face
Flip the Rubik's Cube so the U face is yellow. The Rubik's Cube will remain in this position until fully solved.
Form a cross on the yellow face. Note the number of yellow edges on the U face. (Remember, corner pieces are not edge pieces.) Here, there are four possibilities:
- If only two yellow edges are opposite each other on the U face: Rotate the U face until the yellow squares of the edges are at UL and UR. Apply B L U L' U' B'.
- If two yellow edges are adjacent at UF and UR (like an arrow pointing to the left and back): Apply B U L U' L' B'.
- If there are no yellow edges: Use either of the above formulas. The formula will flip two yellow edges to the top. Repeat one of the formulas again, depending on the position of the edges.
- If all four edges are yellow: You've completed the yellow cross. Move to the next step.
Position a yellow corner piece on the top face. Rotate the entire Rubik's Cube so that the blue face is in front and the yellow face remains on top. Follow these steps to correctly place the yellow corner:
- Turn the U face until the UFR corner no longer shows yellow on the top.
- There are two possibilities for this corner:
- If the yellow is on the F face, use the formula F D F' D' F D F' D'.
- If the yellow is on the R face, use the formula D F D' F' D F D' F'.
- Note: At this stage, the Rubik's Cube may appear scrambled. Don't worry; it will correct itself in the following steps.
Repeat the process for the remaining yellow corners. Keep the blue face in front and rotate the U face to bring another corner to the UFR position. Follow the same steps as above to place the yellow piece on top. Repeat until the entire top face is yellow.
Complete the Rubik's Cube
Rotate the U face until one edge piece matches the color of its adjacent center. For example, if the F face has a blue center, turn the U face until the piece above the blue center is also blue. You need exactly one matching edge, not two or three.
- If all four edges match their centers: align them and proceed to the "Finish the Rubik's Cube" section.
- If you can't achieve this: apply R2 D' R' L F2 L' R U2 D R2 and try again.
Position the remaining edge pieces. Once you have exactly one matching edge out of the four, adjust the cube as follows:
- Rotate the cube so the matching edge is on the left face.
- Check if the FU piece matches the color of the center on the R face:
- If yes, use the formula R2 D' R' L F2 L' R U2 D R2 and proceed. The cube will be nearly complete, with only the corners left.
- If not, rotate U2 and flip the cube so the F face becomes the R face. Use the formula R2 D' R' L F2 L' R U2 D R2.
Completing the Rubik's Cube. At this stage, only the corner pieces remain:
- If one corner piece is already in the correct position, proceed to the next step. If no corner pieces are correctly positioned, apply the formula L2 B2 L' F' L B2 L' F L'. Repeat this formula until one corner piece is correctly positioned.
- Rotate the Rubik's Cube so that the correctly positioned corner is at the FUR position, with the FUR square matching the color of the center square on the F face.
- Use the formula L2 B2 L' F' L B2 L' F L'.
- If the Rubik's Cube is still not solved, apply the formula L2 B2 L' F' L B2 L' F L' once more. Congratulations, you've solved the Rubik's Cube!
Advice
- You can speed up your Rubik's Cube solving by disassembling it and applying lubricant to the internal components, or by sanding down the inner edges. Silicone oil is the best lubricant. Cooking oil works too but doesn't last as long.
- Solving becomes easier and faster when you no longer rely on memorizing character and number formulas but instead use muscle memory. Of course, this skill requires regular practice.
- Using this method, you'll take at least 45-60 seconds. Once you achieve a time of 1 minute 30 seconds, you can start exploring the Fridrich method. However, the Fridrich method is more challenging than the one described above. Other methods include Petrus, Roux, and Waterman. ZB is the fastest method but also particularly complex.
- If you struggle to remember formulas, consider writing down specific cases and their corresponding formulas. Keep this list handy during practice sessions.
Warning
- Repeatedly solving the Rubik's Cube can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., Rubik's wrist or thumb pain).
What You Need
- A Rubik's Cube with the white face opposite the yellow face (some older Rubik's Cubes may have a different color arrangement).
