Buzz
Restoring the Rubik's Cube to its original form might appear challenging and almost impossible at first. However, once you familiarize yourself with a few algorithms, solving the Rubik's Cube becomes a straightforward and manageable task. The method outlined in this article follows a layer-by-layer approach: first, you'll solve one face of the cube (the first layer), then the middle layer, and finally the last layer.
Steps
First Layer
Make sure to review the Notations section at the bottom of the page.
Choose a face to start with. In the example below, the color of the first layer will be white.
Form a cross.- Flip the cross to the bottom. Rotate the Rubik's Cube 180° so that the cross is positioned at the bottom.
- Once this step is completed, the first layer will be finished, with a single color (in this case, white) at the bottom.
Middle Layer
Position the four edge pieces of the middle layer correctly.If the edge piece is located in the last layer:
symmetric to (1.a)
Final Layer
Swap the positions of the corner pieces.
Symmetric to (3.a)
Permute the edge pieces.
Symmetrical to (4.a)
Legend
This is the key to all legends used in the article.
- The pieces used to assemble the Rubik's Cube are called Cubies, and the colored sections on each cubie are referred to as facelets.
- The Rubik's Cube has three types of cubies:
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Center cubies, located in the middle of each face of the cube. There are six in total, each with one facelet.
- Corner cubies, situated at the corners of the cube. There are eight in total, each with three facelets.
- Edge cubies, positioned between each pair of adjacent corner cubies. There are twelve in total, each with two facelets.
- Not all Rubik's Cubes have the same color scheme. The colors used for illustration in this article follow the BOY scheme (where Blue, Orange, and Yellow are arranged clockwise).
- White is opposite yellow;
- Blue is opposite green;
- Orange is opposite red;
Top-Down Perspective
In the top-down view, each small bar indicates the position of a critical facelet.
If a facelet is gray, it means its color is irrelevant at that moment.
- Axis of rotation is the main diagonal of the Rubik's Cube (from one corner to the opposite corner).
- Blue arrows are used to indicate clockwise rotation (algorithm (3.a)).
- Red arrows are used to indicate counterclockwise rotation (algorithm (3.b), symmetrical to (3.a)).
For the step-by-step legend, it is crucial to always view the Rubik's Cube from the front face.
Tips
- Practice. Spend time with your Rubik's Cube to understand how to rotate the pieces in various directions. This is especially important when learning to solve the first layer.
- Know your Rubik's Cube's color scheme. You need to know which colors are opposite each other and the order of all colors around them. For example, if white is on top and red is on the front, you should know that blue is on the right, orange is at the back, green is on the left, and yellow is at the bottom.
- For speedcubers or those who dislike the stiffness of Rubik's Cubes, consider purchasing a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Rubik's Cube. These cubes have rounded inner corners, and the DIY kit allows you to adjust the tightness, making it easier to move the pieces. You might also consider lubricating your cube with silicone-based lubricant.
- Start with the color scheme used in this article to better understand the position of each color, or choose a color scheme that makes it easier for you to form the cross.
- Locate the four edge pieces and try to plan ahead how to move them into the correct positions without actually doing it. With practice and experience, this method will guide you to solve them in just a few moves. In competitions, participants have 15 seconds to inspect their cube before timing begins.
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Understand how algorithms work. When executing an algorithm, try to track the key pieces of the cube to see where they move. Look for patterns in the algorithm. For example:
- In algorithms (2.a) and (2.b) used to permute the corners of the top layer, you perform four moves (after which the bottom and middle layers return to their original positions), then flip the top layer and reverse the first four moves. This ensures the first/bottom and middle layers remain unaffected.
- For algorithms (4.a) and (4.b), remember that you are rotating the top layer in the same direction as the three edge pieces need to move.
- For algorithm (5), the Dedmore "H" pattern, one way to remember it is to track the path of the flipped edge piece on the top right and the pair of corners around it in the first half of the algorithm. Then, in the second half, track the flipped edge piece and the remaining pair of corners. You'll notice that you perform five moves (seven if counting half-turns as two moves), then a half-turn of the top layer, reverse the first five moves, and finally, another half-turn of the top layer.
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Go further. Once you master the algorithms, you can explore faster methods to solve the cube:
- Solve the corners of the first layer along with the edges of the middle layer in one step.
- Learn algorithms to orient the corners of the last layer in five cases requiring two algorithms (3.a/b).
- Study algorithms to permute the corners of the last layer in two cases where no edges are correctly positioned.
- Explore algorithms for cases where all edges of the last layer are flipped.
- The layer-by-layer method is just one of many solving methods worldwide. For example, the Petrus method, which solves the cube in fewer steps, involves completing a 2×2×2 block, expanding it to a 2×2×3 block, adjusting edge orientations, forming a 2×3×3 block (two solved layers), placing the remaining corners, orienting them, and finally positioning the remaining edges.
- Go further. For the last layer, if you want to solve the cube quickly, you need to break the final four steps into two steps each. For example, permute and orient the corners in one step, then permute and orient the edges in another. Alternatively, you can choose to orient all corners and edges in one step and permute all corners and edges in another.
