Reading the tables
Hold the cube with yellow on top. “Front-right” means the corner or slot at the front, on the right, in the layer the row talks about. Where a row says what to hold where, turn the top layer (and only the top layer) until the pattern matches, then run the algorithm without re-gripping. A x or x' at the start is a whole-cube rotation: turn the cube like an R move, do the middle, then turn it back.
Beginner set
Five algorithms solve the whole cube with the layer-by-layer method; the first two are repeated many times per solve.
| Name | Algorithm | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Sexy move | R U R' U' | Inserts a white corner from above its slot (repeat until it drops in). Six repeats return the cube to the start. |
| Right edge insert | U R U' R' U' F' U F | Moves the front-top edge into the front-right slot of the middle layer. |
| Left edge insert | U' L' U L U F U' F' | Moves the front-top edge into the front-left slot. |
| Yellow cross | F R U R' U' F' | Dot to L, L to line, line to cross on the top face. |
| Sune | R U R' U R U2 R' | Twists three top corners; repeated with the holding rule it finishes the top face. |
| Corner cycle | U R U' L' U R' U' L | Cycles three top corners, leaving the front-right corner in place. |
| Edge cycle (Ua) | R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2 | Cycles the front, right and left top edges, leaving the back edge in place. |
F2L: first two layers in pairs
After the cross, speedcubers place each white corner together with its middle-layer edge instead of doing all corners and then all edges. These are the five easiest cases; find the corner, turn the top until its edge sits where the row says, and insert. The corner's white sticker must face sideways (front or right) for the first four rows. Learn the rest of the 41 cases by intuition: every one is a way of getting to one of these.
| Name | Algorithm | Case |
|---|---|---|
| Edge at the back | R U R' | Corner at the top-front-right, its edge at the top-back, both into the front-right slot. |
| Edge on the right | U R U' R' | Corner at the top-front-right, its edge at the top-right. |
| Edge in front | U' F' U F | Corner at the top-front-right, its edge at the top-front. |
| Edge on the left | F' U' F | Corner at the top-front-right, its edge at the top-left. |
| Pair split, white up | R U2 R' U' R U R' | Corner at the top-front-right with white on top, edge at the top-left. |
Two-look OLL: orient the last layer
First look: the yellow cross
| Name | Algorithm | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| Line to cross | F R U R' U' F' | Hold the line horizontal. |
| L to cross | F U R U' R' F' | Hold the L with its yellow edges at the back and left. |
| Dot to cross | F R U R' U' F' then F U R U' R' F' | The line algorithm followed by the L algorithm, re-holding between them. |
Second look: the corners
Seven cases. With Sune alone and the holding rule from the beginner guide you can get through all of them in up to three goes; learning the other six makes it one.
| Name | Algorithm | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Sune | R U R' U R U2 R' | One corner oriented, at the front-left with yellow up. |
| Anti-Sune | R U2 R' U' R U' R' | One corner oriented, at the back-right with yellow up. |
| H | R U R' U R U' R' U R U2 R' | No corner oriented; yellow stickers face left and right. |
| Pi | R U2 R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R | No corner oriented; two yellows face front, one left, one right. |
| T | R U R' U' R' F R F' | Two adjacent corners oriented on the left; the others show yellow to the right. |
| Headlights (U) | R2 D R' U2 R D' R' U2 R' | Two adjacent corners oriented at the back; the front two show yellow forwards. |
| Bowtie (L) | F R' F' R U R U' R' | Two diagonal corners oriented. |
Two-look PLL: permute the last layer
First look: the corners
Find two corners that share their side colour (“headlights”) and hold them at the back for the A perms; if there are no headlights anywhere, it is the E perm.
| Name | Algorithm | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Aa | x R' U R' D2 R U' R' D2 R2 x' | Cycles three corners anticlockwise, keeping the front-left one. |
| Ab | x R2 D2 R U R' D2 R U' R x' | Cycles three corners clockwise, keeping the front-left one. |
| E | x' R U' R' D R U R' D' R U R' D R U' R' D' x | Swaps the two left corners and the two right corners. |
Second look: the edges
| Name | Algorithm | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Ua | R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2 | Cycles three edges, back edge fixed: left to front, front to right, right to left. |
| Ub | R2 U R U R' U' R' U' R' U R' | The reverse cycle, back edge fixed. |
| H | M2 U M2 U2 M2 U M2 | Swaps front with back and left with right. |
| Z | M' U M2 U M2 U M' U2 M2 U' | Swaps front with left and back with right. |
Worth adding soon
These four one-look cases appear constantly and save a whole stage when you recognise them.
| Name | Algorithm | Does |
|---|---|---|
| T | R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F' | Swaps the two right corners and the left and right edges. |
| Jb | R U R' F' R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' | Swaps the two right corners and the front and right edges. |
| Ra | R U' R' U' R U R D R' U' R D' R' U2 R' U' | Swaps the two right corners and the back and left edges. |
| Y | F R U' R' U' R U R' F' R U R' U' R' F R F' | Swaps two diagonal corners and the back and left edges. |
How to learn an algorithm
- Play it slowly in the Learn tab three times, reading the letters aloud.
- Do it on your cube from solved; the cube should end in the pattern the table describes.
- Do it again to see the pattern it solves, then undo by doing the inverse: the moves backwards, each direction flipped.
- Set up the case with the inverse and solve it with the algorithm, ten times, then use it in real solves for a week.
One a week is plenty. The tips page has the rest of the practice routine, and the timer will show you when it has paid off.
