-------------------------------------------------Rubik’s Solve – Beginner’s MethodVersion 3.5-------------------------------------------------

Contents:-Note From the Author-My Top 3 Times-Version History-Know Your Cube-The Actual Guide

Note From the AuthorThis method explanation started off for a friend. A bit map file plus pictures I took of my Rubik’s Cube. That was 1.0. Boy has this come a long way. I had to put it into a word document. I drew pictures on my computer of the Cube. Then I made the diagrams bigger. I highly suggest that you read the ‘Know Your Cube’ section.

My Top 3 Times:1. 38.?? seconds2. 41.?? seconds3. 43.?? seconds

Version History:3.5 – Another update rolling back some of the changes of version 3.0 (revamping how steps are organized). Taken Quick Solve page out. Explaining steps with more depth.3.1 – Yet another update with spelling mistakes and other small details such as keeping picture captions together on one page with each other.3.0 – Revamped how steps are organized, added a quick solve page (algorithms with a fast explanation of the step), added ‘My Top 3 Times and little more explaining.2.5 – Explanation of faces and more detail added to the steps all algorithms in steps have colored RED and made BOLD – ITALIC – UNDER LINED as well as in the move list, first algorithm in step two fixed.2.0 – Examples and Explanation of Clockwise and Counter Clockwise Turning added with diagrams. Still not good enough.1.7 – Introduction and more added to the ‘Know Your Cube’ section. Bigger diagrams added along with a ‘Move List’.1.5 – Right to the steps. Not much explanation.1.0 – The first release. Bad quality. Know your Cube – Here is a guide on knowing your Rubik’s Cube.R – Right FaceL – Left FaceD – Down FaceU – Up FaceB – Back Face

F – Front FaceX’ – Inverted (X is replaced with any side)X2 - 180° (degrees) turn (two turns)

Here is a diagram:

A Solved Rubik’s Cube labeled with the face names.

Each turn is 90 degrees CLOCKWISE (90 degrees is one turn) unless it is INVERTED, and then it is COUNTER CLOCKWISE. The last pages of this guide have pictures explaining this concept. If you do not learn this you will never be able to use algorithms to solve a Rubik’s Cube. The only way you will ever solve one is with luck.

The Rubik’s Cube is split into three (3) layers. You solve layer one first. In this guide that is step numbers one and two. Step three is layer two and steps four through seven are the last layer or the third layer. When you turn the cube its self then the side that is facing you becomes the front face. I don’t believe that there is any back face turns (the side opposite to you), but there are other methods that use it, turn the cube holding the front face so the back face is facing you. Then turn it from there and put it back so the front face (the one you are holding) faces you.

A cool thing about this method is it can also be used on the Rubik’s Pocket (2x2x2). You follow the corner algorithms. You would use steps 2, 6, and 7 to solve a Pocket Cube. I discovered this for myself (I could of just looked on the Internet) playing with my Revenge (4x4x4) scrambled as a Pocket. Then it broke. Then I got a new one!

Faces. This is a really important concept. The most important, kind of. This should come naturally, even if you never thought you would be able to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Your left face is toward your left. Right is to the right. Up is up and down is down. Front is the face you look at and the back face is the face opposite to you. When solving a Rubik’s Cube you start by looking at the front face. If your turn your cube, the whole cube not just a face, the face you are looking at becomes the front face (the exception is when your are using the back turn method two paragraphs up from here.

Another thing is never write any of these algorithms in lowercase letters!! If you ever attempt to solve a bigger version of the cube this habit will only mess you up! In a bigger cube (Revenge (4x4x4) as an example) there is an R and an r. The R or outside right slice and the r or the inside right slice.

Note: Grey is other colors. Just so you know.

Step One - Align Layer One’s EdgesI don’t know why people cannot do this step. It is very, very easy. When the top color is on the bottom, match the side and turn it (the front face) 180 degrees or two turns clockwise or counter clockwise. If the top color is on the side, turn the face (front) then turn the left or right side, depending what way you turned the front face, now if you had a top color edge on top but is now misplaced, put it back, but don’t undo what you’ve done to the other color!!

Step Two - Solve Layer One’s CornersFind the corners that correspond to the sidepieces and the top layer. In the diagram above the piece is Green - Yellow – Red corner. Do the Algorithm: R’ D’ R D. Repeat until each corner is aligned. Most corners will need the Algorithm done more than once. If the corner is the top color facing you on the right face then move it out of the way and do: R’ D.

Step Three – Place Layer Two’s CornersThis step is very tricky. It took the longest for me to memorize this step. There are two scenarios to this. Move the edge to the left or right. Moving it to the left is basically taking it from the third layer and putting it to it’s proper spot in the second layer. It goes with moving the piece to the right also. To move the edge to the left do: U’ L’ U L F’ L F L’. To move the edge to the right do: U R U’ R’ F R’ F’ R.

The First Two Pictures is to move the edge to the right. The second two pictures are to move the edge to the left.

Step Four – Make the CrossI find this is easy. All you have to do is make a cross with the top layer’s color. There are four scenarios you can come up with to start. The Dot. The Line. The L. Even the Cross. If you got the cross you can skip this step. Do the move: F U R U’ R’ F’ if you have the L to get to the Cross. Do the move: F R U R’ U’ F’ if you have the Line to get to the Cross. Do: F R U R’ U’ F’ U2 F U R U’ R’ F if you have the Dot to get to the Cross. Make sure your Line and L look like the diagrams.

From left to right: The L, the Dot, the Line, and the Cross.

Step Five - Solve Layer Three’s EdgesNow align the top face’s color and each edge color. This is very similar to how the first step was done but not totally. There is an algorithm for this so you don’t screw up the bottom or any of the sides. Do: R U2 R’ U’ R U’ R’ until you get all of the edges.

Your cube should look like this after this step.

Step Six - Place Layer Three’s CornersAlign the corners so that they are in position to ‘flip’ to solve the cube. There is a chance, not a big one, that you may solve the cube on this step. If not do: L’ U R U’ L U R’ U’ until the corners are aligned. Find one already in its position; it does not have to be flipped so the top layer’s color is on top, and the do the algorithm. This will make it easier to solve.

Step Seven - Flip Layer Three’s CornersNow to solve the rest of the cube. Do: R U2 R’ U’ R U’ R’ L’ U2 L U L’ U L. Now if you see that two corners are solved and the other two are not if the two corners have their top color facing out in the same direction put them towards the left and do the algorithm and it will be solved (look at the first diagram in this step)! If not keep up the algorithm until you find this position. Something I’ve recently discovered is that if you find a situation like in the second diagram you just need to turn the whole cube so it looks kind of like the first diagram pictured here.

The first picture represents the last position your cube will be in before it’s solved. The second is it’s solved!!

Move (Algorithm) list:

Place First Layer Corner: R’ D’ R D

Move Edge Right: U R U’ R’ F R’ F’ R

Move Edge Left: U’ L’ U L F’ L F L’

Dot To Cross: F R U R’ U’ F’ U2 F U R U’ R’ F

Line To Cross: F R U R’ U’ F’

L to Cross: F U R U’ R’ F’

Align Last Layer Edges: R U2 R’ U’ R U’ R’

Place L3 Corners: L’ U R U’ L U R’ U’

Flip L3 Corners: R U2 R’ U’ R U’ R’ L’ U2 L U L’ U L

Example of CW and CCW Turning

The arrows are pointing in the clockwise direction. Clockwise is the opposite on the opposite face. U face is opposite of the D face. R face is opposite of the L face. And F face is opposite of the B face.