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This is our last step! We move edges to their matching sides on the last layer. You only need to remember the following two algorithms. As you can see, the first algorithm swaps the 3 edge cubies clockwise, and the second one swaps them counter-clockwise.
L2 U B F' L2 B' F U L2
L2 U' B F' L2 B' F U' L2
There are actually 4 possible scenarios, but for each scenario you need to use only these two algorithms, at maximum two tries.
Congratulations! You just solved the incredibly challenging game of the Rubik's cube Give yourself a big pat on the back will ya?
I think I covered every detail that any layman can do this. But if you are still confused, let me know!
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If all corner cubies are oriented correctly, meaning the colors are on the right side, then you can skip this step. Otherwise you need to know the following two algorithms. One orients 3 corner cubies counter-clockwise. The other orients 3 corner cubies clockwise.
F' U' F U' F' U2 F U2
F U F' U F U2 F' U2
There are actually 8 possible scenarios, but each can be solved by using only these two algorithms, at maximum two tries. This means that after you perform either algorithm once, you should end up with a state where 3 corner cubies need to be oriented clockwise or counter-clockwise. With some thinking you should be able to figure out what needs to be done in each scenario.
After you are done the Rubik's cube should look like this. Whew~ We are almost there
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In this step we are going to move correct corner cubies on the last layer. By correct I mean that each corner cubie needs to be moved to the corner it's supposed to be, but the colors could be on different sides. First you can rotate the last layer to see if you get lucky. Otherwise, you only need to know one algorithm to swap two corners facing you. As you can see they should be swapped to be in the correct place.
B U' F' U B' U' F U2
As you can see from the result of running the above scenario, the corners are at the right place but the colors are on different sides. This is fine.
This algorithm is enough for every possible scenario, but sometimes you need to perform it more than once. Perform as many times as you need to get this right. If you are confused, write down what needs to be swapped and the solution will come.
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First turn your Rubik's cube upside down. The goal here is to form a cross on the last layer. In our examples, the last layer is blue side. So when this step is done, you should see a blue cross. Note that it's not required to have the correct cubie in the cross (e.g. one side of the cubie is green but is on the red face). You only need to remember two algorithms. In the following examples, I only show the last layer, which is on the top so that you can see the colors.
L U F U' F' L'
L F U F' U' L'
Suppose you are just unlucky and you start out with neither of the scenarios above, then you simply apply either algorithm and go from there. After you are done, the Rubik's cube looks like this.
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In this step, we will be solving the 4 edge cubies of the middle layer. First in the last layer find the edge cubie you want to move to the correct place. For example, between a red and a green face, find the edge cubie that has a red and a green side. Often the cubie is located in the last layer, and there can only be two scenarios, as the following algorithms suggest. They actually mirror each other, but you won't be able to see it until you practice enough.
D' F' D F D L D' L'
D L D' L' D' F' D F
After you solve all edge cubies in the last layer, if the remaining edge cubie(s) is in the right place but the colors are reversed (e.g. red in the green face and green in the right face), you simply use either algorithm to move it to the last layer, and use the appropriate algorithm again to move it back to the right place with the right sides.
Now you should be able to solve the middle layer. After you are done, your cube should look like this.
Great work By now you may feel that you've done 80% of the work and solving the last layer will be a no-brainer. Not to burst your bubble, but the last layer is the most difficult to solve, the reason being that while working on it, we must make sure we eventually restore the top two layers. This is what makes it so effort-consuming and time-consuming. But don't worry; we'll ease into it.
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In this step we are trying to solve top layer's corners, so that after you are done you have the entire top layer solved. This step should also be intuitive. The following cover all possible scenarios.
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In this step we are trying to solve the top layer's edge cubies, so that when it's done you see a cross formed on top of the Rubik's cube. This step should be intuitive. After playing around with the Rubik's cube you should be able to do this intuitively.
The following are several exmaples. After playing with them you'll realize that there are many possible scenarios, but solving them are intuitive, even though the moves you take most likely are not the most efficient ones.
L2
F U
F L'
After you solved one or two cubies and are solving the next one, you may feel that solving it disrupts the previous solved cubies. In this situation, simply move the solved cubies away temporarily and move them back after solving the next one. Here are several examples.
Solve the red cubie after solving green and orange cubie (U' R U)
Solve the red cubie after solving all other cubies (U L U' F)
Moving solved portions away to avoid messing them up while solving the next part is a critical skill you must have in order to solve the top layer intuitively.
After you are done, your cube should look like this.
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Play with the cube by clicking and dragging it!!!
A 3x3 Rubik's cube has 6 faces, each consisting of 9 little squares. Each square has a color out of 6 colors. You can rotate any side and the goal is to make every side have the same color.
This tutorial teaches you EXACTLY how to solve the Rubik's cube. It is one of the easiest rubiks cube solutions. There are many websites on solving a Rubik's cube, but it's so DIFFICULT to find one that tells you exactly how to solve it from start to finish Most them either brag about their achievements or their awards or tell you part of how to solve it. I was very upset. Now that I know how to solve the rubiks cube, I am determined to write a post about it so anyone interested in solving a Rubik's cube can learn how to do it in a matter of hours.
Let's get our terms synchronized before moving on.
A cubie is the little cube in the Rubik's cube. A 3x3x3 Rubik's cube, for example, has 27 cubies. A Face, depending on the context, can mean a Rubik's cube's face or a cubie's face. However, "...on red face..." would refer to the Rubik's cube's red face. A square, depending on the context, can mean a side of a cubie or that of a cube's face An edge cubie is a cubie that sits on some edge of the Rubik's cube A corner cubie is a cubie that sits on some corner of the Rubik's cube
Play with the Rubik's cube and you should be able to observe the following properties of the Rubik's cube:
The centered square of any face is fixed, meaning that the color of the face must match the color of the square at the center. Every cubie belongs somewhere, and somewhere only. For example, an edge cubie consisting of color green and blue belongs to the edge between green face and blue face. You can find numerous instances of symmetry while solving the Rubik's cube. The examples I show might not cover all absolute cases, but they should cover all symmetrical or mirror cases. So if you don't see the configuration you need at first look for the symmetrical configuration.
Remember the above properties as well as you can. Repeat them in your mind several times. You cannot proceed without knowing those properties.
An algorithm is a sequence of moves you do on a Rubik's cube in order to go from one configuration to another. An algorithm is represented in this format: [letter][special symbol or empty] [letter][special symbol or empty] ...
[letter]: It represents the face you rotate. The following is a list of possible values and what faces they represent:
* L - left face * R - right face * U - top face (up) * D - bottom face (down) * F - front face * B - back face
[special symbol or empty]:
* [empty] - rotate clockwise once * 2 - rotate clockwise twice * ' - rotate counterclockwise once
For example, "L R' U2 D F B" means "rotate left face clockwise, rotate right face counter-clockwise, rotate top face clockwise twice (same as counter-clockwise twice), rotate bottom face clockwise, rotate front face clockwise, rotate back face clockwise." I will be speaking in these terms when I describe an algorithm. So you MUST know these terms before moving on.
The orientation of the Rubik's cube you see when the webpage finishes loading is the orientation we use. It should be straightforward where "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", and "bottom" are. If you rotate the Rubik's cube with your mouse, you need to refresh the webpage in order to have the Rubik's cube revert to the original orientation.
In the examples I show, I only show colors for relevant cubies and leave the rest cubies gray. Also, to be consistent, the front face in my examples is always red.
You might be confused as to what direction "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise" refers to. Play with the following Rubik's cube by pressing the Play button. It represents the algorithm "L L' L2 R R' U U' D D' F F' B B'". Familiarize yourself with the buttons in the animation and drag your mouse on the cube to get a feel for it. It should be pretty straightforward how it works. NOTE If you see no animations below let me know!
