Absolute beginner

Solve the cube layer by layer. No prior knowledge. A first solve, typically in a few minutes once the steps are comfortable.

Read the notation

Hold the cube with one face toward you. Letters name faces: U up, D down, F front, R right, L left, B back. A letter alone is a quarter turn clockwise looking at that face; an apostrophe (R') is anti-clockwise; a 2 (R2) is a half turn.

Centres never move relative to each other, so they define each face's colour. Solve around them.

1. The white cross

Make a white cross on one face with each edge's other colour matching the centre beside it. This step is intuitive: no algorithm. Turn the face with the white centre to line up the side colours, then turn the side face down to join the pieces.

2. White corners

Turn the cube white-side down. Put a white corner in the top layer directly above the slot where it belongs (the one whose side colours match the two centres), at the front-right of the top. Repeat the four moves below until it drops in correctly: up to five times.

The sequence has order six, so it always returns. Keep going until the corner sits in the slot with white facing down.

R U R' U' — repeat until the corner is in

3. Middle layer

Find a top-layer edge with no yellow. Turn the top until its front colour matches the front centre. If its top colour matches the right centre, use the right-hand move; if it matches the left, use the left-hand move. Only the one slot in the middle layer changes, plus the top layer.

If a middle edge is stuck in the wrong place, do either move with any top edge to pop it out, then insert it properly.

U R U' R' U' F' U F — edge goes to the right

U' L' U L U F U' F' — edge goes to the left

4. The yellow cross

Turn the cube yellow-side up. Look at the yellow on the top: a dot, an L, a line, or a cross. Repeat the algorithm below until you have the cross.

Holding rules: with an L, put the two yellow edges at the back and left. With a line, hold it horizontal (left to right). With a dot, hold any way. A dot becomes an L, an L becomes a line, a line becomes the cross: at most three goes.

F R U R' U' F' — dot → L → line → cross

5. Place the yellow edges

Turn the top until as many edges as possible match their side centres. If two neighbouring edges match, hold the cube so those two are at the back and right, then do the algorithm. If only two opposite edges match, or none, do it once from any hold and look again. At most three goes.

R U R' U R U2 R' U — swaps the front and left edges

6. Place the yellow corners

Look for a corner that is in the right place, even if twisted (its three colours belong around that corner). Hold it at the front-right of the top and do the algorithm. If none is correct, do it once from any hold and look again. Edges are untouched, and at most three goes.

U R U' L' U R' U' L — cycles the other three corners

7. Twist the yellow corners

Hold the cube so an unfinished corner is at the front-right of the top. Repeat the algorithm in pairs (2 or 4 times) until its yellow faces up. Do not turn the whole cube: turn only the top layer to bring the next unfinished corner to the front-right.

The cube looks scrambled while you do this. That is expected, and everything lines up after the final top turn. Finish by turning the bottom layer to line up the first two layers.

R' D' R D — repeat in pairs on one corner at a time