I could solve one side of a Rubik’s cube, or even two when I was like 10 years old and always thought that it’s the way to solve a Rubik’s cube, side-by-side. Guess what?
I was completely wrong.
By eventually solving it lately with my kids, I realized that it’s rather a layer-by-layer game using a technique called CFOP (Cross-F2L-OLL-PLL) or block-by-block if using a different method called Roux.
Here is a simplified, easy-to-follow version of steps to solve a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube from a 6-Stage process from the official Rubik’s website, using the CFOP method.
Step 1 – Solve the White Cross
The goal of this step is to hold the cube with the white centerpiece on the top face and create a white cross as shown below:
Step 2 – Solve the White Corner
The goal is to make the cube like below with the white cross in the top face.
Tips – Find the white corner piece and turn it to one of the following positions:
And use the following sequence 1x, 2x, 3x, or more until it’s in the right position.
Step 3 – Solve the Middle Layer
The goal:
Tips – create a vertical line by rotating the top face until the front color of the edge piece on the top face without yellow on it matches the side centerpiece. For example,
If you see this:
Use the following sequence to move the blue piece to the right.
And if you see this:
Use the following sequence to move the blue piece to the left.
Continue these steps until all the edge pieces are in the right position.
Step 4 – Solve the Top Layer
The goal:
There are two steps to solve this:
1st Step: Make a yellow cross
2nd Step: Make all the corners yellow
Hold the cube to match your face to one of the following states.
Repeat the following sequence until all the corners are yellow.
Step 5 – Solve the Final Layer
There are also two steps involved to solve the final piece of this puzzle.
1st Step: Position yellow corners correctly
The goal is to make all 4 corners in the right place, like below:
Hold the cube and place the 2 correct corners in the back, like A, B in the picture below:
then do the sequence below to switch C and D.
You may need to repeat this step a couple of times to get all the corners in the right place.
2nd Step: Position yellow edges correctly
If there is only one edge correctly placed, hold the Cube with the correct edge facing back. Then determine how the E, F, and G pieces need to move, clockwise or counter-clockwise.
If no edges are placed correctly, then do either sequence below once.
To cycle EFG clockwise, do this sequence:
To cycle EFG counter-clockwise,
This is hard
Thank you. Your instructions were very helpful.
Either I am a noob at this, or those instuctions were difficult and I couldn’t do it!!! >:(
Same! it was too hard for me or I am dumb
amazing illustration , thank you
this sucks… I couldn’t figure out how to do this I followed all of the instructions and I got nowhere
couldn’t even get past the first layer. Because it did nothing.
It takes a special kind of slow to not be able to follow these instructions.
for real
This is pretty easy to understand when you do it by practice and this only took me almost 1 day and a halve but there is one problem I cannot solve and this guide solver cube does not seem to have way to finish the last 4 edge that all four yellow corner are in correct place but the 4 edge are in the wrong place and given me a hard time doing the same thing over and over but does not seem to work so I reset my cube and do it over but this time I only got 3 edge are in the wrong place giving me a way to solve it. So this took me a halve a day in another time when few time trying to figure out how to solve the 4 edge that gives me too many problems so I found a way to solve without ruining my cube with the 4 edge. Going back to solve the first step 5 and doing the same method and rearranging the yellow corners in the right place. And then finally doing the second method in step 5 to finally solve the cube with 4 edge incorrect places.
Step 4 is not explained