Solve Rubik's Cube

How to Solve a Rubik's Cube

TOP
____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/|
LEFT |___|___|___|/|| RIGHT
| | | |||/
| FRONT ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/
|___|___|___|/

BOTTOM

____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
center | | | |||/
piece-------> | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
corner--->| | | ||/
piece |___|___|___|/
^
|_______side piece

Clockwise and counterclockwise mean as if you are facing that face (the face you want to turn).

F = Front face CLOCKWISE
Fi = Front Face COUNTER-CLOCKWISE
T = top
Ti
R = right
Ri
L = left
Li
B = Bottom
Bi = bottom inverted (counter-clockwise)

Step 1 - Top layer
Step 2 - middle layer
step 3 - bottom cross (bottom side pieces orientation)
step 4 - bottom side-center pieces positioned correctly
step 5 - corner pieces into position
step 6 - corner pieces correct orientation

Step 1 - Top layer

Choose a layer to be your first layer. The center piece of each side
is that sides color

____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/_W_/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | ||G/
| | R | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/
|___|___|___|/

So let's say White is the first layer.

--------------------------------------------------

to get
____________ ____________
/___/___/___/| /___/___/___/|
/___/_W_/___/|| /___/_W_/___/||
/___/___/___/||| /___/___/_W_/|||
| | | |||/ | | | |G|/
from: | | | ||/| to: | | | R ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | | ||/| | | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |G|/ | | | |||/
| | | W ||/ | | | ||/
|___|___|___|/ |___|___|___|/
R

moves: bi, ri, b, r.

moves: f, b, fi.

--------------------------------------------------

to get
____________ ____________
/___/___/___/| /___/___/___/|
/___/_W_/___/|| /___/_W_/___/||
/___/___/___/||| /___/_W_/___/|||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
from: | | | ||/| to: | | R | ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | R | ||/| | | R | ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | W | ||/ | | | ||/
|___|___|___|/ |___|___|___|/
R

moves: b, center column top towards you, bi, center column top away from you

--------------------------------------------------

____________ ____________
/___/___/___/| /___/___/___/|
/___/_W_/___/|| /___/_W_/_W_/||
/___/___/___/||| /___/___/___/|G|
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
from: | | | ||/| to: | | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/G| |___|___|___|/G|
----------| | | |G|/ | | | |||/
center row| | | W ||/| | | | ||/|
----------|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | | ||/ | | | ||/
|___|___|___|/ |___|___|___|/

So you could just rotate the right face clockwise but is you have
corner pieces in place already and don't want to mess them up then do:

moves: center row to the left, ri, center row right, r.

____________ ____________
/___/___/___/| /___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/|| /___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/||| /___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
from: | | | ||/| to: | | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | | ||/| | | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | | ||/ | | | ||/
|___|___|___|/ |___|___|___|/

____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/
|___|___|___|/

___________________________________________________________________________

Step 1 Part two:

Eventually (after being comfortable doing the top face), do it with the correct
first layer around:

____________
/ /_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|
| /_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|G
all | /_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|G|
correct-| | | | |G|/
| | R | R | R ||/|
\ |___|___|___|/||
| | | ||G/
| | R | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/
|___|___|___|/

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Step 2 - middle layer

Find the corresponding middle piece on the bottom layer
and rotate the bottom layer until the bottom color is
opposite that color on the side:

R = red
B = blue
W = white
y = yellow
g = green
o = orange

for example:

(Top layer done)
_____________
(second | | | |\
layer done)| R | R | R |G\
|___|___|___||G\
| | | |\|G
| | R | |<--------to this corner
|___|___|___||G\
| | | |\||
| | | ||\|
from this |___|___|___|||\
corner \___\___\___\|||
|---> R->\_G_\___\___\||
\___\___\___\|

moves: ri, b, r, b, f, bi, fi.

_________________________________________________

Or:
_____________
/| | | |
/R| G | G | G |
/R||___|___|___|
R|/| | | |
|/||<--|-G-|---|-----to this corner
/R||___|___|___|
||/| | | |
|/|| | | |
/|||___|___|___|
||/___/___/___/
|/___/___/_R_/<-G <---from this corner:
/___/___/___/

moves: l, bi, li, bi, fi, b, f.

________________________________________________

If the piece you need is already in the middle layer but is
either in the wrong spot or in the wrong orientation then just
do either of the two above sets of moves and that will 'trade' that
piece with one of the pieces on the bottom and now the piece you need
will be on the bottom

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

step 3 - bottom cross (bottom side pieces orientation)
(but still in wrong position)

The bottom four side pieces will be right or wrong in an even number:
Either all will be turned the wrong way, or two will be right, or all four
will be right. You can fix them 2 at a time. First you do one and then you rotate
the bottom layer so that the second one is in the 'changing station', and then
you do all the moves in reverse to return the cube to however much solved
it has been so far:

diagram 3.1
____________
/_G_/_G_/_G_/|
/_G_/_G_/_G_/|Y
/___/_R_/___/|Y|
| | | |||/
|(bottom layer/Y
|___|___|___|/Y|
| | | |R|/
| R | R | ||/Y
|___|___|___|/Y|
| | | |||/
| | R | ||/
|___|___|___|/

Notice that two of the red side pieces are already orientated correctly.
Now we need to orientate the two remaining red side pieces.

____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | X | ||/| think of this spot as the 'changing station'
|___|___|___|/|| |
| | | |||/ | After the first set of moves, this spot
| | | <---------- will be red. Then we will rotate the bottom
|___|___|___|/|| layer (the one we are facing) clockwise so
| | | |||/ that the last remaining red side piece (marked
| | | ||/ "X") will be in the 'changing station'. Then
|___|___|___|/ we will do all the moves again, but this time
backwards to undo all the messing up of the cube that we messed up with the first set of moves from this part of the solving.

One more thing. for this part we will need a special move:

__________________
/ / / /|
/ / / / |
/_____/_____/_____/ |
/ / / /| |
/ < / < / < / | |
/_____/_____/_____/ | /|
/ / / /|^ |/ |
/ / / / | / |
/_____/_____/_____/ | /| |
| | | | |/ | |
| | | | / | /|
| | | | /|^ |/ |
| | | |/ | / |
|_____|_____|_____/ | /| |
| | | | |/ | |
| | | | / | |
| bottom layer | /|^ | /
| | | |/ | |/
|_____|_____|_____/ | /
| | | | | /
| | | | |/
| | | | /
| | | | /
|_____|_____|_____|/

we'll call this

mi = middle inverted (counterclockwise)

and to the right:

m = middle clockwise

Also keep in mind that now when I say "fi" I mean the last undone layer (which
is now the front, by turning the whole cube) front counterclockwise

(refer to diagram 3.1)

moves:

(beginning:)

r, mi, r, r, mi, mi, r,

(bring second piece into position:)

this move is 'lav davka'. Where ever on the front face the next piece is,
you rotate the front face to bring that piece into the 'changing station'
spot. In this case since the second piece to be changed is at 12 o'clock,
therefore the move is front face clockwise. But it's 'lav davka' in every case.

(reverse moves:)

ri, m, m, ri, ri, m, ri.

______________________________________________________________

step 4 - bottom side-center pieces positioned correctly

Hold the cube upside down so that the last undone layer is now at the top:

____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/
|___|___|___|/

rotate the top layer until just one side piece is in the correct spot.
If you can only get two in the correct spot then just do the following moves
and then return to the beginning of this paragraph.

Now to move around the following pieces clockwise do the following:
To do it counterclockwise refer to below

(G)
|
| clockwise:
_____V______
/___/___/___/|
---->/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|<----(green to go here,etc.)
| | | |||/
| | R | ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/
|___|___|___|/

moves: r, ti, ti, ri, ti, r, ti, ri.

-----------------------------------

counter-clockwise:

|
| counter-clockwise:
_____V______
/___/___/___/|
(G)--->/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|<----(green to go here,etc.)
| | | |||/
| | R | ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/
|___|___|___|/

moves: r, t, ri, t, r, t, t, ri.

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

step 5 - corner pieces into position

If none of the pieces are in the right position then just do
this set of moves and then one will for sure be in the right
position.

Hold the cube so that the one that is in the right position
is in the front-right corner. (Orientation doesn't matter
at this point)

to switch these corner pieces CLOCKWISE:

| |
| |
| |
_V_______V__
/___/_Y_/___/|
/_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|B
/___/_Y_/_R_/|G|
--->| | | |Y|/
| | R | G ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/
|___|___|___|/

moves: li, t, r, ti, l, t, ri, ti.

Counter-clockwise:

moves: t, r, ti, li, t, ri, ti, l.

______________________________________________
______________________________________________

LAST STAGE
---- -----

step 6 - corner pieces correct orientation

____________
/___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/||
/___/___/___/|||
| | | |||/
| | | <-----this corner is the 'changing station'
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/
| | | ||/
|___|___|___|/

the following set of moves will rotate the right-top corner piece
COUNTER-CLOCKWISE around itself, meaning:

____________ ____________
/___/___/___/| /___/___/___/|
/___/___/___/|| /___/___/___/||
/___/___/_R_/||| /___/___/_Y_/|||
| | | |Y|/ | | | |G|/
| | | G ||/| becomes: | | | R ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | | ||/| | | | ||/|
|___|___|___|/|| |___|___|___|/||
| | | |||/ | | | |||/
| | | ||/ | | | ||/
|___|___|___|/ |___|___|___|/

After you have rotated one piece correctly you need to rotate
the entire top face so that the next incorrect piece is now
in the right-top corner, the so called 'changing station', and then
you have to do the moves again either once or twice depending
on how it's orientated (if it has to be turned twice). Do this,
(changing up pieces into the 'changing station' and executing the moves)
as many times as neccessary until THE CUBE IS DONE!

(ri, bi, r, b). x2

GOOD LUCK, MY WARY TRAVELLER

____________
/_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|
/_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|G
/_Y_/_Y_/_Y_/|G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/G
|___|___|___|/G|
| | | |G|/
| R | R | R ||/
|___|___|___|/

Bumy Goldson's

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How to Solve a Rubik's Cube