Beginner’s Method

The Most Spectacular, Stupendous, Sweeping, Slick, Straightforward Rubik’s Cube Tutorial the Web Has Ever Known (and Likely Ever Will Know) – Part 1 (White Cross)

Adventures in Cubing2 Comments
NOTICE: WORK IN PROGRESS. THIS POST AND OTHER PARTS OF THE TUTORIAL ARE STILL BEING CONCEIVED, WRITTEN, AND SPRUCED UP. YOUR PATIENCE WHILE THE HAMSTERS REST IS APPRECIATED.
Beginner’s Guide
Table of Contents
0/ INTRODUCTION
1/ THE CROSS
2/ FIRST TWO LAYERS (F2L)
3/ ORIENT LAST LAYER (OLL)
4/ PERMUTE LAST LAYER (PLL)

STEP 1: THE CROSS

The very first step in solving a 3×3 cube is to build a cross in the bottom layer. For purposes of this tutorial, we’ll treat the bottom layer as white (making the top layer yellow). Remember, the face color is defined by the center cubie. We’ll build the cross in two stages: first, building a daisy in the top layer with the four white edges surrounding the yellow center; second, transferring those white edges into the bottom face to create the white cross.

STEP 3a: Build a Daisy in Top Face

The goal here is to create a daisy in the top face, as shown to the right — with a yellow center cubie (capitulum) and four edges with white facing up (petals). Continue reading →

The Most Spectacular, Stupendous, Sweeping, Slick, Straightforward Rubik’s Cube Tutorial the Web Has Ever Known (and Likely Ever Will Know) — Introduction

Adventures in Cubing4 Comments
NOTICE: WORK IN PROGRESS. THIS POST AND OTHER PARTS OF THE TUTORIAL ARE STILL BEING CONCEIVED, WRITTEN, AND SPRUCED UP. YOUR PATIENCE WHILE THE HAMSTERS REST IS APPRECIATED.
Beginner’s Guide
Table of Contents
0/ INTRODUCTION
1/ THE CROSS
2/ FIRST TWO LAYERS (F2L)
3/ ORIENT LAST LAYER (OLL)
4/ PERMUTE LAST LAYER (PLL)

Prologue

So you want to learn to solve a Rubik’s cube?   The 4.3 quintillion possible facelet combinations may lead you to believe that completing a scrambled cube is impossible – or at least a feat attainable by only those with Herculean mental capacity.  I can attest autobiographically that the cube may be intimidating, but certainly not impossible.  Unable to solve a cube three months ago, I can now routinely solve one in under a minute, giving it nary a thought.  My wife jokes that it’s become my stressball, since I spin the faces almost subconsciously at this point as we watch TV.

Building off the very good work of several others (especially RobH0629, from whose excellent Beginner Tutorial videos I originally learned), I wanted to create a highly approachable tutorial that would demystify the cube – turning its solution from an other-worldly feat to a nearly brainless habit.  You will feel overwhelmed as you go through it, and you will ask yourself how anyone could possibly memorize all of the steps.  I asked myself the same, and was certain I’d never commit it to memory.  At this point, it’s beyond memory — it’s auto-mechanical muscle memory.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am well aware that I’m not the world’s best cuber — never will be, and, frankly, do not aspire to be.  Spend a couple minutes on youtube and you’ll find hundreds of folks who can regularly solve a cube in less than 20 seconds (never mind Feliks and his 5.6 second solve).  I do enjoy cubing, however, and I’ve found great satisfaction in teaching it to others.  Two of my friend-pupils are now competent cubers.  In two weeks, both went from not being able to solve a cube to regularly solving it in about a minute.

So, don’t sweat it.  Follow along closely, practice a lot, and you’ll be there in no time. Continue reading →

first timed 2×2 (27 seconds)

Adventures in Cubing2 Comments

Having spent the last couple months consumed by 3×3 cubes, I just grabbed a 2×2 to break up the monotony. As expected, it didn’t take long to become comfortable with it. After all, a 2×2 cube is simply a 3×3 cube without the edges. After about 20 minutes for practice, I recorded this 27-second solve:

Pure Beginner’s Method adapted to a 2×2. The OLL was a little clunky, and I’m sure there are some more efficient algorithms. The PLL was a snap.

The music is Umphrey’s McGee playing, appropriately, “2×2” (from their December 30, 2010 concert). The full show can be downloaded here.

The cube is a V-Cube 2. It seems to lock up a bunch, especially when compared to the better 3×3’s I own. But it’s certainly smooth enough to serve as a fun distraction.

advancing the cross

Adventures in Cubing7 Comments

For the most part, I still currently use the Beginner’s Method (as taught by RobH0629‘s very accessible and excellent tutorials) to solve a 3×3 cube.  Although I’m amazed that I’ve gotten down to 1:09 using that method, I realize that I’ll need more advanced techniques to cut my times.  For example, on even my fastest solves, the cross takes me an average of 15 seconds; with new techniques, I should be able to halve that.

When I say cross, I mean forming a cross/plus-sign in the bottom face (usually white) by placing the white/red, white/blue, white/orange, white/green edges with their white halves facing down and colored halves lined up with each side face’s center cube.  Like so:

Continue reading →