How To Solve Rubik's Cube - 7 Easy Steps (RECAP)

In this video , we will learn an easy method to solve the Rubik's cube .

This is the same method that Emily used when she was just three years old to solve the cube .

We believe this is the easiest method to learn to solve the Rubik's cube because it focuses primarily on understanding how the cube works and what is necessary to solve it .

I get a job , we must first form a white cross on the bottom by placing the four white edge pieces in the bottom layer with the adjacent colors matching their centers .

The beginner method to do this is to place all the white edge pieces on the top with the yellow center sticker .

This may take one move or two , make sure not to knock out one of the edges that you've already put in .

When you insert a new one , just turn the top up layer if need be .

Now we turn the up layer to orient the edges one at a time .

So the adjacent color matches its center , then we spin it down with an R two slapped aside and we have a solid white cross .

All the edges are correct with their respective center colors .

Once we have the white cross on the bottom , we only need four corners to finish the first layer , the bottom layer to do this .

We find a corner on top with a white sticker facing to the side , not facing up , then we place it above its intended location .

This is orange blue .

So it goes above the corner between orange and blue .

A quick shortcut to do this is notice the side color and then just match it up with its center color .

It's wrong , wrong , correct .

Do the same with this .

Just look at this blue and a quick shortcut is just when it touches that blue , you're good .

That's the intended location and let's do it with this one green and then that's where that one goes .

Ok , let's go back to our orange blue .

We want to insert this corner piece without knocking out our edge piece .

An easy way to do that is if the white stickers on the right side .

In this example , you slap the white and perform right up right prime .

If it's on the left side , slap the white , left , prime up , prime , left .

The slap in the white side was just a memory trick Emily used to use when she was three .

If we do the wrong way , it's pretty obvious and easy to fix .

So now we have all the corner pieces in the correct location .

So basically your corner pieces have to match these centers .

If the white corner sticker is facing up , you can't insert it that same way .

What you wanna do is just bring that white sticker down any number of ways you can do it right up , up right prime and then just insert it like you normally would or from the other side , if a white corner is on the bottom , but in the incorrect location , just kick it out any way you like , move it to the right spot and insert like you normally would if it's in the correct spot , just orient it incorrectly , kick it out again , kick it out any way you like but try not to kick it out with the white sticker facing up .

That'll save you a few steps .

In order to solve the second layer , we need to locate and place the four edge pieces relative to their correspondence centers .

First , we look on the top layer for an edge piece with no yellows , yellow is a top layer color .

So no middle layer edge can have a yellow .

Once you find an edge with no yellow , notice the color on the side , not the top and spin the top until it matches its center color .

Notice its intended location .

We want to get it here without disturbing the first layer .

What we're gonna do is take the corner out , pair it up with this edge and reinsert them both together like this one simple way to do that is notice the color on top and then find its center , turn the top layer , the up layer one turn away from its center .

So again , the blue blue one turn away .

Now take the corner piece beneath where that edge piece goes and move it up towards the edge piece .

Chase it right up right prime .

Now , move that corner back over .

It's an empty spot where it goes .

So here we have the edge , here .

We have the corner now just insert this corner piece as you normally would slap the white side and you can see it paired up with that edge .

We call this sequence special rabbit because you kick out the corner , chase the edge , but the edge ran away because it's a special rabbit .

So we go back to the starting point .

How do you catch a special rabbit ?

You knee up on it , pairing the edge and corner before reinserting both if an edge is already in the second layer , but in the wrong location , just kick it out and then reinsert the corner .

Now that edge is out , line it up orange away from orange .

So let's look at this on this cube green away from green , kick the corner towards it , put the corner back in the starting spot , connect him reinsert if you have one in backwards , same thing , just kick it out any way you like solve the corner and then just solve it as you normally would .

Again , it's not important to memorize the turns but rather understand the principle of connecting corners and edges before reinserting , try to understand what we are doing in this step , we are catching special rabbits .

Now , for the last layer , we will learn some shortcut sequences called algorithms .

The more you know , the faster you will be able to solve the cube .

But to start with , we are only going to use a few .

We go over more .

In part two , the algorithms that we're gonna use won't disturb the first two layers that we've already formed .

The first step to solving the last layer is to place the four yellow edges on top forming a yellow cross to do this .

We perform one easy algorithm 1 to 3 times depending on the situation .

If we have two yellow edges on the top forming a line , we hold the line horizontal and perform the algorithm once front right up right prime up prime , front prime .

Now we have a yellow cross disregard any corner pieces .

We're only looking at the edge pieces .

So this is a line just as this is there .

We have the cross again , disregard corner pieces .

We're just looking at these right now .

If we have two yellows perpendicular to each other , we hold them in the 12 o'clock , nine o'clock position and perform the algorithm twice once creates the line and then again , creates the yellow cross .

Now we must orient all the corner pieces .

So the yellow sticker is on top facing up .

This is called orient last layer or OL L .

Once you have the Yellow Cross , there can only be seven possible arrangements each with its own algorithm to get all the yellows on top , we are only going to learn two though one forward and backward and one other easy one , a variation of the Yellow Cross algorithm .

First , we start with the fish patterns which get their name because someone thought this looked like a fish .

Notice that although these two patterns look the same from the top , they are different .

Because of the way the yellow stickers are oriented on the sides to solve little fish .

We hold the cube so that this corner is on the left side and then on the right , we have a yellow sticker facing us to solve .

We perform the little fish algorithm right up , right , prime up , right up , up , right prime , which gets all the yellow corners on the top .

If there's no sticker right here facing you , then you have big fish and you have to hold it like this .

And we perform the inverse of little fish algorithm which is right up , prime up , prime , right , prime up , prime , right up , prime , right prime .

Once you know an algorithm well , it becomes intuitive to perform it forward and backwards .

And one quick practice trick is if you have this solved and you perform little fish right up , right , prime up , right .

Uh uh right , prime , it actually makes big fish .

So you just do the inverse .

If you do big fish , it makes little fish .

So that's a quick way to , to practice .

Now , we look at two crosses with no yellow corners on top .

The first of which we call double fish has two yellows on the left and two yellows on the right .

The second which we call no fish has two yellows on the left .

But then a yellow facing us and then a yellow to the back to solve double fish place the yellow corners on the left and the right sides and perform little fish twice .

Hence the name double fish .

So to solve no fish place the two yellow corners that are on the same side to the left and perform a slight variation of the yellow cross algorithm instead of front right up , right , prime up , prime front prime , we perform lowercase F which is double front , right up , right , prime up , prime , lowercase F prime .

Then we do our standard front , right up , right , prime up , prime , front , prime .

That's pretty easy to memorize because it's basically the same exact al algorithm , you just have to learn when to apply it .

So if we get one of the three patterns that we don't know , just perform little fish until you get one that you do know .

So this one just became double fish .

This one just became big fish .

And sometimes when you perform little fish .

You still don't have one , you know , just do it again .

And this one became uh no fish .

This allows us to solve four of the seven possible oll arrangements for the yellow Cross with only two algorithms , one of which we already learned and used , we now have our first two layers complete and all the yellows on top , we just need to position the top correctly relative to the centers .

First , we'll fix the corners and then the edges which will solve the entire cue .

A quick and simple shortcut to correct the corners is to find a side that has two corners .

The same color place these to the back and perform an axis rotation X .

Then the algorithm right prime up right prime down down , right up prime , right prime down down , right , right .

At this point , all your corners will be fixed .

If no side has two corners , the same just perform the algorithm once , then it will have two corners of the same , find them , place them to the back and do it again .

Now we turn the top so that the corners match .

And then at that point , we just have to fix the edges .

We are looking for three edges out of place , not four .

As in this case , we'll go over this in a little bit .

When we have three out of place , we put the solve side to the back .

And then we look to see if this edge on the left is supposed to go to the right .

If it does , as Emily would say this one goes here , I do it once we performed the algorithm just once .

Now , if the south side is on the back and this edge piece does not go to the right , we have to do it twice .

So and then now this piece does go there .

OK .

Here's another example of all four edges wrong but wrong differently .

Last time , these two needed to trade this time , they need to trade diagonally .

So let's perform the algorithm once and at this point , we have a solid side .

Then we , we put it to the back .

We'd see .

Does this go here ?

No .

So in this case , we'll have to do it two more times for a total of three , the entire cube is now solved .

Or as Emily would say , man , I'm my God .

While this may seem difficult .

At first with a little practice , it becomes quite easy .

We learned the principle by which we plan to solve the cube and we only had to memorize a few easy algorithms .

The rest is just practice and patience .