Easiest way to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube (Layer by Layer Beginner’s Method)

Instructions by FTC Cubing (7 pages)

These instructions are designed to be used in conjunction with the video tutorial which can be found on the
‘FTC Cubing’ YouTube channel, or the following link: https://youtu.be/3NYzeX8eE_4

The easiest way to solve a Rubik’s cube is by using algorithms. These are specific patterns of movements
on the cube which move specific pieces to different places without undoing any work you have already
done. They are notated using letters corresponding to each face (‘F’ for ‘Front’ - hold this face towards you,
‘R’ for ‘Right’, ‘L’ for ‘Left’, ‘B’ for ‘Back’, ‘U’ for ‘Up’ and ‘D’ for ‘Down’). The cube faces are always relative
to you - the side facing you is always the ‘Front’ face so it changes if you rotate the cube.

U B

A letter written on its own tells you to rotate that face one turn (90⁰) clockwise. An ‘i’ written after a letter
means ‘invert’ (some people notate this as an apostrophe after the letter), and tells you to rotate the face
one turn counter-clockwise. You must make sure that the direction of the rotation is in relation to the
particular face (for example, ‘Bi’ means turn the back face counter-clockwise, which would be clockwise
relative to the direction you are looking). A ‘2’ written after a letter tells you to rotate the face in either
direction by 180⁰ (two 90⁰ turns).

In order to be able to solve any 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube, you will need to learn all of the algorithms and when to
use them. You can begin by scrambling up the cube.

Step 1: First Layer ‘Cross’

You can start with any colour when you solve a Rubik’s cube. However, these instructions will describe
starting with the white side, so they will be easier to follow if you do the same. The first step is to move all of
the white edge pieces into the correct place, to create a white cross on the top of the cube, making sure
that the edges match up with the colours of the other sides of the cube. You will need to do this one edge at
a time, learning using trial and error, as there is only one situation where an algorithm is useful: if you end
up with an edge piece in the correct place but upside-down, you can correct it using the algorithm Ri, U, Fi,
Ui starting with the edge piece that needs to be flipped in the top of the ‘Right’ face.
Step 2: First Layer Corners

In order to complete the first layer, the corner pieces need to be inserted into the correct places. Find a
corner piece with one white side and move it into the bottom layer so that the white side is facing out to
either side (not downwards). There are a few algorithms that can help with this step, though you will need
to learn a lot through trial and error. In order to move a piece that is incorrectly placed in the top layer into
the bottom layer without affecting the rest of the top layer, hold the corner piece in the top right of the ‘Front’
face and use the algorithm Ri, Di, R, D.

If a corner piece is in the bottom layer with the white side of the piece facing down, move it so that it is in
the bottom right of the ‘Front’ face and use the algorithm Ri, D2, R to rotate it.

Once the white side of the corner piece is facing outwards on the bottom layer, rotate just the bottom layer
so that the other colour that faces out to the side (not downwards) is on the same face as the centre-piece
of the same colour. Next, rotate the whole cube so that the white side of the corner piece is at the bottom of
the ‘Front’ face. If the white side of the corner piece is in the bottom left, insert it into the top layer using the
algorithm D, L, Di, Li.

If the white side of the corner piece is in the bottom right, use the algorithm Di, Ri, D, R. Repeat this for all
of the corner pieces containing white sides.

Step 3: Second Layer

Flip the whole cube over so that the white face you solved first is now the ‘Down’ face. Only the edge
pieces have to be corrected in order to solve the second layer, as the centre pieces are fixed and should
already match up with the first layer. Start by finding an edge piece in the top layer which does not have a
yellow side. If all of the edge pieces in the top layer have a yellow side, use the algorithm U, R, Ui, Ri, Ui,
Fi, U, F to move a yellow edge incorrectly into the second layer - this will move a non-yellow edge out into
the top layer, from where it can be correctly moved into the second layer.
Once you have a non-yellow edge piece in the top layer, rotate the ‘Up’ face until the side of the edge piece
that faces out to the side (not upwards) is on the same face as the centre-piece of the same colour. Using
the colours on the edge pieces, work out where the edge piece needs to move to be correctly inserted into
the second layer. Hold this position on the right of the ‘Front’ face. If the piece needs to move down and
right to move into this position, use the algorithm U, R, Ui, Ri, Ui, Fi, U, F.

If the piece needs to move down and left (towards you) to move into this position, use the algorithm Ui, Fi,
U, F, U, R, Ui, Ri. Repeat this for all of the edge pieces that do not have a yellow side.

Step 4: Third Layer ‘Cross’

Only one algorithm is needed to make the cross on the third layer, though it needs to be performed a
different number of times and with the cube in different orientations depending on how much of it is already
solved. Another algorithm is required to move the edge pieces around to the correct places once they are
facing up. For this step it is important that you concentrate solely on the edge pieces and not the corner
pieces - these will be solved in the next step.

There are four different cases you can have for this step. The first case is where none of the top layer edge
pieces have yellow facing up. The second case is where two edge pieces next to each other have yellow
facing up, forming a sort of ‘L’ shape. The third case is where two opposite edge pieces have yellow facing
up, forming a straight line. The fourth case is a fully solved third layer cross, where all of the edge pieces
have yellow facing up. Performing the same algorithm on each case will cause it to cycle through the cases
in order until the cross is solved.

If you start with the first case, hold the cube in any orientation as long as the yellow centre-piece is facing
upwards and use the algorithm F, R, U, Ri, Ui, Fi.
If you have the second case, hold the cube so that the two edge pieces with yellow facing out to the side
(not upwards) are at the top of the ‘Front’ and ‘Right’ faces and use the same algorithm F, R, U, Ri, Ui, Fi.

If you have the third case, hold the cube so that the straight yellow line on the ‘Up’ face runs left to right (not
front to back) and use the same algorithm F, R, U, Ri, Ui, Fi. This should make all the yellow edges face
upwards.

Now you have all the yellow edges facing up, you need to rotate them around so that they all match up with
the correct centre piece on the sides. First, turn the ‘Up’ face until only one third layer edge piece is in the
correct place. If this is not possible, perform the following algorithm with the cube in any orientation as long
as the yellow centre piece is facing up and it should give you a case where you only have one third layer
edge piece in the correct place. Rotate the cube so that the one correct edge piece is at the top of the
‘Front’ face and use the algorithm R, U, Ri, U, R, U2, Ri. This moves the three incorrect edges around
whilst keeping the correct one in the same place. This algorithm may need to be performed twice to move
the edges into the correct place.
Step 5: Third Layer Corners

We will first move the corners into the correct position, and then rotate them so that they are in the correct
orientation and the cube is solved. Firstly, find one corner piece in the third layer that is already in the
correct position (it does not need to be orientated correctly). If all of the corner pieces are in the wrong
position, perform the following algorithm with the cube in any orientation as long as the yellow centre piece
is facing up and it should give you a case where you have one corner piece in the correct position. Hold the
cube so that the correctly placed corner piece is in the top right of the ‘Front’ face and use the algorithm U,
R, Ui, Li, U, Ri, Ui, L. This moves the three incorrect corner pieces around whilst keeping the correct one in
the same place. Again, this algorithm may need to be performed twice to move the corner pieces into the
correct place.

The final - and most difficult - step is to rotate each corner piece so it is correctly orientated. Hold the cube
so that the yellow centre piece still faces up and one of the corner pieces that needs to be rotated is in the
top right of the ‘Front’ face. Use the algorithm Ri, Di, R, D two or four times, until the orientation of the
corner piece matches the top face. This will appear to mess up the rest of the cube, but don’t worry - this
will fix itself later.
Next, hold the cube in the same orientation and turn just the ‘Up’ face until the next corner that needs
to be rotated is again in the top right of the ‘Front’ face. Use the same algorithm Ri, Di, R, D two or four
times until the orientation of the corner piece matches the top face. Repeat the same step for the rest of the
corner pieces that need to be rotated, ensuring you only move the ‘Up’ face between algorithms.
Performing the algorithm on the last corner piece should re-solve the rest of the cube by itself, and you will
have a completely solved cube. Congratulations!

Remember that even with a lot of practice, this method is only meant for beginners and is fairly slow. There
are plenty of much faster methods, but these tend to be a lot more complicated and hard to understand for
a complete beginner.