Getting Know Your Cube

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
You will be learning the layered method to solve the Rubik’s® Cube. After you learn this method, you can add speedcubing moves when you are ready.

Throughout the guide, you will see a lightbulb symbol to indicate helpful tips. Take the time to read the tips closely.

The gray areas on the Rubik’s Cube mean that at the stage you are working on, the color of the gray pieces doesn’t matter.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

 * Mindset is critical - learning to solve the Rubik’s Cube is difficult but if you persevere, you CAN solve the Rubik’s Cube.
 * Keep the Rubik’s Cube on a table or use a mat like the one here to maintain the same front face for an entire algorithm (sequence of moves).
 * Think of the algorithms as moving a piece out of the way, setting up its correct position, and then moving the piece into that place.
 * Master one layer by re-scrambling your Rubik’s Cube and practicing multiple times before moving on to the next layer.
 * Learn songs and chants to help you memorize the algorithms.
 * Place a small sticky note on the piece of the Rubik’s Cube you are moving so you can follow its path. Consider taking a video while you do this and then watch the video.
 * Use this guide along with You Can Do the Rubik’s Cube’s corresponding resources such as videos, solving checklist, and teacher guides.

LAYERS
There are three horizontal layers in a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube.

Using this guide, you will solve the Rubik’s Cube layer by layer.

FACES
Each flat surface is a face. There are 6 faces on a Rubik’s Cube.

You can place your palm flat on a FACE.

CENTERS
Center pieces have one colored tile. There are 6 center pieces. Center pieces are single tiles, fixed to the internal core. When correctly solved, each face will be the color of its center piece.

You use one finger to touch a CENTER piece.

These center piece colors are always opposite each other:

WHITE opposite YELLOW

BLUE opposite GREEN

ORANGE opposite RED

EDGES
Edge pieces have two colored tiles. There are 12 edge pieces.

You use two fingers to pinch an EDGE piece.

CORNERS
Corner pieces have three colored tiles. There are 8 corner pieces.

You use three fingers to touch all sides of a CORNER piece. {| class="wikitable" !FACE KEY

Each face is represented by a letter. !ALGORITHM KEY

These are the moves used in this guide. !MOTIONS

Think of the movements as you turn the faces.

B = BACK FACE

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 * Each move is a 1/4 TURN.ack turns


 * An ALGORITHM is a sequence of moves that you need to do in a specific order.
 * When following the algorithms in this guide, it is important to maintain the FRONT face of your Rubik’s Cube so it stays the FRONT through all of the turns.
 * If there is a 2 next to the algorithm letter, turn the face twice.

A turn is clockwise when looking at that face directly. A letter with an apostrophe (‘) after it means to make an inverse or counterclockwise turn of the face.