Summary
Highlights
Achieve a yellow cross on the top (yellow) layer. Look for patterns like a yellow '9 o'clock' or a horizontal yellow line. Apply a specific sequence of moves (Front-Right-Up-Right Prime-Up Prime-Front Prime) repeatedly until the yellow cross is formed. The number of times this sequence is performed depends on the starting pattern.
Before solving, it's crucial to understand the Rubik's Cube's structure: middle pieces define face color, corners have three colors, and edges have two. The default way to hold the cube is white side down, yellow side up, and practice moving the sides and top efficiently.
The first step is to create a white cross on the bottom (white) face, ensuring the second color of each white edge piece matches the adjacent face. This is achieved by first forming a 'daisy' with white edge pieces around the yellow center, then aligning and bringing them to the white face.
Complete the white face by inserting the white corner pieces into their correct spots. Identify corner pieces with white on their side in the top layer, align their other two colors with the cube's faces, and use specific moves to insert them. Learn how to handle corners with white on top or stuck in the wrong bottom position.
Align the colors of the yellow edge pieces with their corresponding side faces. You'll always have at least two matching edges. If they are adjacent, hold the cube with non-matching edges to the front and right, then apply a specific algorithm to swap them. If opposite, perform the algorithm once, then adjust the top layer to get adjacent matches, and repeat the algorithm.
Ensure the top corner pieces have the correct color combinations, even if they aren't oriented correctly yet. Identify a corner that matches its colors to the adjacent faces (e.g., a green-red corner between green and red faces). Hold this correct corner at the top-left-front position, then apply an algorithm to cycle the other corners until all are in their correct positions.
For the final step, flip the cube so the white side is up and yellow is down. Identify an unsolved corner in the bottom-right position. Perform a specific two-move sequence (Right Up-Top Clockwise-Right Down-Top Counter-Clockwise) either two or four times until the corner is correctly oriented. Do not turn the entire cube; only rotate the bottom layer to bring the next unsolved corner to the bottom-right and repeat the sequence until the cube is solved.
Solve the second layer by inserting the correct edge pieces. Find edge pieces in the top layer that do not have yellow, align the first color with its face, then determine if it needs to go to the left or right. Use a sequence of moves to insert the edge piece while preserving the solved white face.