Part 1: The
first step in solving your cube is you have to solve the centers so
you can have a point of reference for solving the rest of the cube.
The trick to this is that you have to get all the centers in the
right spot (if the centers don't correctly line up with each other
then the edges and corners won't line up either and it makes a real
big mess). The first thing you need to do is solve two opposite
centers. If you know of two colors that are opposite on your cube
it makes things a little easier. The colors that are opposite on my
cube are this, in case yours are the same, blue-white,
green-yellow, red-orange. If you're not sure of two opposite colors
on your cube then here is a way to double check to make sure you
get two opposite colors. Take two corners, each with say red and
yellow in their color schemes. You can pick any two corners but
make sure each corner cublet has two colors that are the same. You
don't have to move them just look at them. Now that you have these
two cublets if you were to solve them then they would be on
the same edge, only opposite sides of that edge (i.e. one corner
would touch the top face and the other would touch the bottom
face). Now just look at the other two colors on each of those
pieces and you have two opposite colors. Here is an example to
clear this up. Let's say I pick two corner pieces, red-yellow-blue,
and red-yellow-white. Now if I were to solve these two corners then
the red-yellow part would be on the same edge of the cube. This
would put them on opposite sides of that edge so that each touched
a different face (either bottom or top). Now I know that blue and
white are opposites on that particular cube because they are on
opposite sides of the cube when the corners are solved.
In this position do the move l to get the blue piece from the top lined up to the one
on the front face.
Now to remeber where blue needs to go do the move
F ² to get it into the u slice. When you have a
solid row in the u slice think of that as being set
as the center color for that face. This helps to remeber where to
postion the centers in relation to each other.
Now you have to solve a white row. There are three
things that can happen from here. Either you already have a row of
white centers solved, in that case get it onto the opposite face as
blue and set it (put it in the u slice) If your cube already
had a white row solved then after you set it click here, or you will have 2 white
centers not on the back or front faces, or you will have 3 whites
on the back face, and one white not on the back or front
face.
3. Now your cube should have the white center solved and a blue row on the opposite
face. If it doesn't then start over. From here you need to solve the last blue row. There are
three things that can happen from here. You will either have the last blue row solved but in the middle section, or you will have 2
blue center pieces in the middle section, or you will have one blue center piece in the middle section and one in the front
face.
I. If your cube has a blue
row already solved but it is in the middle section then you have to
do one of two moves.
If your cube looks like this then do this move L ² d ' L
² d. This move will put the blue row in the u face
then move a white row to the opposite face of the cube, restore the
blue row to the d face then solve the centers.
From here do the move f ' L ² d ' L ²
d. This will solve the blue row then move it to the u
face, move the white row to the opposite side of the cube, move the
blue row back onto the d slice, then move them back in place
of their centers.
From here do the move F d F ' d '. This move
will solve the last blue row and then the last move restores the
two centers.
Your cube should now look like this,
Front View
Back View
4. Now that you have the
first two centers solved you have to do the other four. For the
next step blue and white become the top and bottom faces. For these
examples I'll use white as the top face and blue as the bottom
face. Now you have to solve the front and back centers. Do the same
thing you did with two corners that you did in the beginning to
find two more opposite centers on your cube. For this step you
don't need to worry about using the corners to position the centers
right it will still work out. Now that you have two more opposite
colors on your cube they become the front and back centers. For
this example I'll use green and yellow as the next opposite centers
to solve.
There are 4 things that can happen at this point.
Either both of these centers will be solved and in the right spot
(go to #5), they will be solved and in
the wrong spots, you will have solid rows of each color but the
centers not solved, the pieces for the centers will be scrambled
everywhere with few or no solid rows.
In this example you would do the move d F ' d '. This will solve the yellow row then set it in the front face. Once you have 4
rows do the same thing as in II. to solve the centers. Here is an example for if
you already have a row set
Here you would do the move d ' L d. This will solve the green row on the L face then move it into the front face to
solve the center. Just mess around with these moves to solve the centers. Maybe you'll even come up with a few new moves. A hint on
if you have one center solved and only one row or no rows solved of the other color. Hold that center so that it is on the front face
and blue and white are on the bottom and top faces then do the move d ' L ² This will set one of the rows in the L
face. This helps you to use the d face to help you solve the other center. Once you have two rows of each color then refer to II. to finish the two centers. Basically you have to think in rows. Once you do have
a row completed remember to put it in the u face. That way you have room to use the d face to do all your moves. I
hardly every use the u face to do the work in any of these steps. You can adjust this to your liking but I prefer to do
everything on the lower half of the cube.
Now you would know that the dark gray area is orange and the opposite face (the back face) is red. There are 6 positions your
cube can be in now. Either all the centers are now solved and in the right places (Go on to step 2), all
the centers are solved but the red and orange ones are switched, you have two solid rows of each color but they are not all on the
right face, you have a checkered pattern on both faces, you have 3 of each color on one face and one of the other color on the same
face, or you have a checkered pattern on one face and two rows on the other.
Now do the move d ² F B d ². This will solve both the orange and red centers and get them in the
right place. Once again note that this move only works when your cube is in the position of the diagrams. If the move did not work
then make sure that the centers look exactly like they do in the diagram.
Now do the move d ² B' d ² B d ² B ² d ². This will get the pieces into the position
from number IV and then solve them the same way. If the move did not work then you might not have had
the pieces in the exact same spot as the diagram. Try to find the step that most closely resembles your cube and try
again.
Overview
Now your cube should look like this,
Front-Top View
Back-Bottom View
Now you have solved your cube 1/3 of the way! Only 2 more steps to go! Before going on to the next step solve one
corner with it's three centers and double check to make sure those three are on the right spot. Then, if you know your opposite
colors, you can look at the opposite face of each of those front faces to make sure the centers are solved. If your centers are not
lined up then you're going to have a very hard time in step 3.
