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How to Solve a Rubik's Cube (Beginner's Method)

The Rubik's cube is the world’s most-sold toy, and you’ve probably come across one. You’ve probably picked it up and tried to play around with it too, turning the sides in hopes of matching at least a few of the pieces. But solving the Rubik's cube on your own without any help is a very difficult feat. It took the creator, Erno Rubik, two months himself!

This blog aims to serve as your guide into the world of Rubik's cube solving and your journey towards completing the cube.

Still struggling to solve the cube?

The cube has 6 sides, each representing a colour - white, yellow, blue, green, orange and red.

There are three types of pieces -

Centres - these remain fixed and serve as a guideline to solve the puzzle. On a solved cube, all the pieces of a particular colour surround the centre of that colour. On a scrambled cube, the centre represents the side on which the pieces of a particular colour are supposed to be.
Corners - As the name suggests, the corner pieces are located on the corners of the cube. Each piece is made up of three different colours. There are 8 corners on any cube shape, and thus there are 8 corners on the Rubik's cube.
Edges - The edges are the pieces between two corners. They are made up of two colours. There are 12 edges on the Rubik's cube.

3. Notation

The [] notate the movement of the layer from the natural holding position for a better understanding

R - Right side clockwise [Right side upwards]
R’ - Right side anticlockwise [Right side downwards]
L - Left side clockwise [Left side downwards]
L’ - Left side anticlockwise [Left side upwards] (Note: L and R may be confusing at first since the moves are opposite to each other)
F - Front side clockwise
F’ - Front side anticlockwise
U - Upper face clockwise
U’ - Upper face anticlockwise

How is the Cube Solved?

A common misconception is that the cube is solved one colour at a time. This is simply not possible because of the nature of the pieces and the design of the cube. Instead, we approach the cube layer by layer. The bottom layer is solved first, the middle layer next and the last layer towards the end, building the layer up on the previous one.

The method covered in this blog is known as the beginner’s method. In the beginner’s method, the solve is divided into 6 steps -

White cross
White corners
Non-yellow edges
Yellow cross
Yellow corners and edges
Completing the top layer

Let’s dive into each step now.

Step 1:- First layer

White cross.

The cross is commonly started off on white and this tutorial uses white as the starting layer as well. The steps to solve the cross are enlisted below.

Locate any white edge on your cube and identify the non-white part of the edge (an edge has two colours, so a white edge would have a white part and a different coloured non-white part).
Match the non-white part to its own centre by hit and trial - this should be easy to do in 2-3 moves.
Once the piece has matched its centre, rotate the piece so that the white part matches the white centre as well.

After matching all the layers, the cube will look like this

White Corners

Start off by positioning your cube so that the white centre is at the bottom.
Locate a white corner in the top layer. Identify the non-white parts of the white corner.
Move the top layer until the white corner ends up between the corresponding centres of the non-white parts (refer to image).
Perform the algorithm - R U R’ U’ until the white corner is correctly solved.
Repeat for all white corners.

Step 2:- Second layer

1. non-yellow edges, algorithms used .

U R U’ R’ U’ F’ U F. [centre on right]
U’ L’ U L U F U’ F’. [centre on the left]

The second layer works on the positioning of non-yellow edges:

Locate a non-yellow edge.
Identify the part of the edge in front of you and match it with the centre of the same colour by turning the top layer.
Identify the part of the edge connected to the yellow centre and locate the corresponding centre.
If the centre is on the right side of the current position of the cube, use the first algorithm If not, use the second algorithm.

After applying the algorithm to all other pieces, the cube will look like this

Step 3: Last Layer

1. yellow cross - f r u r’ u’ f’.

The yellow cross can be divided into three cases. The algorithm used for each case is the same, however, the initial positions vary. Identify the case on your cube and position it according to the corresponding position in the image. Simply repeat the algorithm until the cross is solved.

2. Positioning last layer edges - R U R’ U R U2 R’

We now match the edges in the last layer to their centres. Match any one edge of the top layer with its centre in the middle layer. Now, repeat the algorithm until all edges match their centres.

3. Last layer corners - U R U’ L’ U R’ U’ L

4. Top layer corners - R’ D’ R D

With this final step, the cube is finally solved

Congratulations on completing the cube! While the first-time solving is confusing, remember that you get better with each solve. It typically takes at least 5-10 solves to get comfortable with a new method, so keep practising.

Once you’re comfortable with solving the cube, you may also start timing yourself. This would mark the start of your journey into the world of speedcubing. Find out more about how to start your cubing journey and the essentials required to do so, as well as how to improve !

About Author

Avani Sood from Bengaluru has won 12 female national records overall and has been competing for the past 4 years. She started cubing when she was 11. Her main event is Megaminx. Apart from cubing, she loves to cook and read. She has participated in 10 competitions and won 1 podium.

13 comments

Hey kid, you are insulting us. we don’t have time to do this silly things so that’s why we are not interested

I dont understand Positioning last layer edges.

Yes 4 is correct it gets worse before better just keep going.

Thank you for this feedback😁

Jijo joseph

Last step is wrong i cant do that

Can’t understand what do you mean by ‘last layer corners’ and ‘top layer corners’? Are they same? Can you please explain what do you mean by ‘last layer’ and what is ‘top layer’?

I can’t do the last one

i dont get it

Ansh Shukla

Please send me the list of solving

Nm I figured it out! Thank you!! X)

Can you confirm #4 is right please? wordings are not very clear

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Rubik's Cube Solver 3x3x3 - Grubiks

Ready to solve, instructions.

Update: New and improved version. Faster, better, and supports more devices.

Grubiks team is proud to present the best online Rubik’s Cube Solver! Used by millions around the world - this rubik’s cube solving website will show you how to solve any valid scramble with an easy to follow step-by-step solution.

Since its appearance in the 1970’s, the Rubik’s Cube quickly became one of the most loved and challenging puzzles of all time. It has stumped even the greatest minds around. Even the professor who invented it - Erno Rubik, thought it would be impossible to solve.

However, over the years, many algorithms for solving the Rubik's Cube were developed, and today, learning how to solve the Rubik’s Cube is merely a task of following a series of steps and memorizing some algorithms.

The 3D Rubik’s Cube solver on Grubiks was developed so people would be able to solve the Rubik’s Cube without having to learn and memorize these methods. If you have an old scrambled cube just lying around the house, if you’re trying to learn how to solve it on your own and just need a “reset”, if you're looking for algorithms for patterns, or even if you just want to impress your friends - this solver is perfect for you.

When the solver starts you’ll be presented with a completely white Rubik’s Cube and a color palette just above it. Pick a color from the palette and click / tap the tiles of the Rubik’s Cube you would like to paint with it. Keep coloring until the cube in the solver is colored exactly like the one you have in your hand. When you’re done, simply tap the “Solve” button, and you will immediately be presented with a step-by-step solution. Follow the instructions and click the “Next” button to view the next step.

Don’t forget to share this solver if you liked it, and as always we would love any feedback you might have.

Comments 3582

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A Man Who Wanna Thank You.

Rubik Solver

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Write a comment, are you sure, coloring issues.., isn't grubiks awesome.

Rubik’s Cube

Rubik's cube simulator.

Play with the online cube simulator on your computer or on your mobile phone.

Drag the pieces to make a face rotation or outside the cube to rotate the puzzle.

Apply a random scramble or go to full screen with the buttons.

Rubik's Cube Solver

Calculate the solution for a scrambled cube puzzle in only 20 steps.

Set up the scramble pattern, press the Solve button and follow the instructions.

Use the color picker, apply an algorithm or use a random scramble.

How to solve the Rubik's Cube

The beginner's solution guide with images and easy to follow instructions.

Knowing how to solve the Rubik's Cube is an amazing skill and it's not so hard to learn if you are patient. You'll realize that you don't have to be a genius to get it done.

In this tutorial we are going to use the easiest layer-by-layer method.

White Edges

Let's start with the white face. Try to form a plus sign on the top of the cube, matching the colors of the side stickers to the colors of the lateral centers. This step shouldn't be too hard, try to do this without reading the examples below.

We can easily insert the edge to the top if you move it to the highlighted bottom-front spot first. Depending on where the white sticker is facing do the rotations.

When the white edge is stuck between two solved edges (last image) you can send it to the bottom layer doing this:

Turns in the opposite direction are marked with an apostrophe.

Finish The White Face

First put the white corner that belongs to the spot marked with the upper arrow in either of the highlighted positions. Next repeat the algorithm below until the white piece comes to its desired destination.

At the end your cube should have a solid white face with the lateral stickers matching the lateral centers.

Center Layer

Turn your cube upside down because we don't need to work with the white face anymore. We can insert an edge piece from the top-front position to the middle layer using a trick. Do the left or right algorithm depending on which side you have to insert the piece:

You'll have two solved layers when you finish this stage. We're almost there.

Yellow Cross

Inspect the top of your cube. You see a yellow cross, a line, an L-shape or a dot. Our goal is to form a yellow cross.

F R U R' U' F'

Use this algorithm to shift from one state to the other.

We have a yellow cross on the top but the edges are not in their final position. They need to match the side colors.

R U R' U R U U R' U

Use this to swap the front and left yellow edges in the top layer.

Cycle Corners

Only the yellow corners are left unsolved at this point. Now we are going to put them in their final position and we'll rotate them in the last step.

Use the algorithm below to cycle the pieces in the direction marked with the arrows while the top-right-front piece is standing still.

Orient Corners

Everything is positioned, we just have to orient the yellow corners. We use the same algorithm that we used for solving the white corners in the second step:

This step can be confusing for most people so read the explanation very carefully and do exactly what it says!

Important! During the process it might seem that you have messed up the whole cube but don't worry because it will come together if you do it correctly, following the instructions.

Video Tutorial

Watch these steps being explaind in this video:

S Deviation:
Best 3 of 5:
Best 10 of 12:

Measure your solution times on your journey of becoming a speedcuber!

Use your Space button or click the clock to start and stop the cube timer.

With scramble generator and instant statistics calculator.

How to Solve The Rubik's Cube

If you're reading this, you're probably holding a cube in your hand and already feeling bad about yourself for needing to look up the solution. But don't worry! In fact, most of the “super-human-intelligence beings” (a common misconception) who have solved the cube thousands of times in their lifetimes were sitting as you are now. Whether you want to learn it to impress a girl, because your friends bet you couldn't, or just to close the book on the biggest time waste of your childhood by finally defeating it, this guide will take you through the simplest way to conquer the puzzle.

The necessary steps are listed below. Click on a cube to jump on the page to the selected chapter:

An important thing to note is that this task is not a light one. It may require several hours of attempts. If you'd rather just solve the cube in your hand and forget about it rather than being able to solve any cube you're given, there are plenty of solvers available on the web. However, the satisfaction of holding a completed Rubik's Cube in your hand and thinking “I did that, and I can do it again” is greater than most, mainly due to the fact that the puzzle has been present in all our lives at some point. By the mid 1980's, an estimated fifth of the world's population had attempted to solve the cube. If you want to stand out and say that you can defeat the puzzle, time and determination is a large factor.

If you're still reading, congratulations on not being put off by the time requirements! The first thing you are going to need to know about solving the cube is how the turns you make can be represented by letters. Later on in this guide, you're going to need a few algorithms. These are combinations of moves that rotate pieces or just move them around to get them where you want them. These algorithms are written using this notation, so you can always come back to this section if you've forgotten by the time we need them.

There are six sides on the puzzle, referred to as faces, all of which can be turned individually: Up, Down, Left, Right, Front and Back.

The notation for each of these is U, D, L, R, F and B respectively. These faces can be turned in three different ways/directions, however. These are:

U – Refers to a clockwise quarter turn of the upper face.
U' – Refers to a counter-clockwise quarter turn of the upper face
U2 – Refers to a half turn in either direction of the upper face.

That's it! For a visualisation of each of these turns, click the letters in the animation widget.

There is an advanced notation which includes turns of the middle layers, rotations and “double” turns, but these aren't needed for this guide. If you're still interested in learning them, check them out in the advanced Rubik's notation.

Try it yourself! Take your cube and perform the following short algorithm: U' L R2 D B' F U2 R'

The left, back, and lower faces might be confusing at first when trying to figure out the clockwise direction, but with a little practice you'll get used to it.

Step 1: The Cross

The cross is the first step in the actual solution of the puzzle. This step can be a bit confusing at first, so make sure you read this a few times whilst attempting it yourself. The image shows the end goal of this step.

The centre pieces on each face, as you may have noticed from playing around with the cube, can't be moved to another spot, only rotated. So we can use this to our advantage by building around the centres. The best centre to build your first cross around is the white centre, as many guides and resources on the web start with a white face, so if you need to look up some steps and examples elsewhere, your cube will look similar to the one that is being used in other demonstrations.

The first thing you want to do is get the white plus on top. You don't need to worry about the matching centres (the orange and blue parts of the above image) just yet.

For now, just get each white edge on the top layer. It doesn't matter if the white bit is on top at the moment. For example, your cube could look like the one pictured. It doesn't matter if all of the white bits are facing up or none of them are.

The next step is to flip some of the edges so all of the white stickers face upwards, making a plus (pictured above). If your cube already has the cross, skip this part. Hold the cube so that one of the edges that needs to be flipped is facing you.

Then apply this algorithm: F R' D' R F2

This algorithm will flip the edge so the white part is facing upwards. Do this for every edge until you have a white cross on top.

Now you need to orient these pieces. Refer to the next picture. As you can see, the orange piece matches the orange centre. Look at the edges on your puzzle. You could have none matching, two matching or all matching. If you have all four edges matching the centres, your cross is solved. If you have none matching, perform a U move, then look around the cube again. You want to have at least two matching. If none of them match, do another U move. Repeat until you have either two or four edges matching their centres.

Your goal is to have all four edges matching their centres. If you have this, then the cross is solved. If you have only two, then you could have one of two cases. Either the two matching edges are adjacent (next to each other) or opposite each other. If they are adjacent, hold the cube so that the two solved pieces are facing the front and left of the cube (shown in the left picture), then perform:

R' U R U' R'

If the two matching edges are opposite one another, hold the cube so that they are on the left and right faces (shown in the right picture) and perform the following algorithm to swap the one in the back and in the front:

R2 L2 U2 R2 L2

Your cross is now solved!

Step 2: The White Corners

Now you've done the edges on the white face, all that's left are the corners. This step is much simpler, as it only requires one algorithm. The picture shows the end goal of this step.

Look on the bottom layer of the puzzle. You're looking for the white-orange-green corner. There is a 50% chance it will be on the bottom layer. Follow the following steps depending on where the corner is for you.

Bottom If the corner is on the bottom of the puzzle, perform the required D moves so that the corner is in the position marked in pink on the picture. Perform this algorithm as many times as is needed to put the corner in its place:

Top If the corner is on the top of the puzzle, hold the cube so that the corner is in the position marked in purple on the image, and perform the same algorithm as before:

Now the corner is on the bottom, so you can do the above instructions.

Repeat this process for each corner until the top layer is solved. I suggest you to start with the corners in the bottom layer because solving these first might pop out some white pieces from the top layer and you might save a couple turns.

Step 3: Middle Layer Edges

You're 1/3 done (kinda)! You're done with all white pieces, so you can now flip your cube so white is on the bottom.

Look for an edge that is on the top face and doesn't have yellow on it. There's a very small chance that there won't be any, but there are instructions for that case below. Perform a U move so that the colour on the front face of the edge is matching with the centre. There are two directions that the edge could go, left or right.

If the edge needs to go in the gap to the left of it perform the following algorithm:

U' L' U L U F U' F'

If the edge needs to go in the gap to the right of it do this:

U R U' R' U' F' U F

If there are no more edges left on the top layer, then they are probably either inserted in the right place but flipped, or inserted in the wrong place. To get an edge out of somewhere it shouldn't be, just insert one of the yellow edges into that slot. This should get the edge out and on the top layer, ready for you to use the above instructions to insert correctly.

Repeat this process for all four middle edges.

Step 4: Yellow Cross

We're nearly there now. 2/3 of the puzzle is solved, and every piece left to be solved has yellow on it somewhere. That's a good sign… right?

We're going to solve the top layer edges in two steps. In this step will orient all of the pieces so that the yellow face is facing up for all of them. The next will move these pieces around and thus solve the cube.

Ignore the corners for now. You want to look at the edges only. Either none, all, or two of the edges will already be oriented correctly (the yellow part is facing up).

These are the four possible edge positions that you can have:

If the edges are solved in a plus shape like the cross we made at the start (the last image), you can skip this stage.

Beside the solved cross you can also have a “Dot” , an “L” shape or a “Line” as pictured above. To transform the Magic Cube from one state to the other, you have to apply the following short algorithm, watching out for the L shape and the line to be positioned as required:

F R U R' U' F'

If you are in a hurry you can speed up the process by doing two jumps at once with this:

F U R U' R' F'

When you have an “L” shape , where the two yellow pieces showing are adjacent one another. Do the required number of U or U' moves to get this L as shown in the picture: the corner that the two edges trap needs to be in the top left. Then perform this algorithm:

If done correctly, you should now be looking at the yellow cross.

The third image shows the “Line” shape , where the two yellow pieces showing are opposite one another. Make sure that the yellow bar (the two edges and the middle sticker) is horizontal, then do:

You should now be looking at four edges all oriented correctly.

For the “Dot” case shown in the first picture, just do either of these algorithms to get a different case.

Step 5: Sune and Antisune

Sune is a very simple algorithm that many puzzlers love due to its simplicity compared to other algorithms that they may have had to learn. There are 7 different corner positions possible after you have oriented the edges. Sune and Antisune are two of these, but we won't always get them straight away.

Refer to the image to see what they look like. Both Sune and Antisune have one correctly oriented corner. You might have two corners oriented or none oriented. If you have all four already facing upwards, you don't need this step.

To get to the case where you only have one oriented corner, repeat the following algorithm:

R U R' U R U2 R'

When you eventually get the desired position, there are two slightly different variations of it. For this, we need to look at the front of the cube. The yellow corner facing the front can be in two positions: Either facing the front, or facing the right. In the first image, it is facing the front. This shows you have Sune. To solve it, just do the above algorithm one more time, and you should have oriented all of the top layer.

Antisune is indicated when the corner facing the right, as shown in the second picture:

U2 R U2 R' U' R U' R'

Step 6: Finishing the puzzle

We're nearly there! Last part now.

Here, we're looking at the colours that aren't solved. There are 21 different cases for the top layer, but we only need a couple of algorithms to solve them all. The first thing we want to find is headlights. Only 2 of the cases don't have any headlights (one of them is if you skip this step, and the cube is already solved). For the one case without headlights, just perform the algorithm below from any angle. This is a better case because when you do the next step, the cube will be solved already.

Headlights are fairly simple to spot. Looking at the image, we can see on the right hand side that the orange edge has a green corner on either side of it. That is a set of headlights. The left hand side has two different colours on either side, so that is not a set of headlights. It is very important to note that a full bar (a blue edge has a blue corner on either side of it, so all three pieces are blue) is also seen as a set of headlights. This is only seen in one case of the 21 though, so you won't see it often. If you have a set of headlights on each side, ignore this part and read the section titled “The U Permutation” .

You want to hold the cube so that the set of headlights is facing away from you (do the required number of U moves so that the headlights aren't on the front, left or right). Then, do the following algorithm:

R' F R' B2 R F' R' B2 R2

You should now have either a solved cube or a pair of headlights on all sides.

The U Permutation

There are 5 different positions your cube can be in now, one of which could be solved. The rest of them have all four corners solved, so do the required amount of U moves so that every corner is in its right place. 2 of the 4 remaining possibilities have a solved bar (as mentioned above, where all three colours on that side are the same), and the other 2 have no solved bars.

If you have a solved bar, put it at the back and do this algorithm:

R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2

If your cube isn't solved, do it one more time, making sure the bar is still at the back.

If you don't have a solved bar, do the same algorithm from any angle. This will leave you with a solved bar, so you can do the above.

Congratulations! You've solved the Rubik's Cube. Wasn't that hard, was it?

This tutorial didn't help you? Read the beginner's Rubik's guide or go to the Rubik's Cube solver and let the program calculate the solution for you.

Like or Share if You Managed to Solve Your Cube

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Layer-by-Layer Online Rubik's Cube Solver

You know, that colorful cube of frustration and fun? Well, guess what? There's a way to solve it without all the head-scratching. This online Rubik's Cube solver is here to save the day. And today, we're diving into the layer-by-layer solver – your ticket to conquering this iconic puzzle without breaking a sweat and learning any solution method .

Understanding the Rubik's Cube

Before we jump into solving, let's quickly peek at the Rubik's Cube. It's made up of smaller cubes in a 3x3x3 grid, with each face showing a different color. With a mind-boggling 43 quintillion possible combinations, it's no wonder it can leave you feeling puzzled!

Layer-by-Layer Solving Technique: Now, here's where things get interesting. Layer-by-layer solving is like peeling an onion – but way more satisfying. Instead of tackling the whole cube at once, you start with one layer and work your way up, piece by piece. It's a step-by-step method that makes the puzzle way less daunting.

We start with the white face at the bottom, then comes the middle layer edges. To solve the last yellow layer first we need to make a cross at the top then move the yellow edges to their final positions. To solve the yellow corners first we put them to their final positions then we orient them. We need to make all these steps without messing up the solved layers.

This solver finds the solution in about 120 steps. Try the optimal solver to fix it in just 20 steps and fix other twisty puzzles, like the 2x2 cube or the Pyraminx.

The Role of Online Solver Programs: This bad boy uses fancy algorithms, and artificial intelligence to crack the cube in record time. The layer-by-layer solver follows your lead, analyzing the cube's state and dishing out the perfect moves to get you closer to victory.

Features of the Layer-by-Layer Online Rubik's Cube Solver

User-Friendly Interface: Forget complicated setups. A good solver lets you plug in your cube's colors with ease. Select a color from the color picker and paste it on the scramble setup, or repeatedly click on one of the stickers to change its color.
Algorithmic Magic: The solver algorithm finds the solution, so you don't have to use your brain too much. Your only task is to follow the rotation steps on your screen after clicking the Solve Now button.
Customization: You can pick a 3D view or an unfolded view of the cube. Watch out for the faces at the back because they are shown mirrored.
Visual Treats: Fancy animations show you exactly what's happening with each move. When you scramble the cube and hover a rotation button, or when following the solution steps.

Benefits of Using the Online Solver

Time Saver: Say goodbye to hours of frustration learning tutorials or watching Youtube videos. With an online solver, you'll be a Rubik's Cube champ in no time.
Learn as You Go: Watching the solver work its magic is like getting a free lesson in cube-solving. You'll pick up tricks faster and you'll familiarize yourself with the cube.
Anywhere, Anytime: Got internet? Then you've got a solver. No need to lug around a physical cube or software – just hop online and get solving. This solver runs in your web browser so you don't have to install any app either.
Mix It Up: With different solving methods to choose from, you can spice up your cube-solving routine and keep things interesting.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to solve a rubik's cube: 4 different ways.

General Education

The Rubik’s cube—a 3x3x3 cube of mixed colored blocks—has been perplexing users since it was created in the 1970s. Solving it is difficult enough, but "speedcubers," or those who solve the cube at breakneck speeds, have renewed interest in how to solve a Rubik’s cube for people around the world.

If you want to be a world record-breaking speedcuber, you have to start small. This guide on how to solve a Rubik’s cube for beginners gives an overview of the basic method, an introduction to Rubik’s cube algorithms, and even some advanced tactics for those of you looking for some tips to boost your speed.

A Brief History of the Rubik’s Cube

The Rubik’s cube was invented by Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian sculptor and architecture professor. Rubik hoped to create something that would help him understand how a structure consisting of multiple pieces could have those pieces moved without destroying the mechanism. It wasn’t until he scrambled the pieces and had to fix it that he discovered its potential use as a 3-D puzzle.

The first cubes, a test design, were released into Budapest toy shops in 1977 before being purchased by American toy company Ideal Toys. Ideal rebranded the cube as the Rubik’s cube to honor the creator in 1980, and the toy became hugely popular in the following decade.

Eventually, the Rubik’s cube fell out of popularity in the United States and many other western countries; however, it remained popular in China and what was then the USSR because the trend had picked up later in Communist countries around the world . The popularity of the cubes in Communist countries, especially ones as populous as China, ultimately kept the toys in production.

The Rubik’s cube once again became popular in the 21st century, due in part to the formation of the World Cube Association in 2003. Speedcubing had always been popular among Rubik’s cube enthusiasts, but the formation of this organization helped push fans to become ever faster in their solving techniques.

Currently, China’s Yusheng Du holds the world record for solving a single cube in just 3.47 seconds. But there are other records, too:

Jack Cai from Australia holds the record for solving a single cube blindfolded in 16.22 seconds
Feliks Zemdegs from Australia has the single-cube, one-handed record at 6.88 seconds
Daniel Rose-Levine from the US has the single-cube world record for solving with just his feet, at 16.96 seconds

How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube: Important Vocab to Know

When it comes to how to solve a Rubik’s cube, it might look like following a series of simple steps. In reality, though, it’s quite complex.

Before you even start trying to follow the numerous strategies for solving, get familiar with the vocabulary. This will make it easier to follow the confusing Rubik's cube algorithms and permutations you must use to solve it!

An edge piece on a Rubik’s cube is the part where two visible colors meet . There are 12 edges in total.

As expected, a corner piece is located in the corner of each side of the cube. They have three visible colors , and there are eight corners in total.

Center cubes are located in the center of each side and have one visible color. There are six in total, and, unlike the rest of the cubes, they do not move position . Because they are fixed, the color of the center cube is used to represent each side of the Rubik’s cube.

The part of a cube you turn , consisting of nine blocks. No matter which way you hold the cube, there are three layers.

Like all cubes, the Rubik’s cube has six sides, or faces. When executing Rubik's cube algorithms with the beginner’s method, it’s assumed you're looking at the cube with the white face up , meaning the Rubik’s cube logo should be on top.

With this in mind, Rubik’s cube notation works as follows:

Regular/Inverted Turn

There are two ways to turn a layer: regular and inverted. A regular turn is a clockwise turn, and an inverted turn is a counterclockwise turn.

In Rubik’s cube notation, an inverted turn is represented with a lowercase i, such as Ri. This would mean that you rotate the right side counterclockwise.

A Rubik’s cube algorithm is an operation, or a series of rotations, that reorients the blocks into a desired outcome. They are usually written with a capital letter denoting the face that should be rotated, a lowercase i if that rotation should be counterclockwise, and a number 2 if it should be rotated twice.

Permutation

Permutation refers to the act of moving the blocks into the desired formation, or the arrangement of the pieces.

How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube: 7-Step Guide

The beginner’s method for solving a Rubik’s cube is still fairly difficult, so take lots of breaks and don’t be afraid to use a solving tool if you’re really struggling with a certain section. The more you practice, the better you’ll get. Don’t give up!

Step 1: Create White Cross

Begin by holding the cube with the white face up. You probably won’t start with the white face finished, so remember that a face’s color is determined by the center cube. That means that the face with the white center cube should be facing up.

The first step to the beginner’s method is to create a cross on the white face. There’s no strict algorithm to perform here, as there are so many potential permutations of the cube. Instead, focus on creating the white cross using intuitive movements.

When you’ve created the white cross, there should be two blocks of the same color aligned on each face directly below the white block on the top face. If that isn’t the case, keep working with the cube until those pieces are properly aligned, or the next step will be much more difficult.

Step 2: Solve White Corners

Now that the white cross is in place, it’s time to finish this face by solving the white corners. Use the white cross foundation to organize your side color. By the time you finish this step, you should have three cubes of the same color in the top layer and one cube in the center of the middle layer of the left, right, back, and front faces.

To solve this step, you’ll need to run through some algorithms, or rotation patterns that result in a specific cube placement.

Rotate the bottom layer until a white edge piece is positioned below an empty spot on the top face. Find the direction of the white piece you want to align below and then run through the algorithm until the white cube is in place. If you’re not quite ready for memorizing Rubik's cube algorithms, run through the simple algorithm below instead.

If you find that your center pieces have migrated, you’ll need to get your white cross set up again. If you run through these algorithms properly, the center pieces should end up back where they began.

Simple Algorithm

If your white cube faces down after you’ve run through this algorithm, run through it three more times . If your white cube faces left after running through the algorithm, repeat it five times .

If Your White Sticker Faces Right

If Your White Sticker Faces Left

If Your White Cube Is on the Bottom

Edge pieces mismatched. ( Ruwix.com )

If the White Sticker Is on Top, but the Top Layer Isn't All the Same Colors

Whatever position the white cube is in now, repeat with the appropriate algorithm from above until the colors match up . There should be three of the same color on the top layer and one in the center of the second layer.

Step 3: Solve Middle Layer

At this point, the white face should be completed, and each other face, except the face opposite the white face, should have three blocks of the same color in the top layer and one block also of that color in the center of the face.

Using the location of the top layer middle piece, we will now rotate the cubes until we get the bottom two layers to all be the same color.

To begin solving the middle layer, rotate your cube until the completed white face is on the bottom. Don’t worry about messing it up because you’re not looking at it—as long as you follow the algorithms, everything will go back into position.

The goal of this stage is to get the colored edge pieces into their correct place on each face. There are three algorithms you can use to accomplish this. Find which one suits your needs and you should have this section solved in no time.

If You Need the Center Top Piece to Go to the Second Layer Left

If You Need the Center Top Piece to Go to the Second Layer Right

If an Edge Piece Is Not in the Top Layer or It’s Oriented Wrong

Step 4: Create Yellow Cross

This step is just like the white cross, but there are a lot more pieces to think about since you’ve already solved a great deal of the puzzle. At this stage, don’t worry if the edge pieces don’t match the face color. We’ll work on that later.

There are three different patterns you might see on your cube. Look at the top face and consider only the shape of the yellow cross—ignore the edge pieces for now. You might see one single yellow dot in the center, you might see an L shape, or you might see a line.

Once you figure out your correct arrangement, run through the following algorithm as many times as specified below .

If You Have A Single Yellow Dot

Execute the algorithm three times.

If You Have an L Shape

Rotate your entire cube until the legs of the L shape encase the edge piece in the top left. Execute algorithm two times.

If You Have a Line

Rotate your entire cube until the line is horizontal. Execute the algorithm once.

Step 5: Swap Yellow Edges in Top Layer

Now it’s time to make sure the yellow cross is oriented correctly so that the color of the center cube of the top layer matches the face it’s on. We’ll be using an algorithm that will switch the front-top and left-top edges.

Rotate your top layer until you find two edges that need to be swapped with each other. If you can’t find two edges from different faces located on the next face over, you can run through the algorithm twice.

Step 6: Position Yellow Corners

Let’s get those remaining yellow corners where they belong. Right now, they just need to go into the correct spots—it doesn’t matter if the orientation is wrong.

First, look for a yellow corner that is in the right position, even if it isn’t yet on the top face. Rotate the entire cube in your hands until the correctly positioned yellow cube is in the front-right-top position. Then, cycle through the algorithm below until the other three corners are in the correct position.

If you can’t find a yellow cube in the right spot, keep repeating the algorithm on a random corner until you get it in the correct spot.

Step 7: Solve Final Layer Corners

We’re in the home stretch! Now that our yellow cubes are positioned, we need to properly orient the corners.

Hold your cube with the upper piece you want to orient in the front-right-top corner. Run through the below algorithm until that piece is in its correct position. Once that one is properly oriented, repeat the process until the next piece is in position, and so on, until the cube is solved.

Don’t panic if it starts to look as though you’ve messed the whole cube up. It will go back to normal once you’ve finished getting all the yellow corners into place. Don’t skip any turns, even if it looks like you’re done, as this can mess things up!

You can rotate the top layer between complete repetitions of the algorithm to put cubes in place.

How to Solve a Rubik's Cube: 3 Alternative Solutions

The beginner’s method to solve a Rubik’s cube is just that: for beginners. If you want to get into speedcubing, you’ll need to master some of the trickier, but more efficient, methods.

#1: Fridrich Method

The Fridrich Method, also called CFOP, is one of the most prominent in speedcubing. It’s both fast and efficient, eliminating many of the repetitive algorithms in favor of accuracy and saving moves, but it’s also definitely not easy . It’s recommended that you master the beginner method before moving on to the Fridrich method so you have a core understanding of how the cube works.

The Fridrich Method works by dividing the cube into layers, which are solved individually using algorithms, rather than solving each face. It consists of four steps, outlined below, each with its own set of rules and algorithms.

Step 1: Cross

In this step, you’ll be forming a cross. Most speedcubers start with the white cross for consistency’s sake, but you can use any color you like. We’ll refer to this as the white cross.

For speedcubing, start with the white face down. You can solve the cube with the white face in any direction, but practicing with it down will help improve your speed.

Because there are so many possible cube arrangements, this step is done by intuition. Practice a lot to get a deep understanding of how to rotate pieces to form a cross quickly.

Form the white cross so that the sides of each white edge match the color of the lateral center pieces. Turn your edge pieces so that they are in the correct position, and move on to the next step.

The cross stage takes an average of seven rotations for speedcubers. The fewer rotations, the less time lost in this step.

Step 2: First Two Layers (F2L)

The second step, in which the first two layers are solved, is also typically done intuitively, although algorithms do exist . The layers are solved simultaneously, meaning you should not solve each side individually.

There are 41 possibilities for what your cube could look like at this point. You’ll need to solve the four corners of the first layer and the four middle-layer edge pieces. To do this, combine matching corner and edge pieces into blocks. Next, solve those blocks to their proper position and repeat until the first two levels are solved.

Step 3: Orient Last Layer (OLL)

Now that the first two layers are done, we need to do the top layer. Our goal in this step is to get the last layer oriented correctly— we don’t need to worry if the side colors don’t match until the next step . We’ll get the upper face all one color, which will be yellow if we have our white face on the bottom.

There are two possible approaches to this stage: the two-look OLL and the one-look OLL.

Two-Look OLL

The first step of the two-look OLL, which is the easier but slower method , is to orient the last layer edge pieces. To do this, there are three algorithms . You might recognize these from the beginner-method stage in which you create the white cross.

The second step is to orient the last layer’s corner pieces. This one has seven different algorithms depending on the configuration of your top face.

One-Look OLL

In this version, you’ll use one algorithm to solve all variations and orient the last layer . You have to learn many algorithms in order to execute this stage properly, but it saves two to four seconds if you’re speedcubing. These algorithms are organized by the shape they make on the upper face , so practice this stage until each algorithm feels natural when you see the corresponding cube arrangement.

Step 4: Permutation of Last Layer (PLL)

There are 21 potential arrangements of your cube at this stage , which means that you have 21 different algorithms to learn. Once again, there are two different methods: two-look and one-look PLL.

Two-Look PLL

In this version, you’ll solve the cube within two algorithms, which means you have to learn fewer algorithms overall. However, if you want to solve cubes at world-record speeds, you’ll want to know all of them. This version is great for beginners, but those who want to be competitive will need to work on mastering one-look PLL.

First, you’ll need to permute the corner pieces on the top face using one of two algorithms: the Aa-perm and the E-perm .

Next, permute the edges. Once you’ve correctly permuted the corners, there are only four variations and therefore four algorithms: Ua-perm, Ub-Perm, Z-perm, and H-perm .

Follow the appropriate algorithm and you’ll have solved the cube!

One-Look PLL

One-look PLL will have you solve the Rubik’s cube with only one algorithm. This requires a lot of memorization but can save you valuable seconds if you’re competing.

Practice these algorithms a lot so they become second nature to you.

#2: Roux Method

The Roux Method, like the Fridrich Method, is for those experienced with solving Rubik’s cubes. If you want to reduce your time from the beginner’s method, learning the Roux Method can be a great way to accomplish that.

There are four main steps in the Roux Method.

Step 1: Build a 1x2x3 Block on One Side

Start with the L-side if you’re right-handed. By the end of this step, the edges of the back, down, and front faces, as well as the corners of the down, back, and left faces and the left and right centers, will be solved.

How you approach this step will depend on the configuration of your cube. With so many potential solutions, you’ll need to solve this section intuitively rather than by executing algorithms.

Step 2: Build a 1x2x3 Block on the Opposite Side

Don’t worry about being optimal here, since there are still so many possible combinations. The creator of this method suggests focusing first on solving a 1x2x2 block by putting together a corner-edge pair and then adding in the missing edge before solving for the last corner and edge. This lets you focus on just two elements rather than all of them at once.

Algorithms depend on your unique configuration, so practice matching the configuration with the correct algorithm until it comes naturally to you.

Step 3: Solve the Remaining 4 Corners

This stage is one of the most difficult in the Roux Method. It’s recommended that you learn the cases little by little, building on each one as you practice more.

There are 48 potential ways your cube could be arranged here. How you solve the cube will depend on the arrangement, so work through this collection of algorithms with lots of different variations to get the hang of them all.

Step 4: Solve Remaining 6 Edges and 4 Centers

With so much of the cube finished, on average, most people need fewer than 15 moves to solve the cube from here .

The first step of this stage is to orient the edges. You do this only by moving the middle and up faces , saving valuable movement since the other faces are already oriented correctly.

Next, you’ll solve the right and left edges of the up face , which should complete the left and right side layers as well.

Finally, solve the center and edges of the middle face . There are only three possible cases for this stage , which eliminates some of the necessary memorization, though there is potential for optimization.

#3: ZZ Method

The ZZ Method, created in 2006 by Zebigniew Zborowski , is a newer method of solving the Rubik’s cube that's divided into three stages.

Step 1: EOLine

In this step, your goal is to orient all the cube’s edges (EO) while getting the DF and DB edges in line (Line). If solved in this way, you can finish the cube by rotating only the L, R, and U faces rather than all of them.

This stage takes an average of six moves to solve but shouldn’t take more than nine; however, it’s the most difficult of the steps because it requires a lot of forethought.

In this step, you’ll be solving the first two layers. To accomplish this, build two 1x2x3 blocks on either side of the line you made in the EOLine stage . Again, now that the edges are oriented, you only need to rotate the L, R, and U faces to complete the cube.

Step 3: Last Layer (LL)

As you might have guessed, the final step is to solve the last layer. Like some other Rubik’s cube solving methods, you can solve the cube with a two-look system (two algorithms) or a one-look system (one algorithm). The two-look system has 20 potential algorithms to be learned, while the one-look system has a whopping 493 potential algorithms.

How to Solve a Rubik's Cube for Beginners: 3 Key Tips

Learning to solve the Rubik’s cube is no small feat! Even the beginner’s method can be tricky to execute well , so here are some quick tips to help you master the cube.

#1: Practice, Practice, Practice

Solving a Rubik’s cube is hard. There’s no simple method— the beginner’s method is still a long and detailed process that requires learning new vocabulary and following steps that might be unfamiliar to you.

The only way to get better is to practice , so keep working at it until you can feel your speed increasing as you go. Don’t give up if you feel like you’re not getting anywhere—each repetition brings you closer to memorization!

#2: Use a Cube Solver If Necessary

Sometimes it can feel as though you get impossibly stuck, but a Rubik’s cube solver can be the answer. If you can follow the steps of a solver to see how to get yourself out of a pickle, you’ll be better prepared next time you run into a similar situation. Don’t be afraid to let someone show you how to do it!

#3: Start Simple

Even if you want to get into speedcubing, start simple: master the beginner’s method before you move on to others , as you’ll need that solid foundation to understand how the cube works and how to move your fingers more efficiently.

Once you’ve done that, you can move on to advanced methods and learn all the little finger tricks that make speedcubing possible.

What’s Next?

Looking to impress your friends with some new tricks? Learn how to make slime !

In search of quirky and fun extracurricular activities , like solving a Rubik's cube? Learn more about what extracurriculars are and why you need them .

Unsure how to turn your passion for speedcubing into something you can write about on your college applications? Read more about how to write about extracurriculars here!

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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Enjoy solving your Rubik's cube

The Rubikscan iPhone & iPad application allows you to solve easily your Rubik's Cube . All you have to do is scan your cube face by face, and then follow the steps to solve it.

Solve the cube

view_in_ar 1. Show your mixed cube to your camera, face by face (you can also enter all the colors manually)

play_arrow 2. Follow the step by step solution : a user-friendly animation will start and guide you during the resolution of the Rubik's cube

Mix the cube

shuffle 1. Color a shuffled cube in the app

play_arrow 2. Follow the step by step animation to mix it and get the same cube you just created

Play with the cube

swipe You can play freely with the cube and solve it when you want

Main features

Description

Full-featured cube app for cuber. Famous puzzle you must try! Can you solve it? The Rubik Cube challenges your mind and problem-solving skills. App features: - Multiple cube sizes: from 2x2x2 to 10x10x10 - Smooth 3D graphics and animation - Easy and handy controls - Design your unique cube using powerful Theme Editor - Complete Guide from Zero to Hero - Unlimited realistic 3x3x3 cube solver: 22 moves or less - Enjoys your cube with Amazing Patterns - Professional timer and scrambler for competition - Support all WCA notations - It's FREE and OFFLINE! Practice solving your cube as fast as possible with random scramble and statistics. Happy solving!

Online Rubik's Cube Simulator

Play with the 3D Rubik's Cube simulator online. Press the scramble button and try to figure out the solution and practice.

Use your keyboard: the buttons on your keyboard are assigned to each face, according to the notation .

Face: F R U B L D
Slice: M E S
Whole: X Y Z

Uppercase letters do clockwise, while lowercase keys make inverse rotations.

Use your mouse to rotate the layers, or swipe the screen if you're using a touch device. Swipe the pieces to rotate a face or do it outside the cube to change its orientation.

Puzzle Simulators

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Find more puzzle simulators in the sidebar

We have an online simulator for each WCA competition puzzles and a few extras.

Introduction to Rubik’s Cube and how to solve them?

The Rubik’s Cube is a 3-D combination Puzzle that was invented in 1974 by ‘ Erno Rubik ’’. Rubik’s Cube is a Puzzle with a six-colored cube whose faces each include nine squares, eight of which can be rotated separately. In this article, we are going to learn Rubik’s cube in-depth.

Rubik’s Cube

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We at GeeksforGeeks have tried to cover all the technical topics asked in competitive exams. We have provided tips and tricks to solve it in less time. By solving puzzles regularly at GeeksforGeeks, You will be able to master your skills to solve Rubik’s Puzzle and crack your desired examination.

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After cracking the “sum of cubes” puzzle for 42, mathematicians discover a new solution for 3

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What do you do after solving the answer to life, the universe, and everything? If you’re mathematicians Drew Sutherland and Andy Booker, you go for the harder problem.

In 2019, Booker, at the University of Bristol, and Sutherland, principal research scientist at MIT, were the first to find the answer to 42. The number has pop culture significance as the fictional answer to “the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything,” as Douglas Adams famously penned in his novel “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” The question that begets 42, at least in the novel, is frustratingly, hilariously unknown.

In mathematics, entirely by coincidence, there exists a polynomial equation for which the answer, 42, had similarly eluded mathematicians for decades. The equation x 3 +y 3 +z 3 =k is known as the sum of cubes problem. While seemingly straightforward, the equation becomes exponentially difficult to solve when framed as a “Diophantine equation” — a problem that stipulates that, for any value of k, the values for x, y, and z must each be whole numbers.

When the sum of cubes equation is framed in this way, for certain values of k, the integer solutions for x, y, and z can grow to enormous numbers. The number space that mathematicians must search across for these numbers is larger still, requiring intricate and massive computations.

Over the years, mathematicians had managed through various means to solve the equation, either finding a solution or determining that a solution must not exist, for every value of k between 1 and 100 — except for 42.

In September 2019, Booker and Sutherland, harnessing the combined power of half a million home computers around the world, for the first time found a solution to 42 . The widely reported breakthrough spurred the team to tackle an even harder, and in some ways more universal problem: finding the next solution for 3.

Booker and Sutherland have now published the solutions for 42 and 3, along with several other numbers greater than 100, this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Picking up the gauntlet

The first two solutions for the equation x 3 + y 3 + z 3 = 3 might be obvious to any high school algebra student, where x, y, and z can be either 1, 1, and 1, or 4, 4, and -5. Finding a third solution, however, has stumped expert number theorists for decades, and in 1953 the puzzle prompted pioneering mathematician Louis Mordell to ask the question: Is it even possible to know whether other solutions for 3 exist?

“This was sort of like Mordell throwing down the gauntlet,” says Sutherland. “The interest in solving this question is not so much for the particular solution, but to better understand how hard these equations are to solve. It’s a benchmark against which we can measure ourselves.”

As decades went by with no new solutions for 3, many began to believe there were none to be found. But soon after finding the answer to 42, Booker and Sutherland’s method, in a surprisingly short time, turned up the next solution for 3:

569936821221962380720 3 + (−569936821113563493509) 3 + (−472715493453327032) 3 = 3

The discovery was a direct answer to Mordell’s question: Yes, it is possible to find the next solution to 3, and what’s more, here is that solution. And perhaps more universally, the solution, involving gigantic, 21-digit numbers that were not possible to sift out until now, suggests that there are more solutions out there, for 3, and other values of k.

“There had been some serious doubt in the mathematical and computational communities, because [Mordell’s question] is very hard to test,” Sutherland says. “The numbers get so big so fast. You’re never going to find more than the first few solutions. But what I can say is, having found this one solution, I’m convinced there are infinitely many more out there.”

A solution’s twist

To find the solutions for both 42 and 3, the team started with an existing algorithm, or a twisting of the sum of cubes equation into a form they believed would be more manageable to solve:

k − z 3 = x 3 + y 3 = ( x + y )( x 2 − xy + y 2 )

This approach was first proposed by mathematician Roger Heath-Brown, who conjectured that there should be infinitely many solutions for every suitable k. The team further modified the algorithm by representing x+y as a single parameter, d. They then reduced the equation by dividing both sides by d and keeping only the remainder — an operation in mathematics termed “modulo d” — leaving a simplified representation of the problem.

“You can now think of k as a cube root of z, modulo d,” Sutherland explains. “So imagine working in a system of arithmetic where you only care about the remainder modulo d, and we’re trying to compute a cube root of k.”

With this sleeker version of the equation, the researchers would only need to look for values of d and z that would guarantee finding the ultimate solutions to x, y, and z, for k=3. But still, the space of numbers that they would have to search through would be infinitely large.

So, the researchers optimized the algorithm by using mathematical “sieving” techniques to dramatically cut down the space of possible solutions for d.

“This involves some fairly advanced number theory, using the structure of what we know about number fields to avoid looking in places we don’t need to look,” Sutherland says.

A global task

The team also developed ways to efficiently split the algorithm’s search into hundreds of thousands of parallel processing streams. If the algorithm were run on just one computer, it would have taken hundreds of years to find a solution to k=3. By dividing the job into millions of smaller tasks, each independently run on a separate computer, the team could further speed up their search.

In September 2019, the researchers put their plan in play through Charity Engine, a project that can be downloaded as a free app by any personal computer, and which is designed to harness any spare home computing power to collectively solve hard mathematical problems. At the time, Charity Engine’s grid comprised over 400,000 computers around the world, and Booker and Sutherland were able to run their algorithm on the network as a test of Charity Engine’s new software platform.

“For each computer in the network, they are told, ‘your job is to look for d’s whose prime factor falls within this range, subject to some other conditions,’” Sutherland says. “And we had to figure out how to divide the job up into roughly 4 million tasks that would each take about three hours for a computer to complete.”

Very quickly, the global grid returned the very first solution to k=42, and just two weeks later, the researchers confirmed they had found the third solution for k=3 — a milestone that they marked, in part, by printing the equation on t-shirts.

The fact that a third solution to k=3 exists suggests that Heath-Brown’s original conjecture was right and that there are infinitely more solutions beyond this newest one. Heath-Brown also predicts the space between solutions will grow exponentially, along with their searches. For instance, rather than the third solution’s 21-digit values, the fourth solution for x, y, and z will likely involve numbers with a mind-boggling 28 digits.

“The amount of work you have to do for each new solution grows by a factor of more than 10 million, so the next solution for 3 will need 10 million times 400,000 computers to find, and there’s no guarantee that’s even enough,” Sutherland says. “I don’t know if we’ll ever know the fourth solution. But I do believe it’s out there.”

This research was supported, in part, by the Simons Foundation.

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11 Best Rubiks Cube Puzzles for Avid Problem Solvers

If you’re looking for a puzzle with a twist, you can’t go wrong with a Rubiks Cube. For decades now, this colorful cube has challenged, rewarded and inspired millions of puzzle lovers. Hungry for more, they have moved on to even tougher teasers. Today, there are a whole range of similar toys.

Working out a solution takes keen observation, concentration, creative reasoning and oodles of patience. And once you’ve got the knack, solving it quickly becomes an exercise in attention, spatial awareness, mental agility and hand-eye coordination. In fact, the problem-solving skills nurtured with these toys have applications in fields as varied as architecture, engineering and IT.

With so many choices on the market today, just picking the right one can be a chin-scratcher in itself! Here to help is our list of the Top 11 Rubiks Cube style toys.

Best Rubiks Cube Puzzles

1. original rubiks cube.

Where else can we begin but with the best-selling brilliance that is the Original Rubiks Cube ? For over a generation now, this 54-square puzzler has had fans twisting and turning … and scratching their heads in confusion! There are 43 quintillion possible answers – but only one is correct. Do you have what it takes to work it out?

2. DreamPark Ghost Cube

Looking for something a little more… haunting? The DreamPark Ghost Cube is a fun and funky shape-shifting puzzler. Dressed all in black, this cool customer takes puzzling to a whole new dimension. Better yet, if you want some color in your life, you can add the optional gold and silver stickers. All in all, it’s a tricky taskmaster and an ideal gift for anyone who has conquered the Rubiks Cube.

3. Brain String Advanced Brain Teaser Puzzle

Unwind with this unique brainteaser! The Brain String Advanced Brain Teaser Puzzle will have you tied up for ages. Move the colored rubber nozzles around to gradually untangle the internal knots to wind up with all the right colors together. Think you can you solve this twisted trickster? It’s certainly knot easy!

4. Moyu Aolong V2 Speed Cube

Feel the need for speed? Serious cubers know all about the Moyu Aolong V2 , the speed cube used by current world record holder Lucas Etter. With this device, the champ needed just 4.9 seconds to solve the puzzle! For smooth, speedy turns without pops or resistance, there is no better option. This speed cubers’ choice is an ideal gift for any puzzle lover. A stickerless version is also available.

5. Rubiks Race

Battle your friends with the incredible Rubiks Race! Shake the scrambler to create a new 6-color square pattern, and then race to see who can replicate it by sliding their squares into place. It’s a fast and furious 2D face-off! Great for evenings in, camping trips, or the holiday season.

6. Rubiks 2×2 Cube

An awesome entry-level cube for newer puzzle solvers. Don’t be fooled, though – the Rubiks 2×2 Cube is no walk in the park. With 3.6 million possible combinations, only one is right. Great for learning the mechanics of the more advanced Rubiks Cube, this stickerless version is durable, fast, and smooth. Two thumbs up!

7. Meffert’s Gear Ball

Get your cogs turning with the Meffert’s Gear Ball. This awesome teaser adds a new twist to the typical Rubiks Cube – literally. As you rotate one part of the puzzle, gears spin, moving colors around on other sections, too. This added mechanic really sets it apart from its rivals. To find the solution, you’ll have to get your head in gear!

8. Shengshou 5×5 Cube

Tired of the 3×3? If you’re looking for a bigger challenge, look no further. The Shengshou 5×5 Speed Cube earns rave reviews for its sleek operations, durability and complexity. With 4×4 , 6×6 , 7×7 , 8×8 , 9×9 , and 10×10 cubes also available, you can choose your own challenge or work through the whole series. So, step up a level and take it for a spin today!

9. MF8 Petaminx

The most complex puzzle on the market today, period! The MF8 Petaminx is tough enough to keep you up at night! With 12 surfaces, 9 layers, and 3.16*10 ^ 996 permutations (that’s 316 followed by 996 zeros!!), I challenge you to find a greater challenge! Only top level cubers need apply!

10. LanLan Curvy Copter Puzzle Cube

Get your head in a spin with the LanLan Curvy Copter Puzzle Cube . This crazy shapeshifter curves at corners, turning in a counter-intuitive manner that can really get you bent out of shape. If you’ve already mastered the Rubiks Cube, this will truly test your mettle. Highly recommended!

11. DreamPark Pyraminx Pyramid Cube

Solve the mysteries of Ancient Egypt! Well, not exactly, but the DreamPark Pyraminx Pyramid Cube would even have King Tut stroking his beard in bafflement. Shifting in and out of shape as it turns, this head-scratcher will keep you occupied for hours on end. Mind-boggling fun with a triangular twist!

Now it’s your turn! Are you a fan of any of these Rubiks Cube style puzzles? Do you agree with our choices or was your favorite brainteaser not on the list? Let us know in the comments section below!

Dara Sheahan is an experienced writer and language teacher from Dublin who has taught in colleges and universities in Ireland and South Korea. Now a freelance educator and blogger he has a passion for all things related to education, tech and ESL.

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Rubik's Blocks, Original 3x3 Cube with a Twist Challenging Problem-Solving Puzzle Retro Brain Teaser Fidget Toy, for Adults & Kids Ages 8 and up

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About this item.

RUBIK’S CUBE WITH A TWIST: Managed to solve the classic 3x3 Rubik’s Cube and looking for your next challenge? The highly challenging Rubik’s Blocks combines the difficulty of the classic cube with the shapeshifting challenges of the Mirror Cube. Sounds almost impossible, right?
TURN, TWIST & REPEAT: With every turn and twist, the colours become more scrambled and the Cube changes shape. To solve the colours and the shape, you are going to need to twist, turn and rotate the Rubik’s Cube beyond confusion and back into a solved state.
SHAPESHIFTING DESIGN: The Rubik’s Blocks Cube features six different coloured sides, each made up of nine squares. The puzzle’s unique mechanism and different size blocks result in the Cube changing shape with every move you make.
ADVANCED PLAY: Unlike ordinary Cubes you don’t just need to solve the colours, you are going to need to solve the shape too. The Blocks is all about adding a real challenge to solving the puzzle and in most cases just results in confusion.
CLASSIC PUZZLE-SOLVING GAMEPLAY: This challenging puzzle is the same retro toy that you remember from your childhood. Brain teaser, fidget toy, or travel puzzle- this brain puzzle is your new go-to.
Includes: 1 Rubik's 3x3
Covered by the Spin Master Care Commitment. See below for full details

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Rubik's Blocks, Original 3x3 Cube with a Twist Challenging Problem-Solving Puzzle Retro Brain Teaser Fidget Toy, for Adults &

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Product description.

The Block's unique mechanism and different sized blocks result in the Cube changing shape with every move you make. A strategic puzzle toy built to cause utter confusion! You may recognise this as the Mirror Cube – but add some recognisable Rubik’s colours and this makes for an exciting new addition to the range. The Rubik’s Blocks Cube features six different coloured sides, each made up of nine squares. With every turn and twist, the colours become more scrambled and the Cube changes shape. To solve the colours and the shape, you are going to need to twist, turn and rotate the Rubik’s Cube until solved. The new and improved Rubik’s Cube features a mechanism that results in a smoother, faster and more reliable play. The traditional stickers have been replaced with plastic tiles which means no fading, peeling or cheating!

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the puzzle fun and challenging. They say it provides hours of entertainment or frustration, depending on your outlook. Customers also mention the odd shapes are interesting. However, some customers have mixed opinions on quality and difficulty level.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the puzzle fun and challenging. They say it provides hours of entertainment or frustration. They also say it's a cute and entertaining buy for kids or adults who enjoy. Customers also mention that the odd shapes this gets into is very interesting. They find it a great little fidget type toy. Overall, customers are happy with the fun of the puzzle.

"...The odd shapes this gets into is very interesting . A good variation for sure...." Read more

"...I’d say it’s a cute and entertaining buy for kids or adults who enjoy tunic cubes but need more of a challenge...." Read more

"Fun and great little fidget type toy ." Read more

"... Lots of fun , highly recommended if you want some variation to the normal rubric" Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the quality of the puzzles. Some find it good, sturdy, and durable, while others say it's terrible and misleading.

" Great fidget , very challenging! The youth I work with love it!!!" Read more

"...Generally the quality of their puzzles terrible (although it has gotten a bit better in recent years, but it's still way behind the best brands)...." Read more

"...It appears sturdy , but it is a bit sandy. I feel this will work to my advantage as I solve it...." Read more

"The price and durability ...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the difficulty level of the puzzle. Some find it very challenging and intimidating at first, while others say that the brand cubes would turn not very easily and take a long time to solve.

"Great fidget, very challenging ! The youth I work with love it!!!" Read more

"Gee, I have a couple of doctorates and it takes me a long time to solve . My sons race and are disappointed if they reach 3 minutes!! Great toy" Read more

"...This gave him a nice challenge and he had to learn the methods to solve it which he very much enjoyed...." Read more

"...this cube turns as traditional Rubik's brand cubes would turn-- not very easily ...." Read more

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Christopher Hoang ♠ CADD 141 ♥ Design ♣ Cube Project ♦ Evergreen Valley College

Puzzle Cube Design Challenge

Autobiography.

Hi! My name is Christopher Hoang.

Puzzle Design Challenge Brief

Fine Office Furniture Inc. generates a significant amount of ¾” scrap hardwood cubes as a byproduct of their furniture manufacturing. This waste is not only a sustainability concern but also represents lost profit due to the valuable material.

Design and develop a captivating 3D puzzle system made entirely from these scrap hardwood cubes. This system should not only be a fun and engaging desktop novelty item but also serve as a way to showcase the beauty and quality of the company's wood.

Target Audience:

The puzzle system should be accessible to a broad audience, with a difficulty level suitable for ages 3 and above. This means the design needs to be visually appealing, intuitive, and offer a satisfying sense of accomplishment upon completion.

Design Considerations:

Functionality:

The puzzle system should be challenging yet solvable within a reasonable timeframe. Consider incorporating spatial reasoning, manipulation skills, and color recognition into the puzzle design.

Aesthetics:

Leverage the natural beauty of the wood. Explore options like staining or painting specific cubes to enhance the visual appeal.

Sustainability:

Ensure the design minimizes waste and utilizes all available scrap wood cubes effectively.

Production:

Develop a design that can be efficiently produced using the available scrap wood and minimal additional materials.

Marketing Potential:

The puzzle system should act as a conversation starter, highlighting Fine Office Furniture's commitment to sustainability and high-quality materials.

Deliverables:

Detailed sketches or 3D models of the puzzle system design.
Prototype of the puzzle system.
Instructions for assembly and solution.

Success Criteria:

Engaging and provides a satisfying challenge for ages 3+.
Effectively utilizes scrap wood cubes, minimizing waste.
Showcases the quality and beauty of the company's wood.
Safe, aesthetically pleasing, and cost-effective to produce.

Project Design Criteria & Requirements

The puzzle must be constructed entirely from 27 individual ¾-inch wooden cubes.

Number of Pieces:

The puzzle should consist of exactly five distinct puzzle pieces.

Piece Composition:

Each individual puzzle piece must be comprised of precisely four to six of the ¾-inch wooden cubes.

Three-Dimensional Structure:

All puzzle pieces must be three-dimensional (3D), meaning they must have a minimum size of two cubes along each axis (x, y, and z).

Unique Designs:

No two puzzle pieces should be identical in design or layout. Each piece should be visually and structurally distinct.

Final Assembly:

When correctly assembled, the five puzzle pieces must combine to form a perfect 2 ¼-inch cube, which translates to a 3x3x3 configuration using individual cubes.

Interlocking Challenge:

To enhance the complexity, some puzzle pieces should incorporate interlocking mechanisms that could initially mislead or confuse users attempting to solve the puzzle.

Brainstorming

Initial sketches, 2 puzzle cube designs in isometric view.

Design 1 & 2 in Minecraft

Design Choice Justification

Classmates found design #2 harder to solve based on sketches.
Targeting ages 3+, the puzzle needs to be easy as possible to solve
Design #1 uses simpler pieces for easier solving.

Through classmate feedback, design #2 emerged as the more challenging option based on sketches alone. As the target audience is ages 3 and above, the puzzle needs to be manageable for toddlers. Therefore, design #1, with its simpler pieces, is the clear winner for ease of use.

Design Sketches: Detailed Views & Dimensions

Calculating Tolerance for Prototyping

Before creating a prototype with a 3D printer using PLA or PETG filament, we need to account for extra material extruded during printing. Due to this, a 0.01mm tolerance was incorporated into the models created in Solidworks to ensure proper fit for printing on a MakerBot Sketch 3D printer.

Orthographic & Isometric Drawings

Created in SolidWorks.

3D Printing of Puzzle Pieces

We utilized six MakerBot Sketch printers in class to create puzzle piece prototypes.

Cube Prototype

*Orange color filament was not available. Subsituted with Purple.*

Puzzle Solution Time Statistics

Picture of participants and completion time

*Participant names blurred for privacy*

Making Sense of the Data

Linear forcast line: y = -0.0554(x) + 3.7122.

The testing results allowed me to create a scatterplot and identify the forcast trendline. This trendline allows me to calculate, or predict, a future value by using existing values.

Variable x: This represents the number of attempts made to complete the task.
Variable y: This represents the predicted time to complete a task in minutes.
Slope of -0.0554: Predicted time reduces by 0.0554 minutes per attempt.
3.7122: This is the y-intercept, represents the predicted time when there have been zero attempts

Estimation, Prediction and Forecasting

Using the forcast line we can predict the following:

Solution time of the 5th attempt

Linear Forecast Equation

y = -0.0554(x) + 3.7122

Subsitute X = number of attempts (5)

y = -0.0554(5) + 3.7122

Solve the equation

The estimated average solution time on the fifth attempt is 3.4352 minutes.

The number of attempts to solve the puzzle in 23 seconds

Convert seconds to minutes:

23 seconds / 60 seconds per minute = 0.38 minutes

y = 0.38 minutes

Rearrange Equation to solve for x

x = (y - 3.7122) / -0.0554

x = (0.38 minutes - 3.7122) / -0.0554

x ≈ 60.09 attempts

It will take approximately 60.09 attempts to achieve a time of 0.38 minutes (23 seconds).

Exploring Improvement Ideas

Simplfy the design.

While my data shows solving time is improving, the puzzle might still be too challenging for young children. Most testers were adults (youngest was 11). I may need to consider a wider range of ages in future tests. Involving younger testers is important, but finding them can be a challenge!

Conclusion Questions

1. why is it important to model an idea before making a final prototype.

Modeling an idea first may help discover any flaws or weaknesses, explore different options, and communicate your thoughts effectively. The result is a smoother design process and a better final product.

2. Which assembly constraint(s) did you use to constrain the parts of the puzzle to the assembly such that it did not move?

Solidworks' Mate constraint is what I used when assembling my puzzle cube prototype. It holds components together, kind of like glue, however it only restricts movement along one axis (x, y, or z) depending on its application. The mate constraint was utilized three times per piece to complete a cube assembly.

3. Based on your experiences during the completion of the Puzzle Design Challenge, what is meant when someone says, “I used a design process to solve the problem at hand”? Explain your answer using examples from the work that you completed.

Saying "I used a design process" means tackling a problem in a logical, step-by-step way. This involves exploring ideas and refining them based on what works and what doesn't until you reach a solution. The Puzzle Design Challenge allowed me to put the 6-stage design process I learned in class into action. Following this structured approach, I developed and improved my puzzle cube idea.

This meant understanding the problem. The creation of the puzzle cube originated from solving a waste problem of a furniture company which had specific requirement criteria I had to follow, like age demographic of 3+, overall size of the cube, exactly 5 puzzle parts, etc.

While this was a solo project, collaboration played a role. I sought feedback on my puzzle piece sketches from classmates, asking which design they thought offered the most challenge. I also provided input on their designs in return.

By analyzing existing puzzle cube designs, parts, and difficulty levels online, I gained valuable insights into how people approach solving puzzles. These ideas then helped me refine my own puzzle pieces.

Using 3D printers, I brought my puzzle cube design to life, transforming notebook sketches and SolidWorks models into a physical prototype for testing.

I found some classmates and volunteers from Evergreen Valley College to participate in a "time to complete" experiment with my 3D-printed puzzle prototype.

By carefully recording test results, I could analyze the data and make predictions. This allowed me to assess the difficulty of my puzzle cube design, estimating the number of attempts needed to solve it within a specific time frame.

Puzzle pieces was swapped, cannot be solved.

Please check if all of the puzzle pieces are in correct place. Switching one pair of the puzzle pieces when in complete state makes the puzzle impossible to solve.

8 Puzzle Solver

Step 1: upload template (optional), step 2: arrange puzzle to solve.

Drag and Drop the puzzle pieces to match your current puzzle obstacle.

Step 3: The solution

Here is your solution!

Step 4: Share Solution

You may share this solution to your friends.

How its done?

To get the best possible solution, we uses 3 types of algorithm with an iteration limit of up to only 5,000. Our AI-powered solver find and save the shortest path of all solved problems and matches these path faces with the new path to reuse the solution, that way it gives answers in second and less iteration.

A-star Search Algorithm

Uses pathfinding to check each nodes and keeps tracks of the visited nodes until it finds the solution. The longest depth we used is up to 10,000 nodes.

Breadth-first Search Algorithm

If other algorithm cannot solve the problem, we uses traversing or a search tree structure to find solution. The depth is limited to 10,000 nodes.

Depth-first Search Algorithm

Lastly, this algorithm find the solution from a node branch as far as possible with a limit of 15,000 nodes for each. Giving you answers for all possible combinations.

Robot Sets New Rubik’s Cube Speed Record, Completing the Puzzle in 0.305 Seconds

A team of Mitsubishi engineers harnessed high-speed motors and an A.I. algorithm to eclipse the previous record, set six years ago

Christian Thorsberg

Daily Correspondent

A Rubik's cube is held within the motors of TOKUFASTbot, developed by Mitsubishi Electric

Quicker than a snap of the fingers it doesn’t have, a robot has shattered the world speed record for solving a Rubik’s Cube, completing the puzzle in just 0.305 seconds.

This record time is roughly equivalent to the length of a human’s blink , which usually takes between 0.1 and 0.4 seconds .

Built by a team of engineers from Mitsubishi Electric, the TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing Robot (TOKUFASTbot) edged the previous record—set by a robot developed by MIT students in 2018—by 0.075 seconds.

“I checked the videos of the previous record holder, and I felt that the motor we have is better than theirs,” Tokui, an engineer at Mitsubishi and the team’s lead, tells Guinness World Records ’ Masakazu Senda. “So I was confident that we can beat them with speed.”

Since its invention in 1974, the Rubik’s Cube has exploded in popularity, eventually becoming the most popular puzzle toy in the world . At its core, the puzzle is simple: Each of the cube’s six faces has nine colored squares, and the solver must rotate the toy in a way that gets every side to have a uniform color. But even on the standard three-by-three cube, the colors can be arranged in more than 43 quintillion different ways.

Erno Rubik, the creator of the cube, was also the first person to solve it—and it took him an entire month . Since then, people have tried to complete the puzzle in ever-faster times, prompting the emergence of a competitive sport known as speedcubing. And alongside humans tackling the challenge, engineers have developed cube-solving robots.

TOKUFASTbot’s rotational mechanism is able to complete a 90-degree turn of the cube’s edge in just 0.009 seconds. This quickness is made possible by powerful and highly precise motors, as well as a color-recognition algorithm that uses artificial intelligence, according to a Mitsubishi statement .

Once the machine identifies the mixed-up cube’s pattern, it calculates the quickest route to its solution. It was sometimes challenging for the robot to distinguish between the cube’s red and orange squares. Other times, shadows in the room affected the hues and made color recognition difficult.

But in the end, it was the TOKUFASTbot’s own blistering speed that posed the biggest obstacle. During the first attempt to set the world record—which the team had to do within just one hour total —the machine was moving so quickly that the Rubik’s Cube itself was unable to keep up, and it became jammed. After engineers spent roughly 20 minutes fine-tuning the robot’s mechanisms, the second attempt was successful: The robot clocked a time faster than during any practice run, achieving the heralded world record.

“Shaving off time as much as possible was difficult, but it was fun at the same time. I never had issues with motivation through the project,” Tokui tells Guinness World Records.

The engineers who helped develop TOKUFASTbot pose with their Guinness World Records award

The world record for a robot solving a Rubik’s Cube was set at one minute and four seconds in 2009. Then, in 2016, a robot eclipsed the one-second barrier for the first time.

For human solvers, the world record stands at 3.13 seconds, set in June 2023 by 21-year-old Max Park .

Usually, the technology used by Mitsubishi’s engineers would be harnessed for fine-tuning wiring in appliances such as air conditioners and ventilation fans, per the Asahi Shimbun ’s Satoshi Seii and Ryuichiro Fukuoka. But according to the company, attaining this goal was an above-and-beyond effort by a dedicated group of engineers who began developing the robot in September 2022, after seeing the potential for Rubik’s cube gold.

“To demonstrate our technical capabilities in achieving high-speed, high-precision windings, which are key to increasing the productivity and efficiency of motors used in many of our products, our young engineers voluntarily worked to set the world record, resulting in a Guinness World Records title,” Yuji Yoshimura, a senior general manager at Mitsubishi’s component production engineering center, says in the company’s statement.

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Christian Thorsberg | READ MORE

Christian Thorsberg is an environmental writer and photographer from Chicago. His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue , Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal .

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A Japanese machine was able to solve a Rubik's Cube in record time.

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In blink of an eye, robot sets new Rubik’s cube Guinness World Record

By Andrew Paul

Posted on May 28, 2024 2:15 PM EDT

TOKUFASTbot shaved 0.075 seconds off the previous world record. Mitsubishi Electric / YouTube

If you want to become the fastest human to ever solve a Rubik’s cube , you need to beat the 3.13 second Guinness World Record set by Max Park in June 2023 . Unfortunately, you’ll need superhuman speed to outsolve the newly crowned fastest Rubik’s cube-solving robot. Earlier this month, a bot designed by Mitsubishi Electric engineers solved the iconic 3×3 block puzzle in the literal blink of an eye. At 0.305 seconds, the TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing Robot (TOKUFASTbot) was so blisteringly quick that even the cube itself had difficulty keeping up with the machine.

According to Mitsubishi’s recent announcement , TOKUFASTbot shaved off 0.075 seconds from the previous Guinness titleholder on May 7 during its record attempt in Hyogo, Japan. Accomplishing the feat required combining compact, high-power, signal-responsive servomotors with a color-recognition algorithm developed in-house in order to complete each 90-degree rotation in just 0.009 seconds. For reference, that’s roughly as fast as a single flap from a hummingbird’s wing.

But moving quickly is useless if a robot can’t do it accurately. Even the slightest misalignment will slow things down or risk jamming the toy, so every Rubik’s cube rotation must be precise enough to allow for each subsequent twist and turn. To ensure this, Mitsubishi engineers integrated motion-control technology already used in the company’s manufacturing processes. While normally employed to accurately position wiring within winding equipment during motor coil production, this programming provided TOKUFASTbot the means to make sure each millisecond maneuver was as precise as it was fast.

[Related: Check out the world’s biggest freestanding Rubik’s cube .]

Meanwhile, a newly developed AI algorithm program was trained to accurately recognize and match colors, even if block positions or the robot’s own shadow obscured its camera system. Mitsubishi notes this was particularly difficult to achieve for the red and orange blocks, given their similar hues. Once identified, the program near-instantaneously calculated the shortest number of moves needed to match block colors.

“Shaving off time as much as possible was difficult, but it was fun at the same time. I never had issues with motivation through the project,” TOKUFASTbot’s team leader told Guinness .

It wasn’t always smooth puzzle-solving, however, as Guinness reports the team’s first attempt was foiled by accidentally jamming their Rubik’s cube at such high speeds. Even so, the second attempt proved much more rewarding and claimed the world record. The new top speed is a massive improvement on previous Rubik’s cube robots—in 2009, for example, the record was one minute and four seconds. But that’s already faster than any human, it wouldn’t be until 2016 that a robot completed the puzzle in under a minute. At this point, it sounds like it’s now not so much a question of how fast these robots can go, but how much strain a Rubik’s cube can withstand.

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How to Solve Puzzles in Tears of the Kingdom

I magine yourself in the throes of an epic quest, traversing through an enchanting realm, only to hit a frustrating roadblock — a complex puzzle in Tears of the Kingdom that you can't solve. You feel stuck, trapped, and it's putting a damper on your gaming experience. Don't lose heart , for we have your back! With the right guidance and know-how, even the trickiest puzzles can be conquered, and the journey through the Kingdom can continue unabated.

The game offers a hint system that aids in puzzle-solving by using in-game currency.
Noted game designer, Jane McGonigal, praises Tears of the Kingdom for its balance of challenge and reward.
The rise of puzzle-solving games has spurred a surge in online gaming communities and forums.
The solutions to Tears of the Kingdom puzzles are more about strategic thinking and less about trial and error.
Understanding the mechanics of the game and character abilities can aid in solving puzzles.

The Magic of Hints in Tears of the Kingdom

For those having a hard time solving puzzles, Tears of the Kingdom presents a nifty feature: a hint system. This feature allows players to spend their in-game currency on clues, helping players of different skill levels to advance in the game.

Jane McGonigal's Perspective on Tears of the Kingdom

Noted game designer and author, Jane McGonigal, beautifully encapsulated the allure of this game. She said, "The beauty of Tears of the Kingdom's puzzles lies in their perfect balance of challenge and reward, providing players with a satisfying sense of accomplishment as they progress through the game."

The Rise of Online Communities

One of the exciting trends in the gaming world is the rise of online communities and forums centered around games like Tears of the Kingdom. These platforms encourage players to collaborate, share strategies, and discuss their gaming experiences , fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared enjoyment.

The Strategy Behind Puzzle-Solving

While the allure of Tears of the Kingdom may stem from its riveting storyline and stunning graphics, the real marrow lies in its intricate puzzles. However, these aren't your typical conundrums requiring a simple fix or a random try. They demand more than just rote problem-solving. They require a strategist's mind and a keen eye for details.

The true secret to conquering Tears of the Kingdom's puzzles lies in the understanding that they are not merely about guesswork, but strategic thinking. Each puzzle is a multi-layered labyrinth , with its unique mechanics that function as both a lock and a key. This complex yet compelling nature of the puzzles makes it imperative for the players to thoroughly understand the mechanics of the game, the capabilities of their characters, and the very essence of the world they are in.

In other words, it's not just about finding a solution; it's about discerning patterns, interpreting hints, manipulating the game environment, and sometimes, even thinking from the antagonist's point of view. By incorporating these approaches into their gameplay, players can truly master the art of puzzle-solving in Tears of the Kingdom and experience the euphoria of unlocking the path to their epic journey.

Concluding Thoughts

Conquering puzzles in Tears of the Kingdom is about more than just solving riddles. It's about sharing your journey, collaborating with others, and understanding the inner mechanics of the game. It's about stepping into a community and overcoming challenges together. So pick up that controller, open up that hint system, and get ready to unravel the mysteries of Tears of the Kingdom.

Is Tears of the Kingdom suitable for beginners?

Yes, Tears of the Kingdom is beginner-friendly. It provides a hint system which can be utilized to assist in solving puzzles.

What's the best strategy to solve the puzzles in Tears of the Kingdom?

Understanding the mechanics of the game and abilities of the characters is crucial for puzzle-solving. Also, participating in online forums can offer helpful insights.

Are there communities for Tears of the Kingdom players?

Yes, there are many online communities and forums where players can share strategies and discuss their experiences with the game.

Sources: "Tears of the Kingdom Gameplay Mechanics," [GamingSource.com]

Jane McGonigal, "The Balance of Challenge and Reward in Gaming," [GameDesignBlog.com]

"Online Communities for Gaming," [GamingForumInsights.com]

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Rubik’s Cube, The Original 3x3 Colour-Matching Puzzle, Classic Problem-Solving Cube

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THE ORIGINAL RUBIK’S CUBE: A combination of mathematics, art and science - the iconic Rubik’s Cube challenges your mind and problem-solving skills. The classic 3x3 Rubik’s Cube is the world’s best-known addictive puzzle and has fascinated fans since its launch in 1980. A true icon
TURN, TWIST AND REPEAT: The Rubik’s Cube features six different coloured sides, each made up of nine squares. Once the faces are jumbled up, you are going to need to twist, turn and rotate the Rubik’s Cube until each of the six faces has only one colour
A MUST HAVE FOR PUZZLE LOVERS: This original cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 combinations, but only one solution. Do you have what it takes to solve the world’s favourite puzzle?
IMPROVED PLAY: All the features of the original cube but with faster, smoother and more reliable play. No more frustrating snagging or popping core
Includes: Rubik’s Cube 3x3

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How to solve Magnetic Cube puzzles in Wuthering Waves

I appreciate Wuthering Waves including one of the puzzle types that has haunted my dream since the days of Ocarina of Time. Here is how to solve Magnetic Cube puzzles in Wuthering Waves.

Wuthering Waves: How to solve Magnetic Cube puzzles

The Magnetic Cube puzzles are one of the many open-world puzzles that will reward you with treasure chests containing valuable items and currency in exchange for a bit of logic and spatial awareness. In the case of the Magnetic Cube puzzle, you will probably face your very first one to the northwest of Jinzhou city , right next to the Hunaglong-Central Plains Resonance Beacon .

The puzzle is relatively simple, although it will certainly get more complex while exploring every inch of the world. This puzzle is effectively the classic “ push the big block across the room until you press the switch on the floor ” we have all dreaded from the Zelda franchise.

Instead of being ice cubes, these cubes stand above magnetic platforms that will stop their momentum , and you will need to hit one of their flat faces to determine their direction.

The goal is to get the cube to stand on top of the final blue-shining platform so that the treasure chest unlocks. If the cube falls off the board, then it will start all over . So, when you select a direction, be aware of where the cube will end up .

Not only that but there are special platforms in more intricate versions of the puzzle that will teleport your cube , allowing it to position itself on otherwise inaccessible spots on the board that will otherwise be impossible to get to by mere hitting.

And that’s pretty much everything you need to know about the Magnetic Cube puzzle! Contrary to challenges such as the Hover Target , you will have as much time as you need to complete this , so don’t rush in and hit the cube without having analyzed the board previously. You can certainly force this puzzle to have a “trial and error” type of approach, but they shouldn’t take you long to dominate.

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The Official Rubik's Cube
With the Rubik's Coach Cube, peel & reveal to solve quicker with stickers! Check out the web experience to follow along with in-depth tutorial videos. Rubik's 2x2. Rubik's 4x4. Rubik's Impossible. Rubik's Edge. Rubik's Pyramid. Rubik's Picture Cube. Rubik's Slide.
Online Rubik's Cube Solver
The online Rubik's Cube™ solver calculates the steps needed to solve a scrambled Rubik's Cube from any valid starting position. Enter the colors of your puzzle and click the Solve button. Wait for the program to find the solution then follow the steps to solve your cube. How To Use The Rubik's Cube Solver? Watch on.
How to solve the Rubik's Cube
Yellow edges. After making the yellow cross on the top of the cube you have to put the yellow edge pieces on their final places to match the colors of the side center pieces. Switch the front and left yellow edges with the following algorithm: R U R' U R U2 R' U. Switch the edges. Yellow edges done.
How to Solve a Rubik's Cube (Beginner's Method)
Start off by positioning your cube so that the white centre is at the bottom. Locate a white corner in the top layer. Identify the non-white parts of the white corner. Move the top layer until the white corner ends up between the corresponding centres of the non-white parts (refer to image).
Rubik's Cube Solver 3x3x3
Used by millions around the world - this rubik's cube solving website will show you how to solve any valid scramble with an easy to follow step-by-step solution. Since its appearance in the 1970's, the Rubik's Cube quickly became one of the most loved and challenging puzzles of all time. It has stumped even the greatest minds around.
Online Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube Solver. Calculate the solution for a scrambled cube puzzle in only 20 steps. Set up the scramble pattern, press the Solve button and follow the instructions. Use the color picker, apply an algorithm or use a random scramble.
How to Solve The Rubik's Cube
If the corner is on the top of the puzzle, hold the cube so that the corner is in the position marked in purple on the image, and perform the same algorithm as before: R' D' R D. Now the corner is on the bottom, so you can do the above instructions. Repeat this process for each corner until the top layer is solved.
Layer-by-Layer Online Rubik's Cube Solver
And today, we're diving into the layer-by-layer solver - your ticket to conquering this iconic puzzle without breaking a sweat and learning any solution method. Understanding the Rubik's Cube. Before we jump into solving, let's quickly peek at the Rubik's Cube. It's made up of smaller cubes in a 3x3x3 grid, with each face showing a different ...
How to Solve a Rubik's Cube: 4 Different Ways
Step 1: Create White Cross. Begin by holding the cube with the white face up. You probably won't start with the white face finished, so remember that a face's color is determined by the center cube. That means that the face with the white center cube should be facing up.
RubikScan
Solve the cube. view_in_ar 1. Show your mixed cube to your camera, face by face (you can also enter all the colors manually) play_arrow 2. Follow the step by step solution : a user-friendly animation will start and guide you during the resolution of the Rubik's cube. Mix the cube. shuffle 1. Color a shuffled cube in the app. play_arrow 2 ...
Rubik Cube: Solver And Guide
Full-featured cube app for cuber. Famous puzzle you must try! Can you solve it? The Rubik Cube challenges your mind and problem-solving skills. App features: - Multiple cube sizes: from 2x2x2 to 10x10x10 - Smooth 3D graphics and animation - Easy and handy controls - Design your unique cube using powerful Theme Editor - Complete Guide from Zero to Hero - Unlimited realistic 3x3x3 cube solver ...
Online Rubik's Cube Simulator
Play with the 3D Rubik's Cube simulator online. Press the scramble button and try to figure out the solution and practice. Use your keyboard: the buttons on your keyboard are assigned to each face, according to the notation. Face: F R U B L D. Slice: M E S. Whole: X Y Z. Uppercase letters do clockwise, while lowercase keys make inverse rotations.
Introduction to Rubik's Cube and how to solve them?
The Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination Puzzle that was invented in 1974 by 'Erno Rubik''. Rubik's Cube is a Puzzle with a six-colored cube whose faces each include nine squares, eight of which can be rotated separately. In this article, we are going to learn Rubik's cube in-depth. Rubik's Cube. If you want to be an expert at ...
How to solve a Rubik's Cube
It's been 50 years since the Rubik's Cube first launched, and it's captivated audiences ever since. With a special 50th anniversary retro cube on the list of this year's top toys, the puzzle's ...
After cracking the "sum of cubes" puzzle for 42 ...
The equation x 3 +y 3 +z 3 =k is known as the sum of cubes problem. While seemingly straightforward, the equation becomes exponentially difficult to solve when framed as a "Diophantine equation" — a problem that stipulates that, for any value of k, the values for x, y, and z must each be whole numbers.
Rubik's Cube, The Original 3x3 Color-Matching Puzzle Classic Problem
THE ORIGINAL RUBIK'S CUBE: A combination of mathematics, art and science - the iconic Rubik's Cube challenges your mind and problem-solving skills. The classic 3x3 Rubik's Cube is the world's best-known addictive puzzle and has fascinated fans since its launch in 1980. Packaging may vary.
Cube Move
Cube Move stands out as a brain-training exercise that caters to a wide range of ages, offering a unique blend of entertainment and cognitive challenge. This game, with its simple premise of guiding a yellow cube to a hole, belies a deeper layer of mental stimulation. Each level is designed to progressively challenge the player's problem ...
11 Best Rubiks Cube Puzzles for Avid Problem Solvers
6. Rubiks 2×2 Cube. An awesome entry-level cube for newer puzzle solvers. Don't be fooled, though - the Rubiks 2×2 Cube is no walk in the park. With 3.6 million possible combinations, only one is right. Great for learning the mechanics of the more advanced Rubiks Cube, this stickerless version is durable, fast, and smooth.
How to Solve a Puzzle Cube: The Ultimate Guide
This method is broken up into 6 distinct steps. Step 1) Making a White Cross: The first thing you need to do is create a white cross on the forward face. This will set the path for you to solve the rest of the cube. To get this, you need to use the following sequence of steps: R' U F' U'.
Rubik's Blocks, Original 3x3 Cube with a Twist Challenging Problem
The Blocks is all about adding a real challenge to solving the puzzle and in most cases just results in confusion. CLASSIC PUZZLE-SOLVING GAMEPLAY: This challenging puzzle is the same retro toy that you remember from your childhood. Brain teaser, fidget toy, or travel puzzle- this brain puzzle is your new go-to. Includes: 1 Rubik's 3x3
Puzzle Cube Project
The creation of the puzzle cube originated from solving a waste problem of a furniture company which had specific requirement criteria I had to follow, like age demographic of 3+, overall size of the cube, exactly 5 puzzle parts, etc. ... By analyzing existing puzzle cube designs, parts, and difficulty levels online, I gained valuable insights ...
8 Puzzle Solver
Lastly, this algorithm find the solution from a node branch as far as possible with a limit of 15,000 nodes for each. Giving you answers for all possible combinations. Solve any 8-puzzle problems with our AI-powered puzzle and get solution within seconds. It also allows you to share the solution to your friends.
Robot Sets New Rubik's Cube Speed Record, Completing the Puzzle in 0
Mitsubishi Electric. Quicker than a snap of the fingers it doesn't have, a robot has shattered the world speed record for solving a Rubik's Cube, completing the puzzle in just 0.305 seconds ...
Up Your Puzzle Game With These Rubik's Cubes and Toys
$14.99. Shop Now. A game of problem solving and strategy, the Gridlock Game from Rubik's takes the pattern recognition, spatial awareness, and critical thinking skills needed for the original ...
Robot breaks Guinness World Record for solving Rubik's Cube
A specially designed Mistubuishi robot in Japan set a remarkable Guinness World Record for solving a Rubik's Cube in a split second. The champion TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing ...
In blink of an eye, robot sets new Rubik's cube Guinness World Record
Mitsubishi Electric / YouTube. If you want to become the fastest human to ever solve a Rubik's cube, you need to beat the 3.13 second Guinness World Record set by Max Park in June 2023 ...
How to Solve Puzzles in Tears of the Kingdom
They demand more than just rote problem-solving. They require a strategist's mind and a keen eye for details. The true secret to conquering Tears of the Kingdom's puzzles lies in the understanding ...
14 Visual Puzzles and Brainteasers That Will Challenge Your Mind
By doing visual brainteasers like the ones in this list, you're sharpening those skills. Think of it as a workout for your brain. 1. Math puzzles. Brainsnack. Don't read the word "math ...
Rubik's Cube, The Original 3x3 Colour-Matching Puzzle, Classic Problem
Solve it quickly and challenge yourself to break the record! THE ORIGINAL RUBIK'S CUBE: A combination of mathematics, art and science - the iconic Rubik's Cube challenges your mind and problem-solving skills. The classic 3x3 Rubik's Cube is the world's best-known addictive puzzle and has fascinated fans since its launch in 1980. A true icon
How to solve Magnetic Cube puzzles in Wuthering Waves
push the big block across the room until you press the switch on the floor. these cubes stand above magnetic platforms that will stop their momentum. If the cube falls off the board, then it will ...