Rubik’s Cube and How I Learned to Solve It

I’ve always been fascinated by puzzles, but the Rubik’s Cube stood out as something I thought only geniuses could solve. It looked like complete chaos – colorful but intimidating. One day, on a whim, I bought a standard 3x3 cube. I had no idea how it worked, but I was determined to figure it out.

At first, I just twisted it randomly, hoping I’d stumble on something. I didn’t. Instead, I made it worse. But then I turned to what every modern puzzle-solver does – YouTube and beginner guides. That’s when everything changed.

Step 1: Understanding the Basics

The first thing I learned is that the center pieces never move. That means the white center will always be on the white face, red on the red face, and so on. That blew my mind. It instantly helped me understand that solving the cube isn’t about random moves – it’s about returning the pieces to the correct place around those fixed centers.

Step 2: The White Cross

I began solving the white cross. That meant getting the white edge pieces (the ones with two colors, one of which is white) into a cross on the white face – and more importantly, matching the second color with the correct center. This wasn’t just about forming a white plus sign – it had to line up with the side centers too.

It took me a while, but with patience, I got it. Already it looked like progress.

Step 3: Solving the White Corners

Next, I had to get the white corner pieces into place – the ones with three colors. I used a simple algorithm I learned online:

R' D' R D

I kept doing that sequence until the corner piece was in the right spot. Then I rotated the bottom layer and repeated it for the next corner. Eventually, the whole white face was done – and the first layer matched on all sides!

Step 4: Solving the Second Layer

Here’s where it started to feel like real solving. I had to insert the edge pieces of the second layer into the right slots. Depending on whether the piece needed to go to the left or right, I used different sequences:

• If it goes right: U R U' R' U' F' U F

• If it goes left: U' L' U L U F U' F'

It was a bit tricky to remember at first, but muscle memory kicked in after a few tries.

Step 5: The Yellow Cross

Now, with two layers done, it was time for the top. First, I made a yellow cross on the top face. This didn’t involve matching sides yet – just getting yellow edges to the top. I used this algorithm:

F R U R' U' F'

Sometimes I had a yellow line, sometimes just a dot – but I kept doing the algorithm until I had the cross.

Step 6: Matching Yellow Edges

Next, I needed to rotate the yellow edges so they matched the center pieces. That was done with this move:

R U R' U R U2 R'

A few repeats, and suddenly all the yellow edges were aligned.

Step 7: Placing Yellow Corners

Then I had to position the yellow corner pieces correctly (not necessarily solving them yet). This one used:

U R U' L' U R' U' L

After doing that one or two times, the corners were in the right places – just not oriented.

Step 8: Final Step – Orienting Yellow Corners

Lastly, I used the same move from before (R' D' R D) to twist the yellow corners into place, one at a time. Eventually, the cube was solved.

Reflections

Solving the Rubik’s Cube wasn’t just about memorizing moves. It was about understanding how the pieces work and how to manipulate them purposefully. It took time, repetition, and a bit of frustration, but when I finally turned that last corner and saw a perfectly solved cube – I felt like I’d just cracked a code.

If I can learn it, anyone can. It’s a puzzle that rewards patience, logic, and a love of patterns – and now, it’s one of my favorite brain games of all time.

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