Speedcubing

How to solve a Rubik's Cube faster: CFOP, 2-look OLL and PLL, and look-ahead

TUREFF• •0
Once you can solve a cube with the beginner's method, the next question is how people solve it in well under a minute. Most fast solvers use a method called CFOP, also known as the Fridrich method. It is not one leap but a series of upgrades you can add one at a time, so your times keep coming down along the way.

What CFOP stands for

  1. Cross: the bottom cross, same as the beginner's method, but planned in inspection and done efficiently.
  2. F2L (first two layers): each white corner is paired with its middle-layer edge and the pair is inserted together, four times.
  3. OLL (orient the last layer): make the whole top face one colour in one algorithm.
  4. PLL (permute the last layer): move the top pieces to their correct places in one algorithm.
Full CFOP uses 57 OLL algorithms and 21 PLL algorithms. Nobody learns those first, and you do not need to.

Upgrade 1: a better cross

  • Solve the cross on the bottom, not the top. It feels awkward for a week, then saves the time you spent turning the cube over.
  • Try to plan the whole cross before you turn. Most crosses can be solved in eight moves or fewer.
  • Many people pick one colour and stick to it. Learning to start from any colour can help later, but it is not a beginner priority.

Upgrade 2: intuitive F2L

F2L is where the biggest gain is. Instead of inserting a corner and then an edge separately, you bring them together in the top layer and insert them as a pair. There are 41 basic cases, but you should learn them by understanding, not by memorising lists:
  • Get the pair separated in the top layer, then join them while the slot is turned out of the way.
  • Learn the three simple insertions first (the pair is already formed, or the corner and edge are placed for a three-move insert).
  • Look up only the cases you cannot work out.

Upgrade 3: 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL

Instead of learning 78 algorithms at once, split each step in two:
  • 2-look OLL: first make the yellow cross (you already know F R U R' U' F', plus one or two variations), then orient the corners with seven algorithms. The Sune, R U R' U R U2 R', is one of them, and you probably know it already.
  • 2-look PLL: first place the corners (two algorithms), then the edges (four algorithms).
That is around sixteen algorithms in total, and it replaces the slowest steps of the beginner's method. Learn full PLL next, because you meet a PLL every solve; full OLL can wait.

Finger tricks

How you turn matters as much as what you turn.
  • Hold the cube lightly, thumbs on the front, fingers on the back.
  • Do U turns by flicking the top layer with your index finger, alternating hands, rather than gripping and twisting.
  • Do R and R' with your wrist, not your whole arm.
  • Avoid regrips: pick algorithm versions that flow with your hands. Many algorithms have alternatives for exactly this reason.

Look-ahead: the real secret

Fast cubers are rarely turning as fast as possible. They are turning steadily without pausing, because while they solve one F2L pair their eyes are already finding the next. To build this:
  • Slow down. Do whole solves at a speed where you never stop. Your times may go up at first.
  • After inserting a pair, know where your next pair is before you finish the insertion.
  • Watch your pauses, not your turning speed. A recording of your own solves shows them clearly.

A practical order

  1. Bottom cross and intuitive F2L.
  2. 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL.
  3. Full PLL.
  4. Look-ahead practice and F2L efficiency.
  5. Full OLL, if you want it.
Track your times with an average of five or twelve rather than single solves; one lucky scramble says very little. Where are you stuck right now, F2L or the last layer? Post your current average and your questions in the comments.

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