Rubik's Cube algorithms: beginner method, 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL

Every Rubik's Cube algorithm you need with a moving 3D cube: how to read the notation (face, slice, wide moves and rotations), the 7 beginner algorithms, 2-look OLL and PLL.

An algorithm is a short list of moves that fixes one thing on the cube without breaking the rest. This page has every algorithm you need for your first year of cubing: the 7 from the beginner method, then the 16 of 2-look OLL and PLL. Each one has a small cube that shows the case and plays the solution.

What an algorithm is

The word sounds like maths, but on the cube it only means "a move pattern that does one job". R U R' U' moves four pieces around and leaves the others alone. Do it six times and the cube is back where it started. Every solving method is a set of such patterns, used in a fixed order. The beginner method needs 7 of them. The CFOP method that fast cubers use needs 78 for the last layer alone, but you can start with 16 and still get a big speed gain.

Every algorithm on this page is written in the standard letter notation. The next section shows every move you will ever meet, with a cube that plays it. All the algorithms here use the cube held with white on top for the beginner steps and yellow on top for OLL and PLL, which is what the players show.

How to read the moves

Each letter is one face of the cube, seen from where you hold it. A plain letter means turn that face a quarter turn clockwise, as if you were looking straight at that face. An apostrophe (R', said "R prime") means counterclockwise. A 2 (R2) means a half turn, and for a half turn the direction does not matter. Press play on any cube below to watch the move; the small pictures show the same move as an arrow on the face. The notation page has a quiz if you want to test yourself.

The six face turns

These six letters make up almost every algorithm. Watch how the face turns clockwise when you look at that face: for U the top row moves to the left from where you sit, for D the bottom row moves to the right, and for B the back face turns the opposite way from F, because you would be looking at it from behind.

Slice moves: M, E and S

A slice move turns only the middle layer between two faces. The letters come from the words middle, equator and standing. The direction rule is easy to mix up, so remember it this way: M follows L (M turns the same way as L), E follows D and S follows F. Slice moves show up in the beginner method's checkerboard pattern (M2 E2 S2), in some OLL cases and in a lot of edge algorithms for faster methods.

Whole cube rotations: x, y and z

Lowercase x, y and z turn the whole cube in your hands. Nothing on the cube changes, only the way you hold it, so the next letters refer to new faces. The rule matches the slices: x follows R, y follows U, z follows F. You will see y in PLL algorithms, for example the Aa perm starts with x, and y2 means "turn the cube around so the back is in front".

Wide moves: two layers at once

A wide move turns the face and the middle layer next to it together, as if you grabbed two layers. There are two ways to write it and both mean the same thing: a lowercase letter (r) or the letter with a w (Rw). Our players accept both. A wide move is the same as the face turn plus the slice next to it: r = R M', u = U E', f = F S. Fast cubers love them because two layers in one grip is quicker than two separate turns. The WCA regulations use the Rw form in official scrambles.

Brackets, repeats and triggers

Two more things you will see in algorithm lists. Brackets with a number, like (R U R' U')3, mean "do this part three times". And a few short patterns have names because they come up so often: R U R' U' is the "sexy move", R U R' U R U2 R' is "Sune", and R' D' R D is the beginner's corner trick. When a list says "sexy move x3", it just means those four moves, three times. Our players read brackets and repeat numbers, so you can paste any of these into the simulator and watch them.

The beginner method algorithms

These are the exact moves from our 7 step tutorial. Only step 1 (the white cross) has no fixed algorithm, you place the four edges by looking. Each player starts from the case the step fixes and plays the moves. In the tutorial you have practice buttons for every step.

A tip from our own early days: steps 2 and 7 use the same four moves, R' D' R D. In step 7 the cube looks broken while you repeat them. Keep going and keep the top layer still, it fixes itself. 😊

2-look OLL

OLL means "orientation of the last layer". It makes the whole top face yellow in one go, with the first two layers already solved. Full OLL has 57 cases. 2-look OLL splits the job in two looks: first make the yellow cross with one of 3 algorithms, then turn all corners yellow with one of 7. The 2-look OLL page on the Speedsolving wiki uses the same 10 cases.

Look 1: orient the edges

Look at the yellow stickers on the top face and ignore the corners. You see a dot, an L shape or a line. Turn the top layer first so the L points to the front right (yellow edges at the front and on the right) and the line goes from left to right.

Look 2: orient the corners

Now the yellow cross is there and you orient the four corners with one algorithm. Hold the cube as the title of each card says. Sune and Anti-Sune are the two you will use the most, learn them first. 🧩

2-look PLL

PLL means "permutation of the last layer". The top face is already yellow, and PLL moves the pieces into their final spots without turning any of them over. Full PLL has 21 cases. 2-look PLL first puts the corners in place (2 algorithms) and then the edges (4 algorithms). See the 2-look PLL wiki page for the same cases with pictures.

Look 1: place the corners

Look at the corners only. If two corners next to each other need to swap, use the T perm. If two corners on a diagonal need to swap, use the Y perm. If the corners are already right, skip to the edges.

Look 2: place the edges

With the corners right, one of four things remains. Three edges cycle (Ua or Ub), the two pairs of opposite edges swap (H perm), or two pairs of neighbor edges swap (Z perm). Ua and Ub are mirror cases: if one does not fix it, the other will.

All 2-look algorithms in one table

Print this or keep it open on your phone while you learn. Slice turns (M) count as one move here.

When we moved from the beginner method to 2-look OLL and PLL, our times went from about 1:30 to under 50 seconds in a month. Most of that came from the PLL half, so learn the T perm and the two U perms first. Time yourself with the timer before and after, the drop is a nice reward.

What to learn next

• F2L: solve the first two layers in pairs, a corner and an edge together. This is the biggest time saver after 2-look and needs no new algorithms at first.
• Full PLL: 21 cases, one look instead of two. The PLL list on the Speedsolving wiki has every case with several algorithms each.
• Full OLL: 57 cases. Learn them in small groups, the OLL list sorts them by shape.
• Finger tricks: doing U' with the index finger and R with the wrist. Most of the gap between 30 and 15 seconds is hands, not algorithms.

With full CFOP and good finger tricks, cubers reach times under 10 seconds, and the best in the world average under 5. Ruwix has a page on famous speedcubers, from Jessica Fridrich to today's record holders. You do not need any of that to enjoy the cube, but it is nice to know where the road goes. 🚀

Ready to try one? Open the full screen simulator, scramble it, solve the first two layers and see which of the 16 cases you get.

Last updated: November 4, 2026