About five years ago, I was rummaging through the attic, and I found a Rubik's cube from my childhood. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. I thought to myself, it must feel great being among that hallowed minority of the population that can accomplish the seemingly impossible. So I vowed to finally learn how to solve a Rubik's cube.
The first thing I did was buy a new cube. I mean, come on, this cube was over twenty years old; you could barely twist it! Cube mechanics have advanced a lot over the years. Solving a decades-old Rubik's brand cube would be a feat of strength, and a trying test of one's patience. Never mind trying to speed-solve it.
The next step was to look up the solution. But wait, isn't that cheating? I thought so, too, and it took me a while to overcome my pride. But when I did, I discovered that rather than giving up, looking up the solution isn't the end of the game - it's just the beginning! The real accomplishment is learning to apply the solution, memorizing the steps, and practicing to get better.
In fact, there's more than one way to solve a Rubik's cube. The first solution I learned is called, appropriately, the Beginner's Method. It's not the most efficient way to solve a cube, but it utilizes a relatively small number of algorithms (in cubing terminology, this means a particular sequence of twists that accomplishes a desired result), so it's great for beginners.
Most people think you have to be a supergenius in order to solve a Rubik's cube. And while deriving a solution yourself would indeed be an impressive accomplishment, very few people have the ability (or the patience) to do that. For most people, cubing is a skill that is deliberately learned and practiced, not a spontaneous demonstration of superhuman intellect, as it's often portrayed in popular culture.
I'm not saying it's easy to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube, but it's also not as hard as you'd think. All you need is basic hand-eye coordination, a little bit of memorization, and a lot of practice. Now solving it quickly and efficiently? That's another story. The upper echelon of speedcubers can solve the puzzle in mere seconds!
An Aside: Beginning to Solve the Cube
Have you ever tried to solve a Rubik's cube? How far did you get? Did you manage to solve one face of the cube? If so, what was your next step? Chances are, you tried to solve a second face. This is actually not a very good way to solve the cube. Instead of thinking of the puzzle as six faces joined at the edges, think of it as three layers stacked on top of each other. Now envision solving the cube not face-by-face, but layer-by-layer.
The next step after solving one face should be to solve the whole layer. This can be done intuitively (meaning, without learning any algorithms), and isn't too difficult - you just have to think about which piece of that face goes in which slot. Give it a try the next time you pick up a Rubik's cube!
Taking the Next Step
My initial goal was to get to the point where I could pick up a scrambled cube and solve it - without referring to the solution - in a reasonable amount of time (say, under five minutes). I knew I'd reached that goal when I walked into a puzzle and game shop the following summer, spotted a Rubik's cube sitting out on the shelf, picked it up, and solved it on the fly. Nobody saw me do it, but I was proud of myself just the same.
And for a while, I was content. Until this past year, when I decided to take the next step and become a speedcuber. Bit by bit, I learned the most popular speedcubing method - a solution that is faster than the Beginner's Method, but requires more practice and more memorization. It's called the Fridrich method, though cubers commonly refer to it as CFOP ("see-fop"), after the four steps involved:
1. (C)ross - solving the white* cross
2. (F)2L, or First 2 Layers
3. (O)LL, or Orientation of the Last Layer
4. (P)LL, or Permutation of the Last Layer
*White has been chosen arbitrarily as the starting color. In truth, the solution will be just as effective no matter what color you start with. Color neutrality - the ability to solve a cube starting with any color - can even yield a small but meaningful advantage to advanced speedcubers.
Choosing a Speedcube
As of the beginning of this year, I have committed CFOP to memory. Granted, it's the beginner's version, with full intuitive F2L and 4LLL (4 Look Last Layer - i.e., 2-Look OLL followed by 2-Look PLL). There are more advanced versions for more advanced cubers (requiring more algorithms to be memorized). In other words, I'm far from the end of my cubing journey. Now, I probably should have done this when I started learning a speedcubing method, but I figured this was an appropriate milestone to mark the purchase of my first speedcube (edit: or four, as it turned out).
Yes, that's right. I learned CFOP on a regular, Rubik's brand cube. What's the advantage of a speedcube, you ask? Well, they're designed for speed. They turn much faster and much smoother than regular cubes. They can be lubed up, tightened or loosened to your preference, and often employ magnets to improve the accuracy of your turns. Apply the right finger tricks (serious cubers turn the cube with their fingers, not with their wrists) to your favorite algorithm, and you'll feel like a speedcuber in no time. Seriously, it's so much fun, I have a hard time putting it down!
A False Dichotomy
There are a lot of speedcubes on the market, and I can't tell you how to choose one; I can only tell you how I chose mine. Rubik's brand is not high on the list of any serious speedcuber (which may or may not surprise you), but for now, as a beginner speedcuber, I find Rubik's brand speedcube to be ideal. I'm sure an experienced speedcuber would find it as hard to twist as I find my decades-old cube, but I don't think I'm ready for a faster speedcube yet, and in comparison to the non-speedcube I've been using, it's a joy. But there's another important reason I chose this cube.
When choosing a cube, most speedcubers are faced with the option: stickered, or stickerless? The original Rubik's cube utilized a stickered design. More modern cubes are stickerless, where the color is embedded into the cube. This yields a smoother surface, and reduces the effects of wear-and-tear. However, I much prefer the classic look of the Rubik's cube, with the original colors, and the black borders around the edges of each square. Believe it or not, Rubik's modern version of the cube embodies the best of both worlds - it is a tiled model with the tactile advantages of a stickerless cube, but with the classic, stickered look. Unfortunately, this design does not seem to be very popular in the speedcubing world. I only hope that will change with time.
An Example Solve
And with that, I think I've said enough about solving the Rubik's cube. I am amazed by how much depth exists within this clever, handheld puzzle. There's always more to learn; even after years of working at it, I'm still having fun. I'd call myself an intermediate cuber overall, but I have lots of room to improve. To finish, I'm including a video of one of my recent solves. Such a demonstration might be considered "bragging", but let's be honest: part of the thrill of learning to solve a Rubik's cube is showing off that you can do it. If you put in the work, you deserve the reward. After all, I'm only asking for about a minute of your time. :-p
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