Basic Steps for solving the Rubik’s Cube
Step 1: White cross. Make sure the piece you are working with is below the center you want it to be on. White face should be up, piece you are working on the right.
Move: R, R
If it ends up in the right place with the colors switched around.
Ri, U, Fi, Ui
From here, rotate the whole cube to the right and work on the next color.
Step 2: White Corners. Make sure the piece you are working on is below the front, right corner of the cube. Check to make sure it matches the three different colors.
Ri, Di, R, D Repeat until the cube is in the right place. It may take doing the algorithm multiple times.
If you need to move a corner piece that is in the wrong corner, hold it with the piece in the front right corner and do the following move.
Ri, Di, R
Step 3: Middle Layer
Turn your cube upside down so the white face is one the bottom. Find an edge piece and move it above the correct color.
If you need to move it to the right. U, R, Ui, Ri, Ui, Fi, U, F
If you need to move it to the left. Ui, Li, U, L, U, F, Ui, Fi
Repeat for the entire middle layer.
Step 4: Yellow Cross
After you solve the white face and the middle layer, look at the yellow face of your Rubik’s Cube.
You want to seen one of several things. Two parts of the cross next to each other, a line of yellow through the middle, the yellow cross itself, or some other random assortment of yellows on top.
If it is random, then it doesn’t matter where the cube is facing, yellow side up, do the following algorithm.
F, R, U, Ri, Ui, Fi
If it has two parts of the cross next to each other, turn the cube so that the yellow pieces are on the left and backside of the cube.
Again do F, R, U, Ri, Ui, Fi
If it has a line of yellows, face the cube so they go left to right.
Again, do F, R, U, Ri, Ui, Fi
Now you have the yellow cross.
Step 5: Yellow cross in the right order.
Once getting the yellow cross, you will have one of three patterns (YOU MAY NEED TO SPIN THE TOP LAYER TO FIND THE PATTERN).
One pattern is that you have opposite sides of the yellow cross that line up.
Another pattern is that two sides of the cross that are next to each other will line up.
The last pattern is having all four sides line up (VERY RARE).
If you have the pattern where opposite sides are lined up. Hold the cube so that one of the correct sides is facing you, and the other should be away from you.
Do the following algorithm
R, U, Ri, U, R, U, U, Ri
If you had the second patter where the matching pieces of the cross are next to each other, do the above algorithm and then do one extra U move to move it into the correct place.
Step 6: Yellow Corners in the Right Place
Assuming your cross is in the right place, you should have at least one corner in the right place (not necessarily with the yellow up, but in the corner where it will need to be. If you have all pieces in the right places, skip to step 7.
Find the one correct corner and hold it facing you on the right hand side. Do the following move.
U, R, Ui, Li, U, Ri, Ui, L (You might need to do this move one extra time to get the all four corners in the right place.
Step 7: Finishing the Yellow Corners
Now that you have the yellow cross correct, and all the pieces to the yellow corners in the correct corners, it is time to put the corners in correctly and finish the cube.
Hold the cube in a position where you will be working on the front right corner.
Do the algorithm Ri, Di, R, D. Repeat until the corner is correct. When it is correct, Move the upper face to the next corner that needs to be worked on, Repeat the algorithm. Continue on until all corners are correct. Adjust the faces so that they all line up.
Congratulations.