You know the four-move trigger. Nothing needs to be solved yet.
Keep white facing down. Hold the cube so the slot for each new corner is at bottom-front-right.
1. Place your first corner
Choose any white corner and rotate the cube until its white sticker faces down. Treat that piece as solved. The three remaining white corners must fit around it according to their side colours.
Two corners sharing a non-white colour belong next to each other on that coloured side. A corner sharing neither side colour with the reference belongs diagonally across from it.
2. Choose a white corner on top
Find a white corner in the top layer. Work out where it belongs using the already placed pieces. Rotate the whole cube sideways to put its destination at bottom-front-right, keeping white down.
Use U to move the target corner to the top-front-right position, directly above its destination. Its white sticker can face any of the three directions.
3. Insert it with the trigger
R U R' U'
Repeat the full four-move sequence until the selected corner is in the bottom-front-right slot with its white sticker facing down and its side colours matching its neighbours. Depending on the corner’s orientation, this takes one, three, or five repetitions.
Keep the same face at the front and do not add U turns between repetitions. Check only after finishing U′.
4. Recover a misplaced bottom piece
If the white corner you need is already in the bottom layer but is twisted or in the wrong slot, hold that slot at bottom-front-right and perform the trigger once to eject it. Then find its correct slot, position the corner directly above it, and insert it as usual.
Keep your reference corner in place unless you deliberately choose a new one. Fit the other white corners around the pieces you’ve already solved.
5. Check all four side pairs
Once all four white stickers face down, check the bottom pair on each side. If the two stickers in any pair are different colours, some white corners are misplaced. Correct those corners before moving on. The next lesson assumes the entire first layer is solved.
Watch, then try
Work through an example
Start by going through the example one move at a time. It shows a specific action from a prepared position. Use the lesson’s setup instructions to recognize when that action applies to your own scramble.
Watch one worked example
The target white corner starts directly above its front-right destination. Watch one trigger insert it while preserving the other solved bottom corners.
Example grip: yellow up · blue front · red right at the start. Follow any written whole-cube rotations.
0 / 4
Loading 3D cube…
Prepared position · 0 / 4 moves
Use Next move to follow the sequence.
Drag to inspect other faces. Use the arrow keys to rotate the view when the cube has focus.
Copy this exact example on your own cube
Start with a solved 2×2, with yellow on top and blue at the front. Apply the setup moves below from left to right to create the example’s starting position. Keep this example separate from the scramble you’re solving throughout the course.
U R U' R'Then follow the lesson sequence. If your cube’s colour scheme differs, match the piece relationships using your own colours.
Compare the starting position and the result
Drag each cube to inspect its other faces.
Explain it to yourself
Check your understanding
Now use your own cube
Your turn
Place one reference corner, then insert the other three white corners. After each insertion, check that white faces down and that both side colours match.
Open a 2×2 Digital Cube for practiceOpens in a new tab so you can keep this lesson open while you practise. Check for yourself whether you’ve met the lesson goal. The Digital Cube doesn’t grade your work.
If you get stuck
The white face is complete, but the bottom pairs on the sides don’t match.
Find the white corner that doesn’t match its neighbours. Eject it, use both side colours to find its correct slot, and reinsert it.
Before moving on
Check your result
Your cube at this stage
A complete white layer
White faces down, and each side has a matching bottom pair. The yellow corners are still unfinished.
Confirm these on your cube. Watching the animation alone does not complete the lesson.
Check off each item once you can do it yourself.