A yellow top face and two solved lower layers.
Keep yellow up. If you find a matching pair, line it up with its side centre and hold that side on the left.
1. Look for a matching pair
On each side, compare the two top corner stickers. Ignore the edge sticker between them. Two corner stickers of the same colour make a matching pair, sometimes called ‘headlights’.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Matching pairs on all four sides | Turn U until the pairs match their centres. The corners are now in place. |
| One matching pair | Turn U to line up that pair with its centre, then rotate the whole cube sideways to put the pair on the left. |
| No matching pair | Perform the T sequence once with any face at the front. Find the pair it creates and set it up on the left. |
Compare the two corner stickers with each other first. One sticker matching a centre is not enough to make a pair.
2. Swap the two right-hand corners
R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'
This is called the T permutation. It swaps the two top-right corners while keeping their yellow stickers facing up. It also moves two top edges, which you’ll solve in the next lesson.
Learn the sequence in three parts and keep the cube in the same orientation throughout.
R U R' U'R' F R2 U' R' U'R U R' F'
3. Recheck before repeating
If you started without a matching pair, the first T permutation only creates one. Line that pair up with its centre, put it on the left and perform T again. If you started with a matching pair on the left, one application should put the corners in place.
Turn U if needed to line up the top corner colours with the centres. Check the side stickers on all four corners, including the pair you started with.
4. Leave the edges for the next lesson
You may see a top row such as blue–red–blue, where both corners are correct and the edge is still out of place. This is the position you need for the final edge cycle. Leave the yellow corners as they are.
Need a reminder of the move notation?
R right · L left · U top · D bottom · F front · B back. A letter on its own means a 90° clockwise turn as you look directly at that face. An apostrophe (′) reverses the direction. A 2 means a 180° turn. Keep the same face at the front throughout the algorithm.
Watch, then try
Work through an example
Start by stepping through one move at a time. This prepared example shows a specific action. Use the lesson’s setup instructions to recognise when to use it on your own scramble.
Watch one worked example
The matching pair of top corners is on the left. The T permutation swaps the two top-right corners. During a normal solve, some top edges may still be out of place once the corners are correct.
Example grip: Start with yellow on top, blue at the front and red on the right. Follow any written instructions for rotating the whole cube.
0 / 14
Loading 3D cube…
Prepared position · 0 / 14 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 keyboard focus.
Copy this exact example on your own cube
Start with a solved 3×3, 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 are solving throughout the course.
F R U' R' U R U R2 F' R U R U' R'Then follow the lesson sequence. If your cube has a different colour scheme, use the relationships between your own colours to identify the equivalent pieces.
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
Compare the two top corner stickers on each side, ignoring the edge between them. Use the matching pair to set up the T permutation, then check all four corners.
Open a 3×3 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 assess your result.
If you get stuck
The yellow face is solved, but the top rows on the sides are still mixed.
Check the corners separately. If both top corner stickers on every side match that side’s centre, move on to the final edges even if the edge between them is out of place.
The T permutation didn’t put all the corners in place.
If you started with no matching pairs, use U to align the pair created by the first T permutation with its centre. Put that pair on the left before doing the T permutation again.
Before moving on
Check your result
Your cube at this stage
Yellow corners in place
Both top corner stickers on each side match its centre. The three remaining top edges still need to be cycled.
Confirm these on your cube. Watching the animation alone does not complete the lesson.
Tick each item once you can do it yourself.