Turn the yellow corners upward — 3×3 Beginner

Before you start

The two lower layers are solved and there’s a yellow cross. The side colours of the yellow edges may still be out of order.

How to hold your cube

Keep yellow up and white down. Choose a front face and keep it fixed until every corner is oriented.

1. Choose the working corner

Use U to bring a corner whose yellow sticker isn’t facing up to top-front-right. Twist corners only in this position. Note the colour of the front face and keep that face at the front throughout.

2. Use the corner-twisting routine

R' D' R D

This new routine uses the bottom layer, unlike the earlier white-corner trigger. Repeat the whole four-move block two or four times until the yellow sticker on the working corner faces up.

Complete the final D of the block, even if the yellow sticker faces up after the R. Check the corner only after completing the whole block.

3. Expect the lower layers to look scrambled for a while

The lower layers normally look scrambled while you’re still twisting corners. Resist the urge to fix the white layer, change which face is at the front or switch algorithms halfway through. Finish orienting the remaining yellow corners with the same grip to restore the lower layers.

4. Use only U to bring the next corner into position

Turn U, U′ or U2 to bring another unoriented yellow corner to top-front-right. Keep the whole cube in the same orientation. Repeat R' D' R D until this corner’s yellow sticker faces up, then use only U to bring in the next corner.

Skip any corner whose yellow sticker already faces up. Continue until the yellow stickers on all four corners face up, then turn U if needed to realign the top layer. The first two layers must now be solved again.

5. Inspect orientation separately from position

The top should now be all yellow. It’s normal for the side stickers on that layer to still be in the wrong order. The next lesson puts the corners in place while keeping their yellow stickers facing up.

The worked example twists two corners in opposite directions. Watch the lower layers become scrambled, then return to their solved state at the end.

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 first eight moves orient one corner. U brings the next corner to the working position, and four more twisting blocks orient it. The final U′ realigns the top. Watch how the lower layers return to their solved state only when the whole exercise is complete.

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.

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Loading 3D cube…

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.

U D' R' D R D' R' D R D' R' D R D' R' D R U' D' R' D R D' R' D 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

Before the example

After the full sequence

Drag each cube to inspect its other faces.

Explain it to yourself

Check your understanding

Now use your own cube

Your turn

Read the whole procedure first. Twist each corner that needs orienting at top-front-right, turning only U between corners. Finish all the corners before checking the lower layers.

Open a 3×3 Digital Cube for practice

Opens 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 white layer looks scrambled halfway through.

Keep the same face at the front and orient the remaining yellow corners, using U turns between corners. The lower layers may look scrambled until you finish.

The lower layers still look scrambled after all the yellow corner stickers are facing up.

Check whether you missed a final D or accidentally rotated the whole cube. If you remember the exact moves you got wrong, undo them. Otherwise, use the first-layer lessons to recover before trying this stage again.

Before moving on

Check your result

3×3 lesson result. The yellow face is oriented. All yellow stickers face up and the first two layers are restored. The top-layer corners and edges can still be in the wrong positions.

Your cube at this stage

Yellow face orientation complete

All yellow stickers face up and the first two layers are restored. The top corners and edges can still be in the wrong positions.

Confirm these on your cube. Watching the animation alone does not complete the lesson.

Every sticker on top is yellow.The first two layers have returned to their solved state.I kept the same face at the front and completed every four-move block.

Tick each item once you can do it yourself.