Make the yellow cross — 3×3 Beginner

Before you start

The white layer and middle layer are complete.

How to hold your cube

Keep yellow up. For a line, put the yellow edges on the left and right. For an L, put them at the back and left.

Look straight down at the top. The front edge is the one nearest you. Ignore the grey stickers for this check.

No yellow edges face up. Any face can be at the front. — Dot

Yellow edges at the left and right. — Line

All four yellow edge stickers face up. Move on. — Cross

1. Check only the four top edges

Ignore the corners, even if they are yellow. Around the yellow centre you will see a dot (zero yellow edges up), an L (two adjacent), a line (two opposite), or a cross (all four).

A correctly assembled 3×3 cannot have exactly one or three yellow edges facing up when the first two layers are solved. Recount the edges before assuming the case is unusual.

2. Set up the shape

Shape	Hold it this way	What happens next
Dot	Keep yellow up. Any face can be at the front.	The sequence makes an L. Check the shape and set up again.
L	Yellow edges at the back and left	The sequence makes a line. Position it so it runs left to right.
Line	Yellow edges at the left and right	The sequence makes the cross.
Cross	Already finished	Skip this sequence and continue.

Use U or rotate the whole cube sideways before the sequence to position the shape. Keep the front fixed during the moves.

3. Do the six moves

F R U R' U' F'

Think ‘turn the front, do the four-move trigger, turn the front back’. Complete the final F′ to restore the front layer.

Count the yellow edge stickers facing up after every full sequence. A dot takes up to three applications, an L takes two and a correctly held line takes one. Take time to identify the new shape before repeating the sequence.

4. Stop once you have a yellow cross

The side colours of the yellow edges can stay out of alignment with their centres for now. The yellow corner stickers can still face sideways. Leave those jobs for later, keep the first two layers solved and move on to corner orientation.

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

This example starts with a left–right yellow line. Watch the four edge stickers on U. The final F′ restores the lower layers and completes the cross.

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.

F U R U' R' F'

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.

Another case: Start with an L

Start with an L

The yellow edges start at the back and left. The first six moves make a left–right line, and the next six complete the cross. Pause after move 6 and identify the line.

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

F U R U' R' F' F U R U' R' F'

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.

Another case: Start with a dot

Start with a dot

No yellow edges face up at the start. The first six moves make an L, and U2 at move 7 puts it at the back and left. The next six moves make a left–right line, and the final six complete the cross. Pause after moves 7 and 13 to recognise the new case.

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

F U R U' R' F' F U R U' R' F' U2 F U R U' R' F'

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

Count only the yellow edge stickers that face up. Choose the matching case, do the sequence, then identify the new case before repeating.

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 pattern does not change as expected.

Ignore the yellow corners. Set up the shape again with the L at the back and left or the line running left to right. Make sure you include the final F′.

I can see one or three yellow edge stickers facing up.

Check that the lower layers are solved and count only the edge pieces. This can indicate parity on a 4×4. It’s an unusual result on a correctly assembled 3×3.

Before moving on

Check your result

Your cube at this stage

A yellow cross on top

All four yellow edges face up. Yellow corners and the side colours of the top edges may still need work.

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

All four yellow edge stickers face up.I ignored the corner stickers when identifying the dot, L or line.The first two layers are still solved.

Tick each item once you can do it yourself.