Turn the yellow corners upward — 3×3 Beginner

Before you start

Two solved lower layers and 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 at the front until every corner is oriented.

1. Choose the working corner

Use U to bring a corner with its yellow sticker facing sideways to top-front-right. Twist corners only in this position. Remember the colour of the front face and keep that face at the front throughout the procedure.

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 full four-move block two or four times until the working corner’s yellow sticker faces up.

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

3. Expect the lower layers to look mixed temporarily

This is normal while only some corners have been twisted. Keep the white layer as it is, hold the same face at the front and use the same algorithm throughout. Finishing the remaining yellow corners with the same grip restores the lower layers.

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

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

Skip any corners whose yellow stickers already face up. Continue until all four yellow corner stickers 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 be solid yellow. The top layer’s side stickers may still be in the wrong order. This is expected. In the next lesson, you will put 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 and 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 when you look directly at that face. A prime mark (′) reverses the turn. A 2 means 180°. Keep the same face at the front throughout an algorithm.

Watch, then try

Work through an example

Start by going through the moves one at a time. The prepared example shows a specific action. Use the lesson’s setup instructions to recognise when to apply it to your own scramble.

Watch one worked example

The first eight moves orient one corner. U brings the next corner into the working position, where four more twisting blocks orient it. The final U′ realigns the top. Watch how the lower layers return to their solved state only at the end of the exercise.

Starting grip. Yellow up · blue at the front · 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 focus.

Copy this exact example on your own cube

Start with a solved 3×3 with yellow facing up and blue facing 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 as you work through 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’s colour scheme differs, match the piece relationships using your own colours.

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 unsolved corner at top-front-right, turning only U between corners. Finish all corners before checking the lower layers.

Open a 3×3 Digital Cube for practice

Opens in a new tab so you can refer to this lesson while you practise. Check for yourself whether you’ve met the lesson goal. The Digital Cube does not grade your work.

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 temporarily.

The lower layers are still scrambled even though every yellow corner sticker faces up.

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

Before moving on

Check your result

Your cube at this stage

Yellow face oriented

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.