You have studied all 4×4 stages and can solve a 3×3.
Restore your chosen orientation after reduction; use white down and yellow up for the shared solve.
1. Start with a new scramble
Use outer and wide turns to scramble both the centres and the edges. Use your own cube for this lesson. The player below reviews the final edge cycle and does not show the solution to your particular scramble.
2. Check each stage before moving on
| Stage | Checkpoint | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Centres | Six single-colour blocks in the order indicated by the corners | Build centres |
| Pairing | Twelve pairs of matching wings | Pair edges |
| Reduced solve | Solve the first layers, then orient and position the last-layer pieces | Use the 3×3 method |
| Edge orientation parity | One or three edge groups with yellow facing up → repair, then return to the yellow-cross step | OLL parity |
| Edge position parity | Two swapped groups → repair, then finish the edge cycle | PLL parity |
Use a repair only if you encounter its case. Leave your cube as it is while you review a lesson.
3. Identify the first unfinished stage
If the centres are complete but the wings are still mixed, keep pairing the edges. Once all edge groups are complete, you can start the standard 3×3 solve even if the groups are out of place. Even if most of the cube looks solved, a virtual edge is complete only when every piece in the group matches.
If each centre is a single colour but the colours are in the wrong order, correct the order before you resume edge pairing. On a 4×4, use the corners as your reference because the centres have no fixed middle piece.
4. Try a second solve with less guidance
Finish all six faces, then choose one skill to practise again. You can build centre bars, set up edges or read the layer widths in a parity repair sequence. On your next scramble, try that stage without replaying the worked example.
Completion means that you can identify what to do and check whether it worked. Looking up a long parity sequence is still fine.
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.
Rw turns the rightmost two layers together. 2R turns only the second layer from the right. 3Rw turns three layers. x rotates the whole cube like R, so the old front becomes the new top.
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
Review the final edge cycle, which uses only outer turns, on a prepared 4×4. For the full exercise, solve a fresh scramble using the checkpoints above.
Starting grip. Yellow up · blue at the front · red on the right. Follow any written instructions for rotating the whole cube.
0 / 11
Loading 3D cube…
Prepared position · 0 / 11 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 4×4, yellow up and blue front. Apply the setup below from left to right. This creates the example’s starting position. Keep this separate from the ongoing scramble you are solving through the course.
R2 U R U R' U' R' 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
Scramble your cube with outer and wide turns. Build the centres, pair the edges and solve the reduced cube. If you get stuck, use the checkpoint table to see which stage still needs work.
Open a 4×4 Digital Cube for practiceOpens 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
I am unsure whether to keep pairing edges or start the 3×3 solve.
Check both faces of all twelve edge groups. The pieces in each group must match on both faces before you start solving the reduced cube.
Before moving on
Check your result
Your cube at this stage
All six faces solved
Every face is one colour. Check the back and bottom as well as the faces you can see here.
Confirm these on your cube. Watching the animation alone does not complete the lesson.
Tick each item once you can do it yourself.