You can identify corners and choose a white reference corner.
Keep one front face fixed. White will stay down in the solving lessons.
1. Letters name faces from your grip
R is right, L left, U up, D down, F front, and B back. A letter refers to a position, not a color. During a sequence, hold the same front toward you.
On a 2×2, each face turn moves one layer of four corners. The far layer stays still relative to your grip.
2. Suffixes tell you how far and which way
A plain letter means 90° clockwise, viewed directly at that face. An apostrophe means 90° counterclockwise. A 2 means 180° in either direction.
| Move | Meaning |
|---|---|
R |
Right clockwise, looking from the right |
U' |
Top counterclockwise, looking down at the top |
D' |
Bottom counterclockwise, looking from underneath |
R2 |
Right face halfway around |
3. Learn the insertion routine
R U R' U'
Perform the four moves in order and finish the final U′. This small routine is called a trigger. You will use it only after putting a target corner directly above its home.
For now, repeat it six times. Six repetitions return the cube to its exact starting state, whether solved or scrambled. This is a useful check of your turns; it is not a general solution.
4. Keep turns separate from regripping
Turning U moves only the top layer. Rotating the whole cube changes what you call front, right, and back. Later, yellow-corner twisting requires U turns between corners with no whole-cube rotation. Practice noticing that distinction now.
Watch, then try
Work through an example
Use one move at a time first. This prepared case teaches a specific action; use the lesson’s setup instructions to recognize when it applies to your own scramble.
Watch one worked example
Repeat the four-move trigger six times on this scrambled cube. At the end, every piece returns to the same starting position; solving begins with the white layer next.
Example grip: yellow up · blue front · red right at the start. Follow any written whole-cube rotations.
0 / 24
Loading 3D cube…
Prepared position · 0 / 24 moves
Use Next move to follow the sequence.
Drag to inspect other faces. Arrow keys rotate the view when the cube is focused.
Copy this exact example on your own cube
Start with a solved 2×2, 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.
R U R' F2 D L2 B U2Then follow the lesson sequence. If your cube’s color scheme differs, match the piece relationships using your own colors.
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
Try R then R′, U then U′, and U2 twice. Then repeat R U R′ U′ six times from any starting state and check that it returns.
Open a 2×2 Digital Cube for practiceOpens in a new tab so you can keep this lesson beside your practice. Check the lesson goal yourself; the Digital Cube does not grade it.
If you get stuck
The drill does not return to the starting state.
Count six complete four-move repetitions, check the apostrophes, and keep the same front face throughout.
Before moving on
Check your result
Preparation · no solving yet
Return to the same scramble
Six complete triggers restore the scramble you started with. Begin solving the white layer in the next lesson.
Confirm these on your cube. Watching the animation alone does not complete the lesson.
Check every item when you can do it yourself.