How to solve a 2x2 Rubik's Cube Introduction

How to solve a 2x2 Rubik's Cube

Introduction

The 2x2 Rubik's cube, or in its official name- the Pocket Cube, is another puzzle within the Rubik's cube series, fancied by Erno Rubik. 

it's thought-about the "easy" version of the Rubik's cube. you'll establish that resolution the 2x2 cube is far easier than resolution the classic 3x3 cube. If you already shrewdness to unravel the 3x3 Rubik's cube..

If you'll be able to already solve the classic Rubik's cube, then lucky you- you already shrewdness to unravel a 2x2 Rubik's cube! Here may be a nice perspective of the puzzle: the 2x2 Rubik's cube is really a daily 3x3 cube, while not the sides and therefore the center items. 

Thus essentially resolution the 2x2 Rubik's  cube are clone of resolution solely the corners of the 3x3. 

You'll be shocked that a number of the algorithms you'll need to grasp are identical to those you'll have so as to unravel the 2x2 Rubik's cube, and you already apprehend all of them if you're acquainted with the speedsolving methodology.

Before beginning the answer guide, confirm you recognize the  Rubik's cube move notations. 

For 2x2, the notations area unit precisely the same (same faces, same letters, same Rubik's  cube rotations, simply while not the "middle layer moves" – as there are not such within the 2x2 cube)

The 2x2 Rubik's Cube answer

Step 1: 

Resolution the primary layer

This step is clone of step a pair of of the 3X3 Rubik's cube answer. opt for a color to start out with (Most widespread color to start out with is white or yellow – during this guide I chose yellow).

Opt for a corner that has this color (yellow in our case), and convey the opposite three corner items thereto. confirm that you simply solve the corner items properly in regard to one another (also the facet colours of the corner items ought to work one another, not solely the yellow. 

There area unit three totally different cases to unravel a corner piece to its correct position while not harming the opposite corners:

Step 2: homing the last layer items

Flip the cube the wrong way up (the solved layer ought to get on very cheap now). during this step the goal is to orient the last layer items.

The result ought to be that the other color to the colour we tend to started with are completed (In our case: the other color to yellow is white).

Note that not like the primary step, here the permutation of the corners does not matter, that means that they do not have to be compelled to be properly solved in regard to one another (side stickers do not have to fit).

There area unit seven doable cases of last layer orientations (not as well as the already destined case):
(The grey color suggests that the sticker isn't the higher face color.

The bars to the perimeters show wherever the higher face color is. In our case it's white, not yellow. It does not matter in fact.)

It is best to find out all the seven algorithms. However, it's doable to fully solve this step victimization only one rule – the primary rule. 

The concept is to execute this rule from totally different angles till its appropriate case shows up, then execute it a new time and solve the step. it's doable to unravel all doable cases inside three executions, or a pair of if you utilize conjointly its mirror rule (case #2).

The first rule orients three corners counter-clockwise and leaves the fourth corner intact (its mirror rule, case #2, will an equivalent, however clockwise).

Before death penalty, try and suppose from that angle death penalty this rule can leave one|just one|only one} destined corner (can be done inside 1 execution from all cases), than simply apply the appropriate rule (case #1 or #2). you'll be able to execute rule #1 double rather than the victimization #2 rule once it's required (in a case a dextrorotation required (case#2).

Doing counter-clockwise double for the corners are a bit like doing a dextral orientation, which is able to solve them.)

Note that six of those seven algorithms area unit precisely the same algorithms getting used within the speedsolving methodology of the Rubik's cube. 

You'll be able to see it's an equivalent seven doable cases once all the sides of the 3x3 area unit oriented: OLL algorithms page. However, since there aren't any edges to preserve, we will use shorter algorithms from different cases of the standard OLL of the 3x3 Rubik's cube, as long as they rotate the corners as we tend to need:

For the first case best rule is that the anti-Sune (OLL rule #26)

For the second case best rule is that the Sune (OLL rule #27)

The third case is special: a shorter rule are often applied, that will exist within the 3x3 OLL, but OLL rule #21 is extremely nice)

For the fourth case best rule is that the best L (OLL rule #48)

For the fifth case best rule is that the 1st T (OLL rule #45)

For the sixth case best rule is that the second T (OLL rule #33)

For the seventh case best rule is that the 1st Fish (OLL rule #37)

Step three (and last): Permuting the last layer items

In this step the goal is to reverse the last layer items in order that they are conjointly properly solved in regard to one another, and not solely properly destined.

This step is extremely just like step five of the 3x3 answer (beginner's method) (-also an equivalent rule are often applied, it's simply that the one I show here permutes the corners dextral and not counter-clockwise).

The thanks to solve this methodology is by trying to find a pair of corners that area unit properly permuted in regard to one another (can be simply recognized by the very fact that a pair of properly solved corners in regard to one another has the same color on their mutual face. 

Search for an equivalent colour in a pair of adjacent corners).

If you do not have a pair of corners that area unit properly permuted, simply execute the subsequent rule below from any angle that you simply wish. afterward execution, a pair of properly permuted corners can show up.

The effect of this move is that the front-left corner will become "solved" now, and the 3 other corners will require a clockwise rotation between them. This is exactly what the next algorithm does.

Execute the following algorithm: (This is the Aa-perm algorithm. l' replaced for L' because no middle layer)

That’s it! You have just solved the 2 by 2 Rubik's cube! Congratulations! Keep practicing on solving the first layer and learn the algorithms by heart, so you could solve the 2x2 cube without needing them written around you (They are also useful for 3x3 speedcubing!). If you didn't solve the 3x3 Rubik's cube yet, it's just about the time to start, you already have much of the basics! Congratulations!