How to remember Rubik's Cube algorithms has nothing to do with having a good or bad memory. Fast solvers don't memorise every single letter R, U, F. They split an algorithm into a few familiar chunks, understand what it does to the cube, and practise until their hands do it on their own. This post puts those six tips together, with a daily review plan and the order to go in, so you can remember Rubik's Cube algorithms without rote memorising.
Find your case fast
Look at your cube from above and tap the picture that matches it to see how to solve it. Grey cells are stickers you can ignore.
Every move sequence in this post was tested on the EasyRubic Rubik's Cube simulator. If the notation is new to you, read Rubik's Cube notation for beginners first.
Why are Rubik's Cube algorithms hard to remember?
An algorithm like the T-perm has 14 moves. If it looks like a random string of letters, 14 symbols is too many to hold in your head at once. But very few algorithms are really random: they are built from a few short chunks that repeat.
Another reason is not using what you memorised. An algorithm you pick up once and then leave for a week is usually gone completely. These two problems have two fixes: break it into small pieces, and review at the right time.
Tip 1: split the algorithm into chunks of moves (triggers)
The SpeedSolving Wiki calls these short, fast, easy chunks triggers. According to the wiki, most triggers are 4 moves long, and a trigger usually doesn't solve anything by itself; it is a building block for making algorithms (SpeedSolving Wiki). The wiki also suggests writing triggers in brackets when you copy down an algorithm, because that makes it easier to remember and to do.
Two triggers to get down first:
R U R' U'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
This is the sexy move, the most famous trigger. How to read the pictures in this post: the cube on the left is the state you have now, the cube on the right is after the move sequence. The pieces that matter are in colour, the rest are grey.
R' F R F'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
This is the sledgehammer. You can find more about both of these in the post Sexy move Rubik.
Example: the yellow cross algorithm
The yellow cross algorithm in our guide is the sexy move sandwiched between F and F':
F R U R' U' F'
- You start with (input)First two layers all correct
- Result you will get after finishing this stepYellow cross on top
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Written in chunks: F (R U R' U') F'. Once you know the sexy move, all you need to remember is "F, sexy, F prime". SpeedCubeShop uses exactly this example to show how to find familiar chunks inside a long algorithm (SpeedCubeShop).
Example: the T-perm, 14 moves become 4 chunks
R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Split it up like this:
- (R U R' U'): the sexy move.
- (R' F R2): starts like the sledgehammer.
- (U' R' U'): a short bit.
- (R U R' F'): the ending.
Four chunks are much easier to remember than 14 separate letters. The picture above holds the yellow face on top; only the top layer is in colour because the bottom two layers are already done.
Example: inserting a middle layer edge in the beginner method
U R U' R' U' F' U F
- You start with (input)Yellow cross on top
- Result you will get after finishing this stepWhole yellow face on top
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The first half (U R U' R') is the sexy move done in reverse. The second half (U' F' U F) is the same kind of thing but on the front face. Both halves have the same rhythm, so if you remember one half you can work out the other.
Four moves.
One at a time.
Tap each symbol and follow one piece. This is an exercise in watching the movement.
Tip 2: understand what the algorithm does to the cube
SpeedCubeShop suggests finding out why an algorithm works: if you know which pieces it moves, you can still work out a move you forgot (SpeedCubeShop).
The simplest way: do the algorithm very slowly and follow one piece with your eyes. For example, we counted the sexy move on the simulator: it moves only 7 pieces, and on the bottom layer exactly one corner gets moved. Once you know that, you can see why it is handy for lifting a corner out and putting it back without breaking what you have already solved.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
One more thing to look for: in many algorithms that use only the R and U faces, the R moves take turns, R then R'. Sune is an example:
R U R' U R U2 R'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The four R moves go in the order R, R', R, R'. You only have to remember the U moves in between: U, U, U2.
Tip 3: pick up algorithms in pairs that undo each other
Many algorithms have an "inverse": do the moves from last to first, turning each move the other way. Sune and Antisune are a pair like that:
R U2 R' U' R U' R'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
This is Antisune. Read Sune from right to left and turn each move the other way, and you get exactly Antisune; the simulator confirms the two sequences cancel each other out. Memorise one, get two. See all the variations in the post Sune and Antisune.
SpeedCubeShop also suggests doing algorithms backwards so your hands remember them more firmly (SpeedCubeShop).
Tip 4: train your hands to remember (muscle memory)
According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, once you have practised enough, each trigger becomes a single thought; your hands do all four moves by muscle memory (SpeedSolving Wiki). Your goal is to get the whole algorithm to that point.
The way SpeedCubeShop recommends practising: do one algorithm 10 to 20 times in a row, without stopping (SpeedCubeShop). We suggest three small steps on top of that:
- Read and do. Look at the algorithm and do each chunk slowly.
- Do it without looking. Cover the algorithm and do it. If you get it wrong, go back to step 1.
- Do it from the picture. Scramble the cube into the right case, look at the cube, then do it. This is when you are really using the algorithm the way you would in a solve.
For triggers there is a really handy self-check: do the sexy move 6 times on a solved cube, and the cube should come back to how it was. If it doesn't, you pressed one move wrong.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The picture above is three sexy moves in a row: after three, only 4 corners are still out of place. Do three more and it comes back to how it was.
Tip 5: review spaced out instead of cramming
In psychology, the spacing effect means that memory lasts longer when practice is split into several sessions spread apart than when it is all crammed into one go. According to Wikipedia, Hermann Ebbinghaus described this effect back in 1885, and a 2006 review by Cepeda and colleagues found that spaced practice gave better results than cramming in 259 of the 271 cases compared (Wikipedia).
That research is mostly about remembering words and facts, not about solving Rubik's Cubes. But it fits memorising algorithms very naturally:
- Pick up a new algorithm today.
- Review it tomorrow, then a few days later, then next week.
- Any algorithm you get wrong goes back to an earlier review; algorithms you know well get reviewed less and less often.
SpeedCubeShop also suggests flashcards: the front has a picture of the case, the back has the algorithm; shuffle the cards and test yourself (SpeedCubeShop).
Tip 6: go in the right order, a few at a time
SpeedCubeShop recommends getting the beginner layer-by-layer method down first, before moving on to advanced algorithms, and taking one algorithm at a time until you know it well (SpeedCubeShop). A sensible order on EasyRubic:
- The beginner method. The seven steps of the 3x3 guide, which use very few algorithms.
- 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL. Split the last layer into four small steps with a set of short algorithms: 2-look OLL, 2-look PLL.
- Full PLL. The 21 PLL algorithms; you already know a few of them from step 2.
- Full OLL. The 57 OLL algorithms, a bit at a time, starting with the cases you see most.
Each new set reuses the triggers from the set before. That is why going in the right order is faster: the further you go, the shorter the "new" part of each algorithm gets.
- You start with (input)Yellow corners in place
- Result you will get after finishing this stepCube solved
A 15-minute daily review plan
SpeedCubeShop suggests practising 10 to 15 minutes a day, split into three 5-minute blocks (SpeedCubeShop). A plan based on that idea:
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | Review the algorithms you often get wrong (flashcards or from the picture) |
| 5 minutes | Full solves, timed |
| 5 minutes | Pick up one new algorithm |
Time yourself with the EasyRubic 3x3 timer. When a full solve gives you the case you just picked up, stop and do it a few times: that is when your memory links the algorithm to the picture.
Common mistakes when memorising algorithms
- Too many at once. Ten algorithms in one evening and you remember very few the next day. A few you know well is better.
- Remembering the letters, not the picture. You can recite it, but looking at the cube you don't know which algorithm to use. Always practise from the picture.
- Memorising and then not using it. Algorithms that don't show up in your everyday solves fade fast.
- Mixing up R and R'. This happens most in algorithms that use only R and U. Remember the pattern of R and R' taking turns, like in Sune.
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Summary
Every algorithm in this post, with its picture.
- Sexy move: R U R' U'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Sledgehammer: R' F R F'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Yellow cross: F R U R' U' F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Inserting a middle layer edge: U R U' R' U' F' U F
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Sune: R U R' U R U2 R'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Antisune: R U2 R' U' R U' R'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- T-perm: R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Next steps
Start with two triggers: the sexy move and the sledgehammer. Once they are second nature, pick the next set in the order above and add one algorithm a day.
With the EasyRubic app, you can scan your real cube with the camera and see the solution step by step on a 3D cube. Get EasyRubic to practise on your own cube.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to remember Rubik's Cube algorithms?
Split algorithms into familiar chunks of moves like the sexy move, then do each algorithm 10 to 20 times in a row so your hands remember it. Review it again on the days after instead of cramming it all at once.
How many Rubik's Cube algorithms should I memorise a day?
A few, and know them well. Take one algorithm at a time until you can do it without looking, then move on to the next. One 10 to 15 minute session a day is enough.
Should I do OLL or PLL first?
Start with 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL so you can solve the last layer with only a few algorithms. After that, many people go for full PLL (21 algorithms) before full OLL (57 algorithms), because the PLL set is smaller.
What if I forget an algorithm halfway through?
If you understand which pieces the algorithm moves, you can usually work out the move you forgot. If not, go back to the beginner method for that step, then review the algorithm after your practice session.
Do I need to know every algorithm to solve a Rubik's Cube?
No. The beginner method uses only a few short algorithms. The big algorithm sets are only needed when you want to solve faster.