The sexy move is the fun nickname for the four-move sequence R U R' U': turn the right face up, the top face to the left, the right face down, and the top face to the right. It is only four moves, but it shows up in the beginner method, in OLL and in PLL. This post explains what the sexy move is, what it does to the cube, why doing it 6 times brings the cube back to where it started, and every place you will use it, each with its own picture.
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 cube simulator.
What is the sexy move?
In the cubing world, a short sequence that keeps popping up inside longer algorithms is called a trigger. The sexy move is the most famous trigger of all.
According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, the name was given by Arnaud van Galen in April 2008, in a series of beginner Rubik's Cube videos on YouTube (SpeedSolving Wiki). The name is just for fun and easy to remember; it has no deeper meaning. In Vietnam, many people simply call it "the sexy algorithm" or read it move by move: "R, U, R prime, U prime".
R U R' U'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
How to read the pictures on this page: the cube on the left is the state you have now, and the cube on the right is what you get after the moves. The pieces that matter are coloured and the rest are grey. In this picture the white face is on top and the green face is at the front.
If R, U and the prime mark (') are still new to you, see Rubik's Cube notation for beginners first.
What does the sexy move do to the cube?
The sexy move only uses two faces, R and U. Most of the cube stays still: we counted on the simulator, and one sexy move only moves 7 pieces: 4 corners and 3 edges. The whole left face, the entire bottom layer except one corner, and three of the four middle layer edges are not touched at all.
That is why it is so useful. You can lift a piece out of its spot, turn the top face, then put it back, without breaking what you have already solved. The picture in the section above colours exactly those 7 pieces.
Ruwix notes that the sexy move appears in F2L, OLL and PLL (Ruwix). The SpeedSolving Wiki says that on its own it rarely solves anything; its power comes when it sits between a few setup moves and becomes a new algorithm (SpeedSolving Wiki).
Four moves.
One at a time.
Tap each symbol and follow one piece. This is an exercise in watching the movement.
How many sexy moves bring the cube back?
Six. Start with a solved cube, do R U R' U' six times in a row, and the cube is solved again. The SpeedSolving Wiki and Ruwix both give this number, and our simulator gets exactly 6 too.
The fun part is that the pieces do not all come back at the same time:
- After 3 times, all 3 edges are back in place and the right way round. Only the 4 corners are out of place.
- After 6 times, the 4 corners are back as well.
The picture below shows three sexy moves in a row. The cube on the left is exactly the state after 3 times, starting from a solved cube: only the 4 corners are coloured. Do 3 more and you get the picture on the right.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
For comparison: just drop the two prime marks, and the sequence R U has to be repeated 105 times before the cube comes back (also checked on the simulator). The sexy move is much "tidier" because the third and fourth moves undo most of the first and second.
Practice tip: do the sexy move 6 times from a solved cube. If the cube does not come back, you turned one move wrong somewhere. It is the quickest check for your hands.
How to do the sexy move with your fingers
You do not need to change your grip during the four moves. A popular way for the right hand:
- R: flick your right wrist towards you.
- U: push the top right corner to the left with your right index finger.
- R': flick your right wrist back.
- U': push the top left corner to the right with your left index finger, or pull it back with your right index finger.
The SpeedSolving Wiki calls R U R' U' the algorithm most linked to finger tricks (turning with your fingers) (SpeedSolving Wiki). Each finger is explained in the post Rubik's Cube finger tricks.
Go slow and steady first, fast later. To check yourself: set up the cube like the picture on the left, do one sexy move, and the cube should look like the picture on the right.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The sexy move in the beginner method
If you have followed how to solve a 3x3 Rubik's Cube for beginners, you have already used the sexy move in at least three steps.
Step 3: putting the white corners in place
In step 3 of the guide, the yellow face is on top and the white cross is on the bottom. You bring a corner with a white sticker to the spot right above where it belongs (the front right corner), then repeat the sexy move until the corner drops into place with its white sticker facing down.
- You start with (input)First layer all correct
- Result you will get after finishing this stepFirst two layers all correct
How many times you repeat it depends on which way the white sticker faces. We checked each case on the simulator:
- White sticker facing right: 1 time.
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- White sticker facing up: 3 times.
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- White sticker facing the front: 5 times.
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
A corner that is already in the bottom layer but twisted the wrong way is solved the same way. Just keep repeating the sexy move; there is no need to take it out first:
- White sticker on the right face: 2 times.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- White sticker on the front face: 4 times.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Why do you never need 6 times? Because 6 times brings the cube back to where it started, so the corner goes back to its old spot too. If you count past 5 and it is still not done, you are holding the cube wrong or made a wrong turn.
The white cross and the other three white corners are not touched. The top layer and the front right middle layer edge do get mixed up, but they are not solved yet at this step, so that is fine.
Step 4: the yellow cross
The yellow cross algorithm in the guide is the sexy move 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
Read it in groups: F, then the sexy move, then F'. Once you know the sexy move, this algorithm is just "F, sexy, F prime".
Step 5: inserting the middle layer edges
The algorithm for inserting an edge to the right starts with the reverse sexy move, U R U' R', followed by the same pattern on the front face:
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 reverse sexy move is the sexy move done backwards, from the last move to the first. Ruwix notes it is also common in F2L, and doing it 6 times also brings the cube back (Ruwix).
The sexy move in OLL and PLL
When you move on to CFOP, you will meet the sexy move again in lots of last layer algorithms. From here on, hold the yellow face on top and the green face at the front. The pictures only colour the top layer, because the two layers below are already done.
One, two or three sexy moves between F and F'
The three OLL algorithms below differ only in how many sexy moves they have. The SpeedSolving Wiki calls the first one the shortest last layer algorithm (SpeedSolving Wiki).
OLL 45, once:
F R U R' U' F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
OLL 48, twice:
F R U R' U' R U R' U' F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
OLL 21, three times:
F R U R' U' R U R' U' R U R' U' F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
All three are in the post 57 OLL algorithms.
Sexy move plus sledgehammer: OLL 33
R U R' U' R' F R F'
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The first half is the sexy move and the second half is the sledgehammer (see below). Two groups of four moves; say them together and you have got it.
T-perm
The T-perm, the PLL algorithm you use most in 2-look PLL, also starts with the sexy move:
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
The case in the picture has its headlights (two corner stickers of the same colour) on the left face, the hidden one. That is exactly how you hold the cube for the T-perm: always turn U first so the headlights are on the left.
Variations: the sledgehammer and friends
The SpeedSolving Wiki says the sexy move can be done on any pair of faces (SpeedSolving Wiki). A few variations have their own names and you will see them often. We checked: every variation below also brings the cube back after 6 times.
Sledgehammer
R' F R F'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, the sledgehammer is used most for pairing a corner and an edge in F2L; it is also the last group of moves in one Y-perm algorithm (SpeedSolving Wiki). You have already seen it in the second half of OLL 33. Ruwix also confirms that doing the sledgehammer 6 times brings the cube back to its earlier state (Ruwix).
Hedgeslammer
F R' F' R
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
This is the sledgehammer done backwards. The SpeedSolving Wiki says the name was given for fun; it is handy when the F2L pair faces the left.
Reverse sexy move
U R U' R'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The sexy move done backwards. Ruwix notes that some people swap three sexy moves for three reverse sexy moves because they find it faster.
Left-hand sexy move
L' U' L U
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The mirror image of the sexy move, done with your left hand. Use it when the piece you need is in the front left corner, instead of turning the whole cube.
Summary
Each sequence comes with its own picture.
- Sexy move: R U R' U'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Reverse sexy move: U R U' R'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Left-hand sexy move: L' U' L U
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Sledgehammer: R' F R F'
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Hedgeslammer: F R' F' R
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
| Sequence | Repeats to get back to the start |
|---|---|
| Sexy move | 6 |
| Reverse sexy move | 6 |
| Left-hand sexy move | 6 |
| Sledgehammer | 6 |
| Hedgeslammer | 6 |
How to practise the sexy move
The sexy move is worth practising until your hands do it on their own, without thinking. Three simple drills:
- The 6 times drill. From a solved cube, do the sexy move 6 times in a row. The cube should come back. Once you are used to it, time all 6.
- Count to 3. Stop after the 3rd time and look: only the 4 corners are out of place, and every edge is back. If not, you made a wrong turn.
- Switch hands. Do the left-hand version 6 times so both hands get the hang of it.
When you time a full solve, use the EasyRubic 3x3 timer.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The picture above is the checkpoint for the "count to 3" drill: after 3 times, only the 4 corners are still out of place.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up R' and R. If 6 times does not bring the cube back, the most common reason is one R turned the wrong way.
- Changing your grip halfway. Keep the same grip for all four moves; switching hands slows you down and causes mistakes.
- Counting wrong in step 3. If the corner is not in after 5 times, you are holding the cube wrong. Check that the corner is right above its spot.
- Mixing up the sexy move and the reverse sexy move. R U R' U' starts with R; U R U' R' starts with U. Both move the same 7 pieces but in opposite directions, so the states they solve are different too, as the two pictures below show.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
What's next
Once the sexy move is automatic, algorithms that have it inside get much easier to remember: you only need to remember the rest. A good next step is 2-look OLL, where most of the algorithms are built around the sexy move.
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.
Video
Want to see it in motion? The short video below from the Swap Cubing channel on YouTube shows more of what this post covers. The video belongs to that channel and is embedded straight from YouTube.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the sexy move?
It is the four-move sequence R U R' U': right face up, top face left, right face down, top face right. It is the most common trigger in 3x3 Rubik's Cube algorithms.
Why is it called the sexy move?
According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, Arnaud van Galen gave it this name in 2008 in a series of beginner Rubik's Cube videos. The name is just for fun and easy to remember.
How many sexy moves bring the cube back to the start?
Six. After 3 times the edges are back; after 6 times the corners are back too.
How is the sledgehammer different from the sexy move?
The sledgehammer is R' F R F', using the right and front faces instead of the right and top faces. It also brings the cube back after 6 times, and it is often used for pairing pieces in F2L.
Do beginners need the sexy move?
Yes. The beginner method uses it for the white corners and the yellow cross, and CFOP uses it in lots of OLL and PLL algorithms.