Winter Variation (WV): All 27 3x3 Algorithms with Pictures

What is Winter Variation?

According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, Winter Variation was put forward by Lucas Winter in 2005. The set has 27 algorithms, one for each way the four yellow corners can be twisted; counting the mirror cases (with the last pair in the left slot) there are 54 (SpeedSolving Wiki). The wiki also lists WV as a small part of VLS, a much bigger set of algorithms for the last pair.

Why 27? The four yellow edges are already oriented (see below), so only the four corners are left. The first three corners can each be twisted three ways, and the fourth corner is always decided by the other three. Three times three times three is 27.

When can you use WV?

You can only use WV when your cube looks exactly like this:

• Three F2L slots are done, and only the front right slot is left.
• The yellow edges are already oriented. The three yellow edges on the top face all have their yellow sticker facing up; the fourth yellow edge is sitting in the empty slot and will face up once the pair goes in. In other words, after inserting the pair you have a yellow cross.
• The corner and edge of the last pair are already joined into a pair and sitting on the top face.

The second condition is why WV fits best with methods that orient the edges early, such as ZZ or Petrus, as the SpeedSolving Wiki notes. With CFOP you only run into this exact situation now and then, so WV is something to add once you are comfortable with 2-look OLL, not something to pick up first.

In this guide the last pair is always placed in the same spot: the corner sits in the front right corner of the top face with its white sticker facing you, and the edge sits right behind it, in the middle of the right edge of the top face. From here, the usual insert is:

U R U' R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

SpeedCubeDB describes WV as a set that orients the corners while solving a pair of the R U' R' type, which is exactly the end of the insert above (SpeedCubeDB). If your pair is somewhere else on the top face, turn U first to bring it to this spot.

How to hold the cube and read the pictures

• Yellow on top, green in front. In the pictures, the right face is orange.
• Each picture has two cubes. The cube on the left is the case you have, and the cube on the right is what you get after the algorithm.
• Only the top face and the last pair are coloured. Everything already solved is grey so it is easier to see.
• On a real cube, the sides of the top layer are usually still out of place after the algorithm. That is what PLL is for.

A few algorithms use Lw (turning the two left layers together, in the same direction as L) and D (the bottom face). If you are new to the notation, see Rubik's Cube notation for beginners.

How to recognise the cases: look at three corners

When the last pair is on the top face, the fourth yellow corner is hiding in the empty slot and is hard to see. But you do not need to look at it: the other three corners on the top face are enough to tell which case you have. The SpeedSolving Wiki recognises WV cases the same way.

Each case below gives the direction of the yellow sticker on three corners, in the order front left, back left, back right:

• up: the yellow sticker faces up.
• front, back, left, right: the yellow sticker is on that side.

For example, "up, back, up" means the front left and back right corners have their yellow sticker facing up, while the back left corner has its yellow sticker on the back.

The cases are grouped by the OLL case you would get if you just inserted the pair the normal way as shown above. If you already know 2-look OLL, the group names will look familiar: Sune, Antisune, T, L, U, Pi, H. In each group, the shorter algorithms come first.

Group 0: the normal insert does it

OLL skip

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, up, right.

U R U' R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

This is the lucky case: the normal insert also makes the whole top face yellow. Get to know it so you can spot it and do nothing extra.

Sune group

The normal insert would give you a Sune. Look back at Sune and Antisune if you need to.

Sune 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, back, back.

U2 R U2 R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Only four moves, so this is the first case to pick up.

Sune 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, up, back.

U2 R2 D R' U2 R D' R2

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Sune 3

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, back, back.

U R U' R2 U2 R U R' U R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Sune 4

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, back, right.

U R U' R' U' R U R' U R U2 R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Antisune group

The normal insert would give you an Antisune.

Antisune 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, up, up.

U R U R' U' R U' R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Antisune 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, left, up.

U2 R' U' R2 U' R2 U2 R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Antisune 3

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, left, right.

U R U' R2 U' R U' R' U2 R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Antisune 4

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, left, up.

U R U' R' U R' U' R U' R' U2 R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

T group

The normal insert would give you the T case (two corners next to each other have yellow facing up, and the other two face out to the sides).

T 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, up, back.

L' U R U' R' L

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

It is just the normal insert wrapped between L' and L. Very easy to remember.

T 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, back, up.

U R2 D R' U' R D' R2

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

T 3

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, up, right.

Lw' U2 Lw F2 U L' U L

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

T 4

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, left, right.

R' F' R U2 R U2 R' F

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

L group

The normal insert would give you the L case, also called the bowtie (two corners diagonally opposite each other have yellow facing up).

L 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, up, up.

U L' U2 R U R' U2 L

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Easy to mix up with the OLL skip case: here all three corners face up, while in the skip case the back right corner faces right.

L 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, up, back.

R' F R U R U' R' F'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

L 3

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, back, right.

U R U R D R' U2 R D' R2

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

L 4

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, left, right.

U2 R U' R' U R U' R' U R U2 R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

U group

The normal insert would give you the U case, also called headlights (two corners next to each other have yellow facing up, and the other two both face the same way).

U 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, up, right.

U2 R U2 R2 U' R U' R' U2 R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

U 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, back, right.

U R' D' R U R' D R2 U2 R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

U 3

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): up, left, back.

R' F2 R2 U' R' U' R U R' F2

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

U 4

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, up, up.

R U' R' U2 R U' R' U2 R U R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

This algorithm only uses R and U, so it is very easy to turn fast.

Pi group

The normal insert would give you the Pi case (no corner faces up; two yellow stickers are on the same side, and the other two are on the two sides next to it).

Pi 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, back, up.

U2 F' R U2 R' U2 R' F R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Pi 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, left, up.

U R U R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Pi 3

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, left, back.

U2 R U2 R2 U2 R U R' U R

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Pi 4

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, back, back.

R2 U R' U R' U' R U R U2 R2

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

H group

The normal insert would give you the H case (no corner faces up; the yellow stickers are on two opposite sides, mirrored).

H 1

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): left, back, up.

U2 R U' R' U R U2 R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

H 2

Yellow stickers on the three corners (front left, back left, back right): front, left, back.

U R U R' U' R U R' U' R U' R'

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

In what order should you pick up WV?

1. Get the basics solid first. WV is only worth it once your 2-look OLL and F2L are smooth.
2. Start with the short ones and the ones that look like the normal insert: Sune 1, T 1, Antisune 1, H 1, U 4. They are short, close to the normal insert, or use only R and U, so they stick very quickly.
3. A few cases a day. Set up each case by doing the algorithm backwards, then solve it again and again until your hands remember it on their own.
4. Practise recognition on its own. Look at the three corners and say the group and number out loud before you turn. Slow recognition will eat up all the time you saved.

If you use CFOP, do not twist your F2L around just to always get a WV case. Use it when it shows up; when it does not, insert the pair normally and do OLL as usual.

Video

Want to see it in motion? The short video below from The Cubing Connoisseur channel on YouTube shows more of what this post covers. The video belongs to that channel and is embedded straight from YouTube.