The Yau method is the way most speedcubers solve the 4x4 today. It still turns the 4x4 into a 3x3, but it changes the order: you finish the white cross before pairing most of the edges. That way you never have to flip the cube over while pairing edges, and the final 3x3 solve starts with the cross already done.
This guide is for you if you can already solve the 4x4 with the beginner reduction method. Every move sequence here has been tested on the EasyRubic cube simulator.
What is the Yau method?
The method is named after Robert Yau, who made it popular and refined it around 2008 to 2009. According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, the original idea came from Patrick Jameson (SpeedSolving), while Feliks Zemdegs's guide on CubeSkills says Robert Yau proposed it in 2009 (CubeSkills). Both sources agree it is a variation of reduction.
The only difference is the order. The beginner method goes: centres, then edges, then 3x3. Yau slips the cross in between: two centres, three cross edges, the last four centres, the last cross edge, the other eight edges, then 3x3.
Why is Yau faster?
When you pair edges with the beginner method, unpaired edges are everywhere, including the bottom face, so you keep flipping the cube to get them out. With Yau, the bottom face is already a finished cross. The eight remaining edges sit only in the top layer and the middle layer.
Feliks Zemdegs explains that because of this, you never need x or z cube rotations while pairing edges (CubeSkills). J Perm adds that since no pieces are on the bottom, you can use 3-2-3 edge pairing, with fewer rotations and easier look-ahead (J Perm).
The trade-off is that the centre steps get a bit harder, because you have to keep three cross edges safe while you solve the last four centres.
The steps of the Yau method
- Solve two opposite centres: white and yellow.
- Pair and place three white cross edges around the white centre.
- Solve the last four centres without breaking those three edges.
- Pair and place the last cross edge.
- Pair the other eight edges 3-2-3 style, with the cross on the bottom.
- Solve it like a 3x3, fixing parity if it comes up.
How to read the pictures. Each picture shows two cubes: before and after the move sequence. Centres are always in colour; edges and corners are only coloured when they matter for the step being described, and the rest are grey. The pictures show only the top, front and right faces.
Step 1: Solve two opposite centres
Gather the four white stickers into the white centre, then the four yellow stickers into the yellow centre on the opposite face, just like step 1 of the beginner method. CubeSkills also uses white and yellow in its example.
A small tip from J Perm: while you build the first centre, keep an eye on the second one, and if it is easy, do not break any cross edges that happen to be paired already.
Step 2: Three cross edges on the left face
Hold the cube with the white centre on the left face and the yellow centre on the right. Right-handed solvers usually put the cross on the left; left-handed solvers do the opposite (according to CubeSkills). At this point the four middle centres are not solved yet, so you can freely turn the second inner slice on the right (2R) and the outer layers, as long as you do not touch the left face.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The example in the picture: red centre on top, green in front. The white-blue and white-orange edges are already at the back-left and bottom-left edges. One half of the white-green edge is in the right half of the top-front edge, and the other half is in the left half of the bottom-front edge. 2R' brings the top half down to join the bottom half, then F moves the newly paired edge into the front-left spot. You cannot see the left face in the picture, so you only see the green sticker in the left column of the front face. The right-hand picture shows all four middle centres solved to make it easier to see; you do not need to do them yet at this step.
Two things to remember:
- Get the relative order right. The three edges must sit in the right places compared with each other, following the cube's colour order. If you place them wrong, the cross will not come together later.
- Leave the top-left edge empty. The empty spot for the fourth edge should be the edge between the left face and the top face, because step 3 turns the top face a lot (SpeedSolving calls this avoiding the U layer).
Step 3: The last four centres
Now you solve the four centres around the middle: red, green, orange and blue. The only new rule: do not break the three cross edges. According to SpeedSolving, this step only needs Rw, 3Rw, 2L and U. Those moves never touch the front-left, back-left and bottom-left edges.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The familiar algorithm Rw U2 Rw' still works: it swaps the right column of the front centre with a column of the top centre, while the white centre, the yellow centre and the three cross edges stay put, as the picture shows.
Feliks Zemdegs suggests a way to hold the cube: put your thumb on the cross edge on the front face and your middle finger on the one on the back face, and do not let go until all four centres are done. Once you are comfortable, SpeedSolving suggests solving three half-centres first, so the rest only needs Rw and U.
Step 4: The last cross edge
Flip the cube so the white cross is on the bottom face and yellow is on top, and keep holding it this way for the rest of the guide. The empty spot in the cross is now one of the bottom edges. In the picture it is the bottom-right edge, where the white-orange edge belongs.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Put one white-orange half in the top half of the front-left edge and the other half in the bottom half of the front-right edge, so the two halves line up as in the picture. Turn U so the top-right edge holds two unpaired pieces (they will get split up). Do Uw' R U R' Uw to pair the edge and store it at the top-left edge, then U2 R2 drops it into the bottom-right spot. The other three cross edges and all the centres stay where they are.
Step 5: Pair 8 edges 3-2-3 style
This is the part that makes Yau fast. The cross is on the bottom, and the eight remaining edges are in the top layer and the four slots of the middle layer. The name 3-2-3 is the number of edges you pair in each round: three, then two, then the last three.
The general idea, according to J Perm: do one double-layer move to shift the top half of the middle layer, arrange the edges so each slot has two halves that match, then turn the layer back so they join up (J Perm).
The first three edges: one layer turn back, three edges paired
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
- Do Uw. The four side centres shift by one turn. Do not worry, the last move puts them back.
- Use only the outer layers to bring edges into three of the middle-layer slots. R U R' brings the edge at top-back into the front-right slot; L' U' L brings the edge at top-back into the front-left slot. Neither touches the cross or undoes the Uw shift. The goal: in each slot, the bottom half matches the top half that will slide back when you turn the layer back.
- Do Uw'. The three slots with matching halves all get paired at once.
The picture shows the moment just before Uw': the side centres are shifted, and the front-left slot holds the top half of the green-orange edge and the bottom half of the green-red edge. When the layer goes back, all three coloured edges in the picture are paired.
The next two edges: pair two edges at a time
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Five edges are still unpaired. According to CubeSkills, from here you only need the front-left and front-right slots, pairing two or three edges each time.
In the picture, the green-orange edge has its top half in the front-right slot and its other half at the top-right edge. The green-red edge has its bottom half in the front-left slot and its other half also at the top-right edge. Do Uw' R U R' Uw: shift the double layer, swap out the piece in the front-right slot using the outer layer, then turn the layer back. The green-orange edge ends up paired in the front-right slot, the green-red edge in the front-left slot, and the cross and centres stay put.
The last three edges and the final two
Keep pairing with the same idea until only two unpaired edges are left. At that point there are no unpaired pieces left to swap in, so you need a special algorithm.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Put the last two edges in the front-left and front-right slots so the two top halves belong to one edge and the two bottom halves belong to the other, as in the picture. Do Uw' R U R' F R' F' R Uw: the two slots swap one half each, and both edges are paired at once. This is the last-two-edges algorithm from the beginner 4x4 guide, and it works exactly the same with the cross on the bottom. J Perm says there are four last-two-edges cases on the 4x4, so pick up the other algorithms bit by bit once you are comfortable.
Step 6: Solve it like a 3x3
The cross is already done, so you go straight into F2L, or the first layer corners step if you follow the 3x3 guide, and then the last layer. Yau does not get rid of parity: you still get OLL parity and PLL parity as usual. The algorithms and pictures for both are in step 4 of the beginner 4x4 guide.
How to practise the Yau method
- Practise one step at a time. The hardest step at first is the three cross edges, because it is tough to find and pair the pieces quickly. J Perm puts it plainly: it takes practice to get fast.
- Slow down when pairing edges. J Perm suggests going a little slower on steps that need look-ahead, like edge pairing, so you do not get stuck.
- Use J Perm's yardstick. According to J Perm, a good 4x4 solver takes about four times their own 3x3 time. If you solve the 3x3 in 25 seconds, a sensible target for the 4x4 is about 100 seconds.
- Do not drop your old method too early. At first, Yau may be slower than the reduction method you are used to. According to CubeSkills, the limits in the centre steps become second nature after a while.
Video
Want to see it in motion? The short video below from the Leo MaGic channel on YouTube shows more of what this guide covers (in Vietnamese). The video belongs to that channel and is embedded directly from YouTube.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is the Yau method harder than the beginner method?
It does not need many extra algorithms. The hard part is the order and keeping the three cross edges safe while you solve the centres. The 3-2-3 edge pairing is actually easier, because you do not have to flip the cube.
How many algorithms does Yau need?
Almost only the ones you already know: Rw U2 Rw' for centres, the edge pairing algorithm, the last-two-edges algorithm and the two parity algorithms. The rest is intuition.
Should I put the cross on the left face?
That is the common choice for right-handed solvers, because the centre step uses Rw and U a lot. Left-handed solvers can put the cross on the right face and do everything mirrored.
Does Yau avoid parity?
No. 4x4 parity shows up with every reduction method. You fix it during the final 3x3 solve.
Can the Yau method be used on a 5x5?
The SpeedSolving Wiki says the method also works on bigger cubes. This guide only covers the 4x4.
Cover photo: Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0