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2x2

All corners. Easy, but not as easy as it looks.

Easy
WCA event
2x2x2 Cube
Positions
3,674,160
God's number
11 moves
Popular method
Ortega, then CLL

Overview

A 2x2 is just the corners of a 3x3. With no centers to guide you, any face can go first, just pick a color and build that face, making sure the side colors of each corner match their neighbor.

If you can solve a 3x3, you already know a 2x2 method. Just solve the first layer corners, then use the 3x3 corner algorithms for the last layer.

Solves are short, so planning matters more than turning speed. Good solvers plan their whole first layer, and sometimes more, during inspection.

Notation

Same notation as the 3x3. Because the cube has only two layers, you can solve it with just R, U and F turns plus whole cube rotations.

RRight layer clockwise
UTop layer clockwise
FFront layer clockwise
R'Right layer counter-clockwise
U2Top layer twice
xTurn the whole cube like R
yTurn the whole cube like U

Layer by layer

Beginner

The 3x3 beginner method without the edges. Three steps and three algorithms.

  1. 1. First layer

    Pick a color (white is common) and solve those four corners on the bottom, so each side of the layer shows a single color.

    Find a white corner in the top layer, put it above its spot at the front right, and repeat R U R' U' until it drops in. Repeat for each corner.

    First layer, side colors matching

    Insert corner

    R U R' U'

    Repeat until the corner is solved

  2. 2. Orient the top

    Turn the cube over so the solved layer is on the bottom. Hold a yellow corner (yellow on top) in the front left, and do the Sune. Repeat until the top is all yellow.

    If no corner has yellow on top, hold the cube so the front left corner's yellow sticker faces left. If two corners have yellow on top, hold it so the front left corner's yellow sticker faces you. Do the Sune and look again.

    Top face all yellow

    Sune

    R U R' U R U2 R'

  3. 3. Swap the last corners

    Look for headlights (two matching colors on the same side of the top layer). Hold them on the left and do the T perm. If there are none, do it once from anywhere, then find the headlights.

    T perm

    R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'

Ortega

Intermediate

Solve a face (not a layer), orient the top with one algorithm, then fix both layers at once. 12 algorithms total, and most people get to around 5 seconds.

  1. 1. Bottom face

    Make one face a single color, ignoring whether the side colors match. This is much faster than a full layer and is easy to plan in inspection.

  2. 2. Orient the top

    Turn the cube over and use one of the seven OLL algorithms below to make the top a single color.

  3. 3. Permute both layers

    Look at both layers. Each is either solved, has headlights (adjacent swap) or has no headlights (diagonal swap). One of the six PBL algorithms below fixes both at once. Turn U and D first to line up the headlights.

CLL and EG

Advanced

Build the first layer completely, then solve the whole top in one algorithm with CLL (42 algorithms). EG goes further by solving the top no matter how the first layer is permuted (128 algorithms). This is how the fastest solvers average under 2 seconds.

  1. Learn CLL by OLL case

    Each Ortega OLL case splits into six CLL cases depending on how the corners are permuted. Learn one OLL group at a time, starting with Sune and Antisune.

Algorithms

Ortega OLL

7

Make the top a single color. Gray stickers are any color but yellow.

Sune

R U R' U R U2 R'

Antisune

R U2 R' U' R U' R'

H

R2 U2 R U2 R2

Pi

R U2 R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R

Headlights

R2 D' R U2 R' D R U2 R

Chameleon

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

Bowtie

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

PBL

6

Permute both layers. Line up any headlights with U and D turns first.

Adjacent top

R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F'

T perm. Headlights on the left

Diagonal top

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

Y perm

Double adjacent

R2 U' B2 U2 R2 U' R2

Headlights in the front on both layers

Double diagonal

R2 F2 R2

Adjacent top, diagonal bottom

R U' R F2 R' U R'

Headlights in the front

Diagonal top, adjacent bottom

L D' L F2 L' D L'

Bottom headlights in the front

Tips

  • ★Inspect your whole first face, and try to predict which OLL case you'll get.
  • ★Don't rotate the cube during a solve if you can help it. Most 2x2 algorithms are R, U and F only for this reason.

Resources

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