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7x7

The biggest WCA cube. Patience, young grasshopper. This thing can take a long time.

Expert
WCA event
7x7x7 Cube
Positions
2 × 10¹⁶⁰
Method
Reduction
Parity
Edge pairing only

Overview

The 7x7 has fixed centers like the 5x5, so there's never PLL parity (phew). Each center is a 5x5 block and each edge has five pieces: a middle one and two pairs either side.

Solve by reduction, the same as every big cube. Centers are the biggest job so build them from bars of three or five pieces at a time.

Like the 5x5, parity only shows up when pairing the last edges, and the fix depends on which pair of pieces is swapped.

Notation

A number in front says which layer, e.g., 2R is the second layer from the right, 3R the third, etc.,. With w it means that many layers together.

RRight face clockwise (as if you were looking at it)
R'Right face counter-clockwise. A ' always means the reverse turn
R2Right face twice. Direction doesn't matter
RwRight two layers together. Also written r
2ROnly the second layer from the right
UwTop two layers together. Also written u
xTurn the whole cube like R
3RwRight three layers together. Also written 3r
3ROnly the third layer from the right

Reduction

Beginner

Turn the 7x7 into a big 3x3: solve the centers, pair up the edges, then solve it like a 3x3. The 3x3 part uses only outer turns.

  1. 1. Centers

    Each center is a 5x5 block. Solve two opposite centers first (white, then yellow), then the four side centers one at a time.

    Build a bar of center pieces, then move it next to the finished part with a wide turn, put the bar in, and undo the wide turn. Use Rw and Uw moves so you don't break centers you've already done.

    Tip: Get the last two centers right before moving on. it's easy to finish with two centers swapped.

    All six centers solved

  2. 2. Edges

    Each edge is 5 pieces that need to line up. Find pieces that belong together and bring them to the front left and front right edges, lined up so one slice turn would join them. The algorithm pairs both edges without breaking the centers.

    Pair each edge outwards from its middle piece so first the pieces next to the middle, then the outer pieces.

    If the last edge has one pair of pieces swapped, use the parity algorithm for that pair, i.e., 3R for the pieces next to the middle, 2R for the outer ones.

    Centers solved, every edge paired

    Pair two edges

    Dw R F' U R' F Dw'

    Pairs the front left and front right edges without breaking the centers

  3. 3. Solve it like a 3x3

    This is the fun part. Using only outer turns (R, U, F, etc.,) you can basically solve the cube like it's a regular 3x3 using whatever method you already know. Treat each center block as one center and each paired edge as one edge.

    Odd cubes have fixed centers like a 3x3, so the only parity happens while pairing the last edge.

Algorithms

Last edge parity

2

Swaps one pair of pieces in the front top edge. The rest of the cube stays as is.

Outer pieces

2R2 B2 U2 2L U2 2R' U2 2R U2 F2 2R F2 2L' B2 2R2

Pieces next to the middle

3R2 B2 U2 3L U2 3R' U2 3R U2 F2 3R F2 3L' B2 3R2

Tips

  • ★Most of your time goes into centers and edges. Practice those on their own until you can do them without stopping to look.
  • ★Look for the next piece while you're placing the current one. On a 7x7 there's always something to look for.
  • ★Use the same 3x3 method you already know for the last step, or use steps from the beginner method if you're uncomfortable with turning the big cube sides.

Resources

Ready to time yourself? The timer has 7x7 scrambles built in.

Open the timer