Skewb
A cube that turns around its corners. It doesn't have a lot of pieces so solves are pretty short.
- WCA event
- Skewb
- Positions
- 3,149,280
- God's number
- 11 moves
- Moving pieces
- 8 corners, 6 centers
Overview
The Skewb looks like a cube but every cut goes diagonally through it, so each turn moves half the puzzle around a corner. It has 8 corners and 6 square centers, and nothing else.
Four of the corners can only twist in place relative to each other, and the other four move around. That's why the Skewb has so few positions and why solves take only around 10 moves.
Turns feel strange at first because they twist the puzzle out of a cube shape. It'll feel comfortable once you play with it a bunch.
Notation
Each move turns half the puzzle a third of a turn around one corner. WCA scrambles use four moves, R, U, L and B, each around a different corner, with ' for counter-clockwise.
Tutorials use varying letters for the corners so check the notation diagram in whichever guide you follow before learning the algorithms.
Beginner Method
Solve one face and its four corners, then solve the four top corners, then the last centers.
1. First layer
Pick a color and solve its center along with the four corners around it, so the sides of the layer match each other. This is intuitive: turn corners into place one at a time, keeping the ones you've done out of the way.
2. Top corners
With the first layer on the bottom, twist and move the four top corners into place. Beginner guides use a four-move pattern called the sledgehammer, repeated from different angles.
3. Centers
Only the centers are left. They move in a cycle of three or swap in pairs, and each case has a short algorithm built from the same moves.
Sarah's Intermediate ↗
A method by Sarah Strong. Her site walks through the steps and the algorithms.
Sarah's Advanced ↗
Sarah Strong's full method. Solve one face then everything else in one move. Her site has everything you'll need.
Tips
- ★Solve the first layer with as few moves as you can. Everything after it is algorithms.
- ★Learn to see the puzzle in terms of corners, not faces. Centers follow the corners around them.
- ★Turn with your wrists rather than your fingers. Skewb moves are big.
Resources
Ready to time yourself? The timer has Skewb scrambles built in.
Open the timer