3.Centers_Goal 1: Placing Absolute Center

We used Formula A to bring your Active Color to the Top back when we were working on Corners. We will use it again for the Absolute Center, for the same purpose.

For the Corners you used the Right Column and the Bottom Row. For the Absolute Centers, you will use the Center Row and the Center Column.

DEMONSTRATION:

SETUP:

Locate the piece you want to move up, Rotate the Cube so the Center piece is currently on the Front and wants to move to the Top. (If this is not yet possible because the Color is on the opposite side from where it wants to end up, do Formula A once and then reassess.) Hold the Cube so the three colors to reposition are Top, Front, and Right.

PLACEMENT:

Do Formula A as pictured, using the Center Row and Column.

(Shortcut: Formula A can also be done to place all the Centers on your First Face (your White side), but this can only be done on your first face, because doing Formula A on anything Center other than the Absolute Center will mess up the other sides.)

2.Edges_Goal 4: Displacing / Placing Side Edges

Your White and Yellow Corners and Edges are all correct, and your White side is face down, Yellow is up.

Now we are looking at the Edges on the Sides of your Cube. This step will place them. If there are Edges on the Side of the Cube that are not correctly placed, we will temporarily displace two of the Yellow Edges, in order to reposition the incorrect side Edges up to the top-back of the Cube Where they can be placed.

Roughly half the time, when the Yellow Edge Pieces make their way back to the Top, they will be correctly placed, but the rest of the time they will be in each other's space. When this happens, it will be resolved in the next step. This step only concerns itself with the correct placement of the side edge pieces (which do not have White or Yellow).

Formula B for Edges places an Edge piece from the top-front to the front-left side.

DEMONSTRATION:

SETUP 1:

If there are any incorrect Side Edges, hold the Cube so that, with the White side still down, there is an incorrect Edge piece on the left-front edge of the Cube.

PLACEMENT 1:

Use Formula B to place a Yellow Edge into the space where the incorrect Edge is on the Left Side.

SETUP 2:

Now Rotate the Cube front-to-back so that the Edge piece you just displaced is in front where you can look at it. From this point forward, we are ignoring every other piece on the Top, specifically, we are only looking for the one Edge piece on the top that DOES NOT have Yellow on it. This is your Active Edge.

NOTE: Up until now, we have been keeping the Corners correct to each other, but we are now ignoring the Yellow Corners, and we will be moving the Top layer independent of the rest of the Cube. We are focusing primarily on the White (Bottom) Corners, and matching Edge pieces to the other colors on the Corners.

The Edge piece on the top that does not have Yellow, has two side edge colors. With that piece on the top-front side, keeping the Top Row stable, Twist the rest of the cube until the color on the front of the Active Edge piece match the front color of the bottom Corners.

PLACEMENT 2:

If the Left Color is on Top, do Formula B to place the piece.

If the Right Color is on top, do the Mirror of Formula B as follows.

RESET:

One Again, look for the one Edge piece on the top row that doesn't have Yellow on it, and that is your new Active Edge. Return to SETUP 2 of rotating the cube until the Active piece matches the front color.

Continue placing Edge pieces at needed until the Yellow Edge that was initially displaced is once again on the Top, meaning all the Yellows are back onto the top.

At this time, either the Yellow Row is correct, or there are two Edges opposite each other which are misplaced, each Edge belongs in the other's place. This will happen roughly half of the solves, and is easily undone in the next step.

Not What You Thought Would Happen?

There are really only three ways to make a mistake.

First, you might have rotated the Cube itself, instead of making a twist. This also happens when you drop the Cube mid-sequence.

Second, you may have followed the arrows incorrectly, such as making two "down"moves instead of a "down" and an "up."

Third, you might have gotten confused by looking at inactive pieces, cubies we are currently ignoring, such as an edge piece when we are working on corners, or vice versa.

However, no real worries. That is just setup for more practice. In all actuality, messing the Cube up is the hardest part of solving, and you just did it easily. I'm only half joking about this, because when one is beginning, they tend to panic over scrambling, because they value too heavily what they've done so far, underestimating how easily it can be replaced. Inversely, the more practiced one becomes, the more they see patterns as they scramble, and it is hard to move beyond that.

So, seriously, count this as just an excuse to practice again what you've done, and begin again when you are ready. Don't fight the Cube. Remember, it's a toy; if you aren't having fun, put it down, and come back after a break to rest your mind.