Mastering The Rubik's Cube At Chuck E. Cheese

The Rubik's Cube, a puzzle that has intrigued and challenged people for decades, is a fun and engaging activity that tests one's problem-solving skills and patience. While it may seem daunting at first, with its colourful squares and intricate mechanisms, solving the Rubik's Cube is a rewarding endeavour that anyone can achieve with practice. This includes the Rubik's Cube from Chuck E. Cheese, which is a themed version of the classic puzzle.

Solving the Rubik's Cube involves a series of algorithms, or defined sequences of moves, that bring the cube closer to its solved state. While some methods can be complex and designed for speedcubing, there are also simpler approaches that focus on ease and understanding the underlying principles. With dedication and a good guide, anyone can master the Rubik's Cube and join the community of enthusiasts who enjoy the satisfaction of a solved puzzle.

Learn the basic cubing terminology and notation

To solve a Rubik's Cube, it is important to first understand the basic cubing terminology and notation. This will make it easier to follow algorithms and permutation techniques. Here is a breakdown of the key terms and concepts:

• Edge: An edge is where two different colours meet, and there are 12 edges in total on a standard Rubik's Cube.
• Corner: A corner is a piece located at the corner of each side of the cube. There are eight corners in total, each with three visible colours.
• Centre: The centre cubes are situated in the centre of each side and have one visible colour. Importantly, these centre cubes do not move. There are six centre cubes in total.
• Faces: A Rubik's Cube has six sides or faces. In many guides, it is assumed that the viewer is looking at the cube with the white face up.
• Regular and Inverted Turns: There are two ways to turn a layer: a regular turn, which is a clockwise turn, and an inverted turn, which is a counterclockwise turn. A notation like 'R'' indicates that you need to rotate the right side anticlockwise. This can also be written as 'R dash' or 'R prime'.
• Cubing Notation: To represent the different faces and turns, a specific notation is used. The down face (bottom of the cube) is denoted by 'D', the front face (the side facing you) is 'F', and the back face (the side facing away from you) is 'B'. For the up and down faces, a prime symbol (') or a number indicates the direction of rotation: 'U' means a clockwise turn of the top face, 'U'' or 'U2' means a counterclockwise turn. For the four side faces, 'R', 'L', 'F', and 'B' mean a 90-degree clockwise turn of the corresponding face, while adding a prime symbol or a number indicates a counterclockwise turn. For example, 'R'' or 'R2' means a 90-degree counterclockwise turn of the right face.

Understanding these basic terms and notations will provide a solid foundation for learning and applying algorithms to solve the Rubik's Cube.

Learn the algorithms

To solve a Rubik's Cube, you need to learn a few algorithms, which are a series of moves that help you move pieces on the cube without disturbing the final positions of other pieces.

• The First Layer – This layer is typically started with a white cross. You need to locate any white edge and identify the non-white part of the edge. Then, match the non-white part to its centre by trial and error. Once the piece has matched its centre, rotate the piece so that the white part matches the white centre as well. Repeat this process for the other white edges until you have a white cross.
• The Second Layer – This layer involves positioning four non-yellow edges. Locate a non-yellow edge and identify the part of the edge in front of you. Match it with the centre of the same colour by turning the top layer. Then, identify the part of the edge connected to the yellow centre and locate the corresponding centre. Depending on whether the centre is on the right or left side of the current position of the cube, use the following algorithms:
• Case 1 (edge piece is placed in front): R' U' R' U' R' U R U R
• Case 2 (edge piece is placed at the back): R U R U R U' R' U' R
• The Third Layer – This layer can be divided into three steps:
• Yellow Cross – This step aims to create a yellow cross on the upward-pointing face of the cube. The algorithm for this step is: F R U R' U' F'. Depending on the initial position of the yellow edge pieces, you may need to perform this algorithm once, twice, or not at all.
• Positioning Last Layer Edges – This step matches the edges in the last layer to their centres. Match any one edge of the top layer with its centre in the middle layer, and then repeat the following algorithm until all edges match their centres: R U R' U R U2 R'
• Last Layer Corners – To match all the corner pieces in the top layer, find a corner that is already matched and keep it towards the front-right of the cube. If none of the corner pieces are in the right place, hold the cube with the unmatched pieces on top and apply the following algorithm: U R U' L' U R' U' L
• Top Layer Corners – Keep the yellow side on top and the corner that is not aligned on the front-right corner. Use the following algorithm: R' D' R D. Repeat this algorithm until the corner is aligned, then rotate the top layer to bring the next unaligned corner to the front-right position and apply the algorithm again. Continue this process until all corners are solved.

Solve the first layer

Solving the first layer of a Rubik's Cube is the easiest step. Choose a colour to start with—in this case, let's start with the white face. Keep the white centre on top. Now, put the green centre piece in front, facing you. Find the green-white edge piece (it has two colours) and turn it to one of the positions shown below, keeping the white on top and the green in front. You can do this by turning the bottom layer only.

Now, keeping the white on top, turn the cube so that a different colour face (centre) is towards you. Repeat the above instructions. Do this with the other two faces until the white cross is complete. Be careful not to mess up the pieces that are already fixed in place.

To complete the first layer, you need to solve the corners. Keep the white cross on top and the green centre piece in front, facing you. Find the green-white-red corner (it has three colours) and place it between the green and red centres without disturbing the white cross. You can do this by turning the bottom layer only.

If the corner you are looking for is in the top layer but in the wrong position or turned the wrong way, turn the cube so that the corner is in the front right top corner. Then, move the corner to the bottom layer by following these steps:

While keeping the white cross on top, turn the cube so that a different colour face is towards you. Follow the instructions for placing the green-white-red corner piece in place without disturbing the white cross. Repeat this with the other two faces until the white layer is complete.

Solve the middle layer

To solve the middle layer of the Rubik's Cube, you will need to learn two algorithms that bring the edge piece from the yellow layer to the second layer without messing up the white face that you have already solved.

Turn the Rubik's Cube upside down so that the white centre is facing downwards. This will allow you to review the puzzle better.

The two algorithms are called the Right and Left algorithms. These bring the front-up edge to the right-front or left-front positions.

The Right algorithm is:

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

The Left algorithm is:

U' L' U L U F U' F'

If the edge piece is in the right spot but oriented wrong or it's not in the upper layer, you will need to fix it in two steps. First, take it to the top of the cube using the Right or Left algorithm.

For example, if the edge piece needs to be on the right face, use the Right algorithm twice.

Solve the final layer

Congratulations, you're almost there! In this final step, you will rearrange the pieces on the top layer to get them all in place. This will be done in two stages: putting the corner pieces in the right place, and then putting the edge pieces in the right place.

Corner pieces

If all the corners are already lined up, you can skip this stage. If two corners are already lined up, simply rotate the top layer to place the other two at the front, then apply the following algorithm once to switch them:

R' D' R D)x2 U' (R' D' R D)x4 U

If none of the corners are lined up, you'll have to apply the above algorithm twice.

Edge pieces

The following algorithm will rotate the left edge, right edge, and front edge of the top layer either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Here is the algorithm rotating the pieces clockwise:

R' D' R D)x2 U (R' D' R D)x2 U2 (R' D' R D)x2 U

To cycle the middle pieces in the other direction, do the above algorithm in reverse (rotate to the right instead of to the left). Now, repeat this until all the edge pieces are in the correct location.

Practice makes perfect

Now you know how to solve the Rubik's Cube! The next step is to keep practicing. It will probably take a bit before you can solve all the layers without having to refer back to the algorithms. Keep trying to work through as much of the solution as you can without referring back to the algorithms and only do so when you get stuck.

To improve your speed, try combining the solving of the first and second layers into one step (this is known as F2L or First Two Layers). With a bit of practice, you can do this intuitively, and it will significantly reduce your times.

Frequently asked questions