Faces and turn direction
The six face labels are R right, L left, U up, D down, F front, and B back. A plain letter is a 90° clockwise turn as viewed from directly in front of that face. A prime (′) reverses that direction. The digit 2 makes a 180° turn.
One clockwise right turn, one counterclockwise right turn, and one double right turn.
The same convention works with every face, including D and B. Never decide direction from your usual front-facing view if you are turning a different face.
Learn the notation table
| Notation | Meaning | Practical instruction |
|---|---|---|
| U | Upper face clockwise | Look down at the top face; turn 90° clockwise |
| U′ | Upper face counterclockwise | Reverse U |
| F2 | Front face double turn | Rotate the front face by 180° |
| Rw | Wide right face | Turn the outer and next inner right layers together |
| x, y, z | Whole-cube rotation | Rotate the entire cube around the right, up or front axis |
| M, E, S | Middle slices | Rotate a middle layer; conventions vary with method |
The right-hand trigger
Try each turn separately. Repeat the four-move sequence slowly and track the same corner.
The sequence is sometimes nicknamed the “sexy move” in cubing communities. Repeat it six times on a solved 3×3 and the cube returns to its starting state, provided you maintain orientation and execute accurately.
How to read algorithms well
Read from left to right with no pauses required between symbols. Keep your original front and up faces fixed unless a whole-cube rotation appears. Parentheses group repeated segments; for example, (R U R′ U′)3 means execute the group three times.
- I can distinguish R from R′.
- I know R2 does not depend on clockwise direction.
- I understand why wide moves matter on 4×4 and larger cubes.