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Rubik Beginner
🔺 Step 3

First-layer corners

🎯 Goal of this step

Insert the four white corners so the bottom face is all white and every side’s bottom row is one colour = first layer done.

💡 The idea — why it works

1) Find the corner’s home. The white-green-orange corner lives below, between the green and orange centres → turn U to put the corner directly above its home, and hold it at front-right-top.

2) Repeat RUR'U': R lifts the home slot, U brings the corner over, R' closes it, U' puts things back. Each round twists the corner one step; after 1, 3 or 5 rounds it drops in the right way round.

Why doesn’t the bottom break? Six rounds of this sequence return the cube exactly to where it started. Along the way it only disturbs the front-right slot and the top layer, so the cross and the corners already inserted are safe.

Main algorithm (sexy move)
(RUR'U')×1,3or5
Works for every case. If you don’t want to learn several cases yet, this is all you need.

How to do it

  1. Find a white corner in the top layer and read its other two colours
  2. Turn U until it sits above the slot between those two centres
  3. Rotate the cube (y) so the corner is at front-right-top (white stays on the bottom)
  4. Repeat RUR'U' until the corner is in, or use a shortcut based on where white faces: right RUR' / front URU'R' / up RU2R'U' then RUR'
  5. If a white corner is stuck in the wrong bottom slot, hold it at front-right-bottom and do RUR'U' once to bring it up first
⚠️ Common mistakes
  • Holding it on the wrong side (corner at front-left) and doing R → rotate the cube so the corner is at front-right first
  • Stopping R U R’ U’ half-way → always finish the whole round (ending with U’)
  • Inserting the corner into the wrong home → check its two side colours against the two centres before you start
Mark it to save your progress