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Rubik Beginner
🎯 Step 4

The middle layer

🎯 Goal of this step

Keep white on the bottom and yellow on top, and insert the four middle-layer edges (the edges without yellow). Then the first two layers are complete — speedcubers call this F2L (First Two Layers).

💡 The idea — why it works

Which edges belong in the middle layer? Those without yellow (edges with yellow belong to the top layer).

How does the algorithm work? It has two halves:

  1. URU'R' — move the edge out of the way, then lift the white corner and pair it with the edge (corner + edge joined into a block)
  2. U'F'UF — insert the pair together, just like inserting a corner in step 3 but with the edge attached

“Pair and insert” is the heart of F2L, the method speedcubers use. Understand this and the next steps come easily.

Goes right
URU'R'U'F'UF
Goes left
U'L'ULUFU'F'

How to do it

  1. Find a top-layer edge without yellow
  2. Turn U until its front colour matches the front centre (an upside-down T)
  3. Look at its top colour: matches the right centre → right-hand algorithm; matches the left centre → left-hand algorithm
  4. If every top edge has yellow but the middle layer isn’t finished, an edge is stuck in the wrong slot → hold that slot at front-right and do the right-hand algorithm to kick it out
⚠️ Common mistakes
  • Trying to insert an edge that has yellow → yellow edges belong to the top layer
  • Using the wrong hand → check the edge’s top colour to see whether it goes right or left
  • Mixing up U and U’ → the right-hand algorithm starts with U (edge moves left), the left-hand one with U’ (edge moves right)
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