The standard speedcubing method
The CFOP Method
CFOP — also called the Fridrich method after Jessica Fridrich, who popularised it — is the most widely used speedsolving method for the 3×3 Rubik’s cube. Almost every top competitor solves with CFOP. The name is an acronym for its four steps: Cross, F2L, OLL and PLL.
The idea is to solve the cube layer-group by layer-group while reducing the number of moves and pauses. You build a cross on the bottom, complete the first two layers, then finish the last layer in two looks: first orient it (OLL), then permute it (PLL). With practice the whole solve becomes a smooth, almost continuous flow.
Step 1: Cross
Solve the four edges of one face into a plus shape.
You start by building a cross on the bottom layer: four edge pieces matched to their centres so they form a plus. Good cubers plan the entire cross during inspection and solve it without looking, freeing their eyes to track the next pieces.
Step 2: F2L
Fill the First Two Layers by pairing corners with edges.
F2L (First Two Layers) finishes the bottom two layers at once. You find a corner and its matching edge, join them into a pair, and insert the pair into a slot — repeating four times. Intuitive F2L is the single biggest speed gain over a beginner layer-by-layer solve.
Learn F2L: pairing and the three insertionsPractise in the trainer
Step 3: OLL
Orient the last layer so the top face is one solid colour.
OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer) turns the whole top face a single colour in one algorithm, without caring yet where each piece ends up. Full OLL is 37 algorithms grouped by the shape the top stickers make — dots, lines, crosses, fish and more.
Step 4: PLL
Permute the last layer to slide every piece into place.
PLL (Permutation of the Last Layer) is the final step: the top is already one colour, so you cycle the corners and edges into their correct positions to finish the solve. Full PLL is 21 algorithms, each a named perm (Aa, T, Y, the G perms and so on).
Where to go next
Cross and F2L are mostly intuitive — you learn the technique and improvise the moves — while OLL and PLL are algorithmic: fixed sequences you recognise and execute. That makes the last two steps the easiest to study and drill on this site.
- Intuitive F2L — pairing, the three insertions, and look-ahead.
- OLL algorithms — all 37 orientation cases, grouped by shape.
- PLL algorithms — all 21 permutation cases, grouped by perm type.
- Move notation primer — two minutes to make every algorithm readable.
- Algorithm trainer — drill OLL and PLL recognition with spaced repetition.