Advanced Methods Overview
Once you can solve the Rubik’s Cube confidently using the Beginner Method, you might wonder: “How do people solve this in under 10 seconds?”
The answer lies in efficiency. The Beginner Method solves the cube piece by piece (Cross -> Corners -> Middle Edges -> Top Cross -> Top Edges -> Top Corners). Speedcubing methods combine steps and use more algorithms to reduce the total move count.
The Big Two
CFOP (Fridrich Method)
Used by the vast majority of top speedcubers (Feliks Zemdegs, Max Park).
- Style: Layer-by-Layer.
- Steps: Cross, F2L (First 2 Layers), OLL (Orientation), PLL (Permutation).
- Pros: Easy transition from Beginner Method, high turn-per-second potential.
- Cons: Lots of algorithms to learn (78 total for full CFOP).
Roux Method
A different approach invented by Gilles Roux.
- Style: Block Building.
- Steps: First Block, Second Block, CMLL (Corners), LSE (Last Six Edges).
- Pros: Fewer moves (efficiency), slice moves (M) are fast, intuitive.
- Cons: Harder to grasp initially, requires good lookahead.
Which should I choose?
- Choose CFOP if: You like algorithms, you want to build on what you already know, and you want abundant resources.
- Choose Roux if: You prefer intuition over memorization, you like “M” slice moves, and you want to solve efficiently with fewer turns.