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Two-look OLL ( Orientation of the Last Layer ) is a part of the CFOP ( Cross, First 2 Layers, Orientation, Permutation ) method used by most speedcubers. Two-look refers to the technique of doing this maneuver in two parts, which gives you 11 algorithms to learn, as opposed to the 57 algorithms for traditional OLL. The goal of OLL is to make sure the last face is complete. This does not mean the cube is solved, as the last layer is still scrambled. After you have done OLL, you must do PLL ( Permutation of the Last Layer ) to completely solve the cube. [1] X Research source
Steps
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Hold the cube so the unsolved face is on top. Most people start with white, so their last face will be yellow, which we will use in this how-to. If you see yellow, but your unsolved face is e.g. blue, just replace yellow with blue.
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Look at your cube and determine which scenario you have. Below are how the unsolved face looks from above, for each of the four possibilities. The yellow squares indicate that they are already the right colour, the white squares could be any other colour. The corners could also be yellow, but that doesn't matter (for now, at least). The bottom side is the side facing you.- These are the possibilities:
- The Dot
- The Hook
- The Bar
- The Cross (the ideal scenario)
- Below is the solution for each case, find the one you have and follow the instructions. If you already have a cross, proceed with the next part: solving the corners. Note that one or more corners may or may not be solved. This doesn't affect the following steps.
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Keep holding the unsolved face on top unless specifically stated otherwise.
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Getting the Cross from the Dot
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Hold the cube any way you look, as long as the unsolved face is on top.
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Apply the following algorithm: F R U R' U' F' f R U R' U' f'. This should give you a cross on top, now you're ready to go to the next part: solving the corners.
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Getting the Cross from the Hook
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Hold the cube so one "leg" of the hook is pointing right and the other pointing towards you.
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Apply the following algorithm: f R U R' U' f'. This should give you a cross on top, now you're ready to go to the next part: solving the corners.
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Getting the Cross from the Bar
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Hold the unsolved face on top.
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Look at your cube and determine which scenario you have. This is how the unsolved face looks from above. The yellow squares indicate that they are already the right colour, the white squares could be any other colour. A line on the side of a square means that yellow is not on top, but on the side. The bottom side is the side facing you.
- These are the possibilities:
- The Sune
- The Anti-Sune
- The H
- The Pi
- The Headlights
- The Chameleon
- The Bowtie
- Below is the solution for each case, find the one you have and follow the instructions
- These are the possibilities:
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Keep holding the unsolved face on top unless specifically stated otherwise.
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Solving the Corners from the Sune
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Hold the cube so the one solved piece is in the bottom left corner.
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Apply the following algorithm: R U R' U R U2 R'
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Solving the Corners from the Anti-Sune
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Hold the cube so the one solved piece is in the top left corner.
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Apply the following algorithm: R' U' R U' R' U2 R. The entire last faced should be solved now.
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Solving the Corners from the H
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Hold the cube so two yellow corners point toward you and the other two away from you.
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Apply the following algorithm: F R U R' U' R U R' U' R U R' U' F'.
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Solving the Corners from the Pi
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Hold the cube so two corners point to your left, one toward you, and one away from you.
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Apply the following algorithm: R U2 R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R.
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Solving the Corners from the Headlights
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Hold the cube so two corners point towards you.
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Apply the following algorithm: R2' D R' U2 R D' R' U2 R'
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Solving the Corners from the Chameleon
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Hold the cube so one yellow piece points away from you and the other points towards you. Both pieces must be on the left side.
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Perform the following algorithm:r U R' U' r' F R F'.
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Solving the Corners from the Bowtie
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do I solve a 4 x 4 Rubik's cube?Timothy Huynh is a Rubik’s Cube Artist & Champion based in Tampa, Florida. Timothy has been solving Rubik's Cubes professionally since 2016 and became a Guinness World Record Holder with advanced Rubik's cube-solving skills. Timothy has a follower base of over 8.6 million YouTube subscribers and 124k followers on Instagram. Internet celebrities including David Dobrik and Simu Liu have sung his praises, and Pixar has deemed his work "incredible."To solve a 4x4 Rubik's cube with the Two-Look OLL method, start by solving the centers of each face, focusing on one color at a time, ensuring they are correctly aligned. Next, pair up the edge pieces to create complete edge pairs by matching two pieces with the same colors on adjacent faces. Then, reduce the cube to a 3x3 size and treat it as such, utilizing familiar algorithms and techniques from solving the 3x3 cube. Apply the Two-Look OLL method to orient the last layer's edges by executing the first set of algorithms, simplifying orientation into two steps. Finally, complete the solve by using PLL algorithms to permute the last layer's corners into their correct positions while preserving edge orientation.
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QuestionWhat's easier, a 3x3 Rubik's Cube or a 4x4?Timothy Huynh is a Rubik’s Cube Artist & Champion based in Tampa, Florida. Timothy has been solving Rubik's Cubes professionally since 2016 and became a Guinness World Record Holder with advanced Rubik's cube-solving skills. Timothy has a follower base of over 8.6 million YouTube subscribers and 124k followers on Instagram. Internet celebrities including David Dobrik and Simu Liu have sung his praises, and Pixar has deemed his work "incredible."So a 4x4 Rubik's cube has a more complex structure. Each face comprises 16 stickers arranged in a 4x4 grid, resulting in a total of 24 edge pieces and eight corner pieces. Unlike the 3x3 cube, the 4x4 cube features movable centerpieces, making the solving process more challenging as these centers need to be correctly aligned. Additionally, the increased number of pieces introduces parity errors, where pieces appear to be in the correct position but are oriented incorrectly. Solving a 4x4 cube often requires advanced techniques and algorithms, such as edge pairing and parity algorithms, to overcome these challenges and achieve a solved state. Overall, the 4x4 Rubik's cube offers a more intricate and stimulating solving experience compared to its 3x3 counterpart.
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Tips
- While this method requires far less algorithms than the traditional OLL, it will still be a lot for most people. Just learn one or two algorithms a day, and check our article about memorising speedcubing algorithms.Thanks
- If you end up with something else than you're supposed to, try doing the algorithm in reverse to restore your cube (this won't always work, but it's worth giving a try), and slowly revise the steps and algorithms to see where it went wrong.Thanks
- After you've learnt and mastered the two look OLL, give the traditional OLL a try. Though it requires 57 algorithms, your solving time will drop to under 45 seconds.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about rubik's cubes and puzzles, check out our in-depth interview with Timothy Huynh .
References
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFOP_method
- Videos provided by Houdini
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