This page lives at http://www.ekrohn.com/cubing/corners-ortega.html. It is based on http://rubikscube.info/ortega.php.
See notation.html for diagrams of the different moves.Aim for 6 moves or less. Customarily this is the white center and corners.
Flip cube over. Customarily this puts the yellow center on top. Now orient the four yellow corners.
| View from the Top | Sune-only Algorithms (viewed from the Front!) | More Algorithms (viewed from the Front!) |
|---|---|---|
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Learn this pattern (called Mu, or μ) and the algorithm (called
"Sune") to solve it and
you can solve all the yellow face orientations that can occur.
The Sune leaves the corner by your left thumb unchanged;
it twists the other three corners Clockwise (CW).
The final U2 can often be skipped.
R U R' U R U2 R' [U2] | ||
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This is the Inverse Mu (or μ) pattern.
The wrong corners need a CCW twist, or two CW twists.
The final U2 can often be skipped.
Apply two Sune algorithms.
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The Anti-Sune algorithm:
L' U' L U' L' U2 L [U2] The Anti-Sune leaves the corner by your right thumb unchanged; it twists the other three corners Counter-Clockwise (CCW). | |
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This is the L (F) pattern.
(On the 2x2 cube this was called the Checker Board pattern.
We could also call it the "Diagonal" or "Backslash" pattern.)
Apply Sune once, to get (rotated) Inverse Mu pattern, then solve that pattern. |
Or learn one of these two algorithms:
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This is the Bug Eye or T pattern.
First do U' to set up, then apply Sune algorithm once to get (rotated) Inverse Mu pattern. Rotate the cube into the Inverse Mu pattern, and solve that. | The shorter Bug Eye algorithm: (R U R' U') F' U' F | |
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Pi pattern.
First do U to set up, then apply Sune algorithm once to get (rotated) Inverse Mu pattern. Rotate the cube into the Inverse Mu pattern, and solve that. |
Or learn this algorithm for the Pi pattern:
y F (R U R' U') (R U R' U') F'.
This is shorter: R U R2 F' R'2 U R', but it swaps the FBR and FBL corners, making the next step longer. | |
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U or Headlight pattern.
First do U2 to set up, then apply Sune algorithm once to get (rotated) Inverse Mu pattern. Rotate the cube into the Inverse Mu pattern, and solve that. |
Shorter algorithm for U pattern:
R' F' U' F U R
Or: y' F (R U R' U') F' | |
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H pattern.
First do U to set up, then apply Sune algorithm once, to get the Mu pattern. Apply Sune algorithm again. |
R2 U2 R' U2 R2
This may mess up the top row pairs, but they would rarely be correctly paired
at this point.
Or F (R U R' U') (R U R' U') (R U R' U') F' |
Have X's on top and bottom, want X's on all sides. Count the pairs along the top and bottom edges of sides. (For example, hold the cube with the Yellow center and corners on the U face. You need to count side-by-side pairs of same colors of Blue, Green, Red, and Orange.)
If you solved the white corners with the pairs matched, you will have either the 5-pair or, less commonly, the 4-pair pattern. If you only oriented the white corners, but did not correctly position them, you could have any of the following patterns.
| Number of pairs | Short algorithm | 5-pair only algorithm | 0 pair | R2 F2 R2 | While you can do four 5-pair algorithms to solve the side, it really is much easier to just learn the short 0-pair algorithm! |
|---|---|---|
| 1 pair |
on DL: R2 U' R2 U R2 U' R2 U R2
on DB: R U' F U2 F' U R' on UB: R' U R' B2 R U' R |
Turn the cube so the one pair is at UB: do the 5-pair algorithm to get 2
pairs. Then solve for two pairs.
Or, put the one pair on UR, do the short 0-pair algorithm to get 5 pairs, then do the 5-pair algorithm once. |
| 2 pair | pairs on B: R2 U F2 U2 R2 U R2 | Do one 5-pair algorithm. Flip the cube top to bottom, then do another 5-pair algorithm. |
| 4 pair |
pairs on D: [F2 U' R U' R' U] [F2 U R U R']
or 2 pair twice, or 1 pair twice | Four pairs on D: do one 5-pair algorithm. Rotate the cube with y', then do another 5-pair algorithm. |
| 5 pair |
The one pair on UB:
R U' R F2 R' U R F2 R2 or 2 pair twice, or 1 pair twice |
At this point, both the U and D faces will have their corners solved, and you need to solve the edges. The "keyhole" will be a slot (edge) on the U face that you want to fill. The "target" will be the edge piece that needs to be moved into the keyhole. If the U color is Yellow, position the keyhole at UL and the "target" edge piece you need to move into that slot on the H slice with its Yellow color facing your right hand. If the target edge is at RF, then L H L'. If the target edge is at RB, then L' H' L. Once you see the pattern, you'll also know how to move a target piece into a keyhole in the D face; until then, just flip the cube upside down to solve the White edges.
Be attentive! As you move the target piece into the UL edge position, you will bump out the piece in the DL edge position. You either need to rotate the D face so that an "expendible" piece is in DL, or arrange for the UL edge piece to solve the DL edge at the same time that you solve the UL edge.
You want to end up with the entire U and D faces (e.g., White and Yellow) solved, except for one final keyhole.
Position "keyhole" at UR, and target at FL with target L color matching U face.
R' H R2 H R'
Another possibility is to solve the last keyhole on the U face and the last keyhole on the D face at the same time. It requires a little more planning of your moves, but it is not difficult.
Rotate cube so the two finished sides are L and R. Only the four middle edge pieces need to be solved.
| Cycle 3 edges down: | M' U2 M U2 - Cycles BU to FU to FD. BD does not move. |
| Swap FU/BU and FD/BD: | M'2 U2 M'2 U2 |
| Swap FU/BD and FD/BU (cross corner pattern): | H2 M' H2 M' |
| Flip FU and flip BU: | [M' U M' U M' U2] [M U M U M U2] |
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If diagonally opposite, setup with F2,
then finish with another F2. |
Your cube should now be solved!