FAQ - The most common questions about the Rubik's Cube

small cubeThe Rubik’s Cube can be quite confusing for a number of different reasons, whether you’ve just picked one up for the first time, are learning to solve it or are learning more advanced puzzles and techniques. This article will go over some of the most common questions that people have regarding the Rubik’s Cube series of puzzles for both puzzlers and speedsolvers.

Terminology

There is a lot of different terminology used in both the speedsolving community and the general puzzle community. Some of this terminology is intuitive, i.e you don’t have to search the definition as the name describes the action, for example a scramble. However, as you begin to delve deeper into the world of the cube, more and more confusing terms start to pop up that aren’t immediately obvious. All of this terminology, both basic and advanced, is covered here.

Q: I’m completely new to the Rubik’s Cube and want to get started. Which cube should I buy?

A: If you’re interested in learning to speedsolve the cube, maybe getting an entry-level speedcube such as the DaYan Zhanchi would be a good place to start (don’t be tempted to buy a speedcube such as MoYu or Yuxin straight away, as these are fine-tuned puzzles that all have different benefits and downfalls which need to be researched). Starting with a lower-tier speedcube as the Zhanchi will mean that, if you can get decent times on it, by the time you upgrade you will see a massive difference in your times. However, if you’re not interested in speedsolving the cube, a simple Rubik’s Branded Cube or any cheap one you can find online will suffice. We've made a list with the best speed cubes to help you choose one.

Q: Where do I turn to learn how to solve the cube?

A: For beginners, a good place to learn the cube is the Beginners Method page on Ruwix. There is also an Advanced Method there for when you’re proficient with the former. There are many other solution methods but the above mentioned are the most popular. Make sure you first learn the Rubik's Cube notation to understand what the letters in the algorithms mean.

Q: I’ve learnt the Rubik’s Cube now, where do I go from here?

A: If you’re going for speed, you might want to spend a lot of time perfecting your 3x3 skills or even learning a more advanced method/algorithms. Practice makes perfect. If you’re happy with your speed for now, or want something else to do whilst you improve your times, you might want to branch out to the 4x4 and higher, or on to different speed-solvable puzzles such as the Megaminx, the Skewb or any other WCA puzzle. If you’re not bothered about speed, you can again branch into bigger puzzles such as the 4x4 and 5x5. Once you know how to solve a 4x4 and a 5x5, you can solve any NxN puzzle as they are mainly intuitive and use the same steps, just on a bigger scale. But after that, it’s up to you. You can move on to cuboid puzzles, try to speedsolve some of the puzzles, or just keep your knowledge of the original cube’s solution as a party trick.

Q: I’ve been solving X cube for Y months and I’m averaging Z seconds, is this good?

A: The ability to solve the cube, improve your times and learn new algorithms is something that varies completely from person to person. There are some people who take months to get times below a minute whilst others can be under 20 seconds in the same time. If you simply practice as much as you can and try to learn some more algorithms, you’ll notice yourself improve pretty quickly. Eventually, you might begin to hit “walls” where you feel like you can’t improve past a certain point (such as the 30 or 20 second barriers), but practice will help that. It can take years to get times that you’re happy with, but if you really work at it you can achieve them. There are very few people who physically can’t improve past a certain point. Keep solving, and keep learning!

Q: Where can I buy new puzzles to try out?

A: A list of the best online stores currently to purchase different types of puzzles and accessories can be found on our website on the link below, which offer many different brands of many different types of puzzles, lubricants, timers, mats, even blindfolds. We have reviewed and rated the biggest and best puzzle webshops for you to make an easier decision.

online puzzle stores

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