Tips to solve a Rubik’s cube faster: from 2 minutes to sub-1

Once you can solve a 3×3, the next goal is speed. Here are the changes with the biggest payoff.

1. Practice lookahead

Instead of finishing a step then hunting for the next piece, look ahead while your hands are still turning. Practice turning slowly but never stopping.

2. Cut whole-cube rotations

Every cube rotation costs time. Learn to solve all four middle edges without rotating the whole cube.

3. Learn 2-look OLL and PLL

Instead of the four last-layer steps, learn “2-look”: two passes for the yellow face and two for permutation. About 10 algorithms, but a big time saver.

4. Move toward CFOP

CFOP (Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL) is the method most speedsolvers use. The key is F2L: solving a corner and its edge together across the first two layers.

Use the “Step trainer” and the timer in the app to measure your progress every day.