The beginner method (layer by layer, the one in the app’s “Beginner” Journey) solves the cube with a handful of algorithms. CFOP solves it with many more algorithms but far fewer moves. Getting from one to the other isn’t a single leap but a series of small steps: you can climb one, settle in, and carry on whenever you like.
Are you ready?
You are if:
- you solve the cube on your own, every time, including when pieces are “stuck” in the wrong place;
- you know the notation and can read a new algorithm without decoding it letter by letter;
- you no longer have to look for where white is, where yellow is, which face should be at the front: holding the cube has become automatic.
Your times don’t matter. Someone at two minutes with these three habits will move to CFOP more easily than a cuber at fifty seconds who recites algorithms without understanding them.
What CFOP changes (and what it keeps)
| Stage | Beginner method | CFOP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White cross | The same cross, which you learn to do on the bottom and to plan |
| 2 | White corners, one by one | Corners and middle edges at the same time, in pairs (F2L) |
| 3 | Middle edges, one by one | (merged with the previous stage) |
| 4 | Yellow cross, then yellow face | The whole yellow face in one algorithm (OLL, 57 cases) |
| 5 | Yellow corners placed, then edges | The whole last layer in one algorithm (PLL, 21 cases) |
In other words: you keep the cross, you learn to do two stages as one in the middle, and you replace the last four stages with two looks and two algorithms. The CFOP overview goes through each stage in detail.
The seven stages of the beginner method, by their goal: in colour, what is in place at the end of each one.
Open the “Cross” step in the appThe four stages of CFOP: the same cross, the next two layers at once, then the yellow face and the last layer in one algorithm each.
Open the “Cross” step in the appThe transition, one step at a time
Each step adds to what you already know. At every stage your solve stays complete: you never lose the ability to finish the cube.
Step 1: cross on the bottom
Do your cross without looking at it, white on the bottom from the start. At first you’ll mess it up, then you’ll save it by peeking underneath, then you won’t need to at all. It changes nothing about the rest of the solve, and it frees you up for good. See The cross.
Step 2: intuitive F2L
Instead of placing a white corner and then the edge above it, bring both pieces to the top layer, form the pair, and insert it in one go with R U R' or U R U' R' and their mirrors. At first it’s slower than your beginner method; after a few hundred solves, it’s twice as fast. No algorithms to learn at this stage: you understand, you don’t recite. See F2L.
A pair: the white corner and the edge that goes above it, slotted in together in three moves.
Open the “F2L (first two layers)” step in the appStep 3: 2-look OLL
You probably already know the yellow cross and the yellow face. “2-look OLL” formalises that: three algorithms to orient the edges, seven for the corners. If your beginner method used the Sune, you already have one. See OLL.
Step 4: 2-look PLL
Two algorithms to place the corners (T and Y), four for the edges (Ua, Ub, H, Z). From this step on, your last layer takes four algorithms at most instead of six or eight stages. See PLL.
Step 5: all 21 PLLs
One algorithm per case, starting with the most frequent ones. The six from 2-look are already among them, which leaves fifteen. This is CFOP’s first “real” list, and the one that pays off most.
Step 6: all 57 OLLs
The longest one, best taken shape family by shape family, over several months. Plenty of fast cubers only finished it long after getting under twenty seconds: there’s no rush.
Step 7: the 41 F2L cases, by name
You already solve them all intuitively. Learning them as cases lets you fix the ones you solve badly (too many moves, an unnecessary cube rotation). See F2L recognition.
How long does it take?
With one session a day, steps 1 to 4 take three to six weeks. Steps 5 to 7 stretch over several months, and that’s normal: the learning plan suggests a pace. In the app, choose “Intermediate · 2-look” in the method picker in the header for steps 1 to 4 (cross, F2L, last layer in four looks), then “Advanced · CFOP” for the rest: each method keeps its own progress, and you can go back to either one at any time.
The most common trap: wanting to jump straight to step 6 because “that’s what CFOP is”. The 57 OLLs save two or three seconds; intuitive F2L and look-ahead save twenty. Start with what pays off.