The Purple Guide to Learning Speed Cubing in 10 Days

Chapter 1: First Day

Welcome. You're here because you're curious about speed cubing, or maybe you're just wondering if you can do it at all. Either reason is good enough. Let's start with a promise: you will not be fast today. You will not be fast tomorrow. But by the end of today's session, you will feel a small, real sense of accomplishment that you didn't have before you sat down. Let's see if this hobby takes.

First things first: get a cube. If you don't have one yet, don't let that stop you from reading on. But if you can get one before you start, the whole experience will be much better. A standard 3x3 cube, sometimes called a "Rubik's cube," is what we're learning on. It has six faces: white, yellow, red, orange, blue, and green. Each face is a 3x3 grid of nine smaller squares called "stickers" or "cubies." Most cubes have a plain white face and an opposite plain yellow face.

Your task for this first 20-30 minute session is simple: just get a feel for the cube. We're not solving anything yet. We're not learning algorithms (which are just short, specific sequences of moves to achieve a set result). Today is about de-mystifying the object in your hands.

Sit somewhere comfortable. Your desk, your kitchen table, your couch all work. Hold the cube in one hand and slowly turn the top layer with the other. Feel how the plastic clicks. Now turn the right side