2x2 Beginner Method

Bottom Layer

Turn the cube so that white is on top. Next we will look along the sides of the top pieces for “matching corners” - adjacent corners that have the same color on the same side.

White layer on top of a 2x2 cube where the two left corners both show red on the front, the front corner shows blue on its right face and the right corner shows orange — In this example, there are red matching corners.

Matching Corners

If there are matching corners, turn the cube (or simply turn the top layer) so that the matching corners are on the left side. Then use this algorithm:

(R U2 R' U') (R U2 L' U) (R' U' L)

This algorithm makes the two right corners trade places, so now you should have a solved layer on top:

Solved white layer on top seen from the front, with red on the left and blue on the right — (front)

Solved white layer on top seen from the back, with orange on the left and green on the right — (back)

No Matching Corners

Sometimes there will be no matching corners.

White layer on top of a 2x2 cube where no two neighboring corners show the same color on a side: red, orange, green, and blue across the front

If there are no matching corners, simply use the above algorithm with white on top. This will give you matching corners. Do the algorithm once more as described above.

Once the entire layer is solved, turn the cube so that white is once again on the bottom, and proceed to the next step.