First Two Layers
F2L: solve the corner and edge as a pair.
Instead of placing the corners and then the middle edges one by one, F2L brings a corner and its edge together and drops both in with a short sequence. Here are three starter cases with a cube you can step through.
Where the pair goes
With the yellow centre on top and the green centre in front, the slot at the bottom front right holds the corner DFR and the edge FR. The three cases below all fill that slot. For the other slots, mirror the algorithm or turn the whole cube with a y.
Case 1: White sticker faces the front
The white corner is at UFR with its white sticker facing the front, and its edge is at UR. The corner and edge are next to each other and joined, with white on the front.
Option 1:
U R U' R'
Option 2:
R' F R F'
Turn on JavaScript to watch this on a 3D cube. The moves are: U R U' R'
- U
- R
- U'
- R'
Turn on JavaScript to watch this on a 3D cube. The moves are: R' F R F'
- R'
- F
- R
- F'
Case 2: White sticker faces up
The white corner is at UFR with its white sticker on top, and its edge is at UR. The corner has white on top, with the edge beside it on the right.
Algorithm:
R U2 R' U' R U R'
Turn on JavaScript to watch this on a 3D cube. The moves are: R U2 R' U' R U R'
- R
- U2
- R'
- U'
- R
- U
- R'
Case 3: Corner in the slot, twisted
The white corner is at DFR with its white sticker facing the right, and its edge is at UR. The corner is already in the slot but turned, with white on the right, and the edge is above it.
Algorithm:
R U R' U' R U R'
Turn on JavaScript to watch this on a 3D cube. The moves are: R U R' U' R U R'
- R
- U
- R'
- U'
- R
- U
- R'
How to learn F2L
- Be comfortable with the seven-step method.
- Practise these three cases on the virtual cube until you can type each from memory.
- Mirror them for the front-left slot.
- Work on one slot at a time: solve the cross, then only the first pair, over and over.
- Ask the same questions for every pair: where are the corner and the edge, how can I bring them together, and what drops them in?
Read what F2L is and the CFOP method for the bigger picture.
FAQ
F2L questions
What does F2L stand for?
First Two Layers: the first layer's corners and the middle layer's edges, solved together as pairs.
How many F2L cases are there?
There are 41 basic cases for a pair, but many can be solved by working out the moves rather than memorising them.
What should I learn before F2L?
The seven-step beginner method, and the two triggers R U R' U' and R' F R F', which appear inside many F2L algorithms.
Do the algorithms on this page work for the other slots?
Mirror them for the front-left slot, and turn the cube with a y rotation to reach the back slots. Mirroring means swapping R and L and turning every move the other way.
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