CubeXpert2-Look OLL: Orient the Last Layer in Two Steps
OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer) turns the whole top face yellow after the first two layers are solved. Full OLL has 57 algorithms, one per case. 2‑look OLL splits it into two easier steps: first make a yellow cross with the edges (2 algorithms), then turn the corners yellow‑side up (7 algorithms). It’s what most speedcubers learn first, and it’s fast enough for solves well under 30 seconds.
All cases below assume yellow is on top and the first two layers are solved. Every algorithm here leaves the first two layers untouched. If you haven’t got F2L yet, the beginner method’s last‑layer steps do the same job more slowly.
Step 1: Orient the edges (yellow cross)
Look only at the four edge stickers on the top face. Ignore the corners.
| Case | How to hold it | Algorithm |
|---|---|---|
| Line | Yellow edges form a horizontal line, left to right | F R U R' U' F' |
| L shape | Yellow edges point to the back and left | F U R U' R' F' |
| Dot | No yellow edges up | Do the line algorithm, turn the top U2, then do the L algorithm |
| Cross | All four up | Skip to step 2 |
The two algorithms are near mirror images: in the line case the middle is R U R' U', in the L case it’s U R U' R'. For the dot, the full sequence is:
F R U R' U' F' U2 F U R U' R' F'
Seeing one or three yellow edges up? A piece has been flipped by hand, so the cube can’t be solved in this state — reassemble it.
Step 2: Orient the corners
With the yellow cross done, count the corners with yellow facing up: zero, one or two. Then look at where the other corners’ yellow stickers point. Use the table to find your case and hold the cube exactly as described.
| Case | Yellow corners on top | How to hold it | Algorithm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sune | 1 | The yellow‑up corner at front‑left; the front‑right corner’s yellow faces you | R U R' U R U2 R' |
| Antisune | 1 | The yellow‑up corner at back‑right; the front‑left corner’s yellow faces you | R U2 R' U' R U' R' |
| H | 0 | Two yellows face left, two face right | R U R' U R U' R' U R U2 R' |
| Pi | 0 | Two yellows face left (“headlights” on the left) | R U2 R2 U' R2 U' R2 U2 R |
| Headlights (U) | 2 | Yellow‑up corners at the back; the two front corners’ yellows face you | R2 D R' U2 R D' R' U2 R' |
| T | 2 | Yellow‑up corners on the right; the left corners’ yellows face front and back | r U R' U' r' F R F' |
| Bowtie (L) | 2 | Yellow‑up corners at front‑left and back‑right; the front‑right corner’s yellow faces you | F' r U R' U' r' F R |
Lowercase r is a wide move — the right two layers together. See the notation guide if that’s new.
Which algorithms to learn first
If nine algorithms feels like a lot, learn them in this order:
- Line and L — you probably already know
F R U R' U' F'from the beginner method. - Sune — the most common corner case, and with it you can solve every corner case by repeating it (that’s how the 2×2 guide works).
- Antisune — Sune’s mirror; the two together cover a large share of solves.
- H, Pi, Headlights, T, Bowtie — learn one a week. Until you know one, use Sune repeatedly.
Recognition tips
- Count first, then look sideways. The number of yellow corners on top narrows it to two or three cases; the side stickers decide which.
- Headlights are two yellow stickers on the same side of the top layer. Both Pi and H have them; H has headlights on two opposite sides.
- Sune vs Antisune: with the yellow‑up corner at front‑left, the Sune has a yellow facing you on the front‑right corner. Antisune is its mirror image.
- Don’t rotate the cube to recognize. Turn the top layer (
U) until the case matches the table; it’s faster and keeps the first two layers where your hands expect them.
From 2-look to full OLL
Once 2‑look OLL is automatic, learning the full 57 cases saves one look (and roughly one to two seconds) per solve. A common path is to learn the full OLL cases that share your cross shape — the “all edges oriented” group first, since those are exactly the seven corner cases above. After OLL, finish the solve with 2‑look PLL.