Learn Some Algorithms - part 3

Well done, you've solved your first 2 layers with ZZ so now you have a cross on the top of your cube for free!

This cuts down the number of cases for solving the last layer dramatically. Go to any competition and you will hear some CFOP solvers asking people if they "know full OLL" ... because they have to learn 57 cases ... so not many people do. As a ZZ solver you only need to know 7 cases and one of those is just one of the others repeated twice.

OLL - orienting the last layer - just means getting the top face to have all the same colour. In my case that's yellow because I solve with white on the bottom and green (or blue) at the front.

I think it's worth learning all 7 of these algorithms (cases 21-27 on Bob Burton's OLL page) because they aren't very hard to pick up. The cool thing about OLL is that you don't have to learn them all in one go - because each OLL algorithm doesn't affect the first 2 layers - if you do the wrong OLL then you just get to another OLL case. So you can try again. Just keep trying OLL algorithms until you get the thing done :)

Here's how I recognise the different cases:

There are the only 2 cases with one yellow corner pointing up.

This one is probably worth learning first. It actually has a name - Sune - because it is so commonly used. I recognise it as one yellow corner up with its neighbour on the right pointing yellow towards you.

After you learn the Sune then you pretty much know the Anti-Sune too. As the name suggests it is the same as the Sune but the moves are in reverse. I recognise it as one yellow corner up with its opposite corner on the left pointing yellow towards you.

There are the only 2 cases with zero yellow corners pointing up.

This is like a free algorithm, because you can do it as either two Sunes or as two Anti-Sunes. Because they both start with R and end in R' you can cancel those two moves out. I recognise it as two yellows pointing towards me (like headlights) and two pointing away from me.

The algorithm for this is nice and smooth if you do the R2 moves in opposite directions, rocking backwards and forwards. I recognise it as headlights towards me but the other corners pointing outwards.

The last 3 cases all have two yellow corners pointing up.

This is probably my favourite OLL because it runs so smoothly. I recognise it as two diagonal yellows up with the other two pointing towards me and to the right.

This might be my second favourite, even though it has wide moves in. I recognise it as two yellows up side by side with the other two pointing away from each other.

This is my least favourite OLL, because I can never do it very smoothly and still mess it up sometimes. I recognise it as two yellows up side by side with the other two pointing towards me like headlights.

Remember. Don't Panic if you can't remember which OLL to do, or which way round to hold the cube at the start ... do the headlights go at the front or on the left? ... because as long as you do the moves from one of the algorithms then you wont mess up the first 2 layers. If you do the wrong algorithm, or if you do the right algorithm but with the cube rotated wrongly, then at worst you will end up in one of the other OLL cases.

So don't be afraid. Learn a few OLL algorithms and go for it. It wont take you long to learn the 7 that you need for Full OLL as a ZZ solver :)