A solve, start to finish
- Pick the puzzle: 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 or 5x5. Each keeps its own list of times and its own leaderboard.
- Press Scramble (or the space bar). The cube performs a random scramble (10 moves on 2x2, 22 on 3x3, 40 on 4x4, 60 on 5x5), shown in notation under the cube so you can copy it onto a real cube if you want to.
- Look at the cube for as long as you like. The status line says “Timer starts on your first turn”.
- Turn: swipe a sticker in the direction you want its layer to go, tap the notation keys, or use the keyboard. The clock starts on the first turn.
- The moment every face is a single colour the clock stops, a banner shows the time and move count, and the solve is saved.
- Press Scramble again for the next one. Your list and averages update on the right.
Turning the cube
Three ways, mix them as you like:
- Swipe. Put a finger (or the mouse) on a sticker and drag in the direction that sticker should travel. The app works out which layer that is. Drag the dark background instead to rotate your view of the cube.
- Keys. The two rows under the cube hold the twelve face moves; More moves adds half turns, the slices and rotations. Each key is written in standard notation.
- Keyboard. On a computer, press U R F D L B M E S x y z to turn, hold Shift for anticlockwise, Backspace to undo, Space to scramble and V to reset the view.
Undo takes back your last move and the move counter with it. Reset returns the cube to solved and clears the current attempt without saving a time.
Fast input is never held back. The clock and the solved check run on a logical cube that updates the instant you tap, swipe or press a key; the 3D picture animates behind it and snaps forward whenever you are faster than it. Ten taps in a second count as ten moves in a second. If you are logged in, the finished solve is posted to the leaderboard at the same instant.
Reading your numbers
| Number | Meaning | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Best | Your fastest single solve on this device. | Bragging, mostly. Singles depend a lot on the scramble. |
| Mean | The plain average of every saved solve. | A slow-moving picture of your overall level. |
| Ao5 | Last 5 solves, best and worst removed, average of the middle three. | Today's form. The number most cubers quote. |
| Ao12 | Last 12 solves, best and worst removed, average of the middle ten. | Your real speed. Harder to move, more honest. |
The move counter beside the clock counts your turns, not the scramble's. Beginners using the layer-by-layer method typically need 100 to 150; the solver's computer routes need about 20. Watching the count fall is as motivating as watching the time.
Practising with the timer
Do solves in sets of five so an Ao5 appears every round. Keep the same method for a whole session; switching algorithms mid-set makes the average meaningless. When a time is far worse than usual, do not delete it: averages already drop the worst solve, and the mean tells you how often it happens. The tips page has twelve ways to bring the numbers down, and the algorithms page the moves to learn next.
Times are saved only in this browser. If you clear site data, switch browsers or use a private window, the list starts again. Nothing on 6E Cube Game is ever uploaded.
