Notation

Just like in chess, cubers have invented special notations to denote the various moves possible on a cube.

For this site

This site uses the notation most commonly used among speedcubers with the difference that suffix "w" is used for double layer turns as in the JSCC notation.

The six layers and three slices of the cube are indicated by the following capital letters:

Layers
U (Up) D (Down) R (Right) L (Left) F (Front) B (Back)
U (Up) D (Down) R (Right) L (Left) F (Front) B (Back)

Slices
M (Middle) E (Equator) S (Side)
M (Middle) E (Equator) S (Side)

A layer and its adjacent slice together are denoted by the letter for the layer followed by "w":

Double Layers
Uw (Up) Dw (Down) Rw (Right) Lw (Left) Fw (Front) Bw (Back)
Uw (Up) Dw (Down) Rw (Right) Lw (Left) Fw (Front) Bw (Back)

The colors are shown only for the purpose of clarity. R, for example, refers to the face on the right (relative to the way the cube is held) regardless of the current state of the cube or the position of the centers.

The notation for each move is constructed as follows:

(Double) layer or slice name

One of the fifteen listed above		 + Number of turns

(none) = Quarter turn (90 degrees)
2 = Half turn (180 degrees)		 + Direction of turn

(none) = Clockwise
' = Counter-clockwise

For a layer or a double layer, clockwise and counter-clockwise refers to the direction as seen with the layer of interest in front. By convention, clockwise for M, E, and S are defined as the clockwise direction for L, D, and F, respectively.

Examples
U
Up quarter cw		U'
Up quarter ccw		U2'
Up half ccw		Uw2'
Up double half ccw
B
Back quarter cw		B'
Back quarter ccw		B2'
Back half ccw		Bw2'
Back double half ccw
M
Middle quarter cw		E
Equator quarter cw		S
Side quarter cw		M2'
Middle half ccw

In addition, there are three whole cube turns, which can also be modified by 2 and '.

Whole Cube Turns
x (unmodified: like R)y (unmodified: like U)z (unmodified: like F)


Example

To make sure you understand the notation, try writing down the notation for the sequence of moves shown in the applet. The answer can be read on the right by highlighting the table.

Answer: RUR'y'R2Uw'RU'R'UR'UwR2y

Other notation

I will often use "-" to separate an algorithm into blocks. Each block is often a finger trick or a longer sequence that can be done without readjusting your hands. In many other sites, such blocks are denoted by ().

When an algorithm has repeating sections, for simplicity I often use ()*n to indicate that the sequence inside the parentheses should be repeated n times. If the algorithm is a commutator, I may use [P,Q] to mean P, Q, P inverse, Q inverse.

Notations used on Other Sites

The use of "w" for double layer is prevalent among Asian cubers. American and Europeans tend to use a lowercase letter of the layer name to indicate a double layer turn (for example, "u" means "Uw"). Aside from this differenc, most speedcubing sites use the same notation as this site. There are, however, some cubers who use a slightly different variations. I have listed some notations you might encounter on other sites.

  • s ("slice"): Adding this suffix to a face turn makes it into a slice move. For example, Fs = FB'.
  • a ("antislice"): Like s, but faces turn in the opposite directions. For example, Fa = FB.

    s and a are usually found on sites before 2003. They have largely fallen out of use among today's speedcubers.

    In many Asian sites, (r), for example, is used to denote a whole cube turn in the direction of R (i.e. x in the notation I use).

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