5x5x5 Centres

REMEMBER: Before starting any algorithm, make sure that the front (dark grey) face is facing you and the top layer is on the top.

The aim of this section is to take you from this

to this

completing the centre sets.

Solving the centres is more about seeing what is happening, than learning algorithms.

You can safely rotate any face to create a the starting configuration for any of the algorithms below.

Solving a Centre

Solve each centre in the order below;

centre plus one,	then slide in a pair,	slide in another pair and	then slide in the final three.

You can solve your first centre any way you want but from then on you will need to use the algorithms. All the algorithms appear to have an unnecessary rotation, however, the additional rotation in the algorithms is there to avoid splitting up any previously solved centres.

If the single element, pair or three, you want to merge are on the opposite side of your cube you can line it up as you would on the front face and rotate your side face 180 degrees instead of 90 and rotate the down face as you would have the front face then rotate your side face back 180 degrees. To avoid having to do this on the final two centres when things become a little more complicated the following hint is being offered.

Hint: Try to build your centres in an order that leaves the last two centres to be solved on adjacent faces because this will make it a lot easier to solve the final two centres.

Making Pairs and Threes

Pair

Three

Up Face

Front face

Up Face

Front face

Pair

Three

Up Face	Up Face

Front face	Front face

Up Face

Front face

Pair

Three

Up Face

Front face

Up Face

Front face

Pair

Three

Up Face	Up Face

Front face	Front face

Up Face

Front face

(Ll)'	U	(Ll)

Left both Anti-clock	Up face Clockwise	Left both Clockwise

(Ll)'	U'	(Ll)

Left both Anti-clock	Up face Anti-clock	Left both Clockwise

(Rr)	U'	(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Anti-clock	Right both Anti-clock

(Rr)	U	(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Right both Anti-clock

Merging Pairs

Up Face	Up Face

Front face	Front face

Up Face	Up Face

Front face	Front face

Up Face	Up Face

Front face	Front face

Up Face	Up Face

Front face	Front face

(Ll)'	U	(Ll)

Left both Anti-clock	Up face Clockwise	Left both Clockwise

(Ll)'	U'	(Ll)

Left both Anti-clock	Up face Anti-clock	Left both Clockwise

(Rr)	U'	(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Anti-clock	Right both Anti-clock

(Rr)	U	(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Right both Anti-clock

Merging a Set of Three

Up face

Front face

(Ll)'	U2		(Ll)

Left both Anti-clock	Up face Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Left both Clockwise

Up face

Front face

(Rr)	U2		(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Right both Anti-clock

If the six centres are on the up face and the three centres on the front face, you have two choices. You can rotate the whole cube so that the configuration appears as it does above or you can use the algorithms below. They are actually the same thing.

Up face

Front face

(Ll)	F'2		(Ll)'

Left both Clockwise	Front face Anti-clock	Front face Anti-clock	Left both Anti-clock

Up face

Front face

(Rr)'	F'2		(Rr)

Right both Anti-clock	Front face Anti-clock	Front face Anti-clock	Right both Clockwise

Note: This concept is also true for the previous sections, "Making Pairs and Threes" and "Merging Pairs", and the next section, "The Last Two Centres". If you have been watching what is happening you should not have any problem conceiving and performing alternate algorithms, this is what I mean when I mentioned this is more about seeing what is happening than it is about learning algorithms.

The Last Two Centres

You should be able to solve, a group of six, i.e. two rows of three, in the centre on both of the last two faces using the algorithms above. It will then be very likely that you will run into at least one of the four face configurations below. The first algorithm converts the Fig.1 faces to the Fig.2 faces, it converts the Fig.2 faces to the Fig.4 faces. and it solves Fig.3. The second algorithm solves Fig.4.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Up Face

Front face

Up Face

Front face

Up Face

Front face

Fig.4

Up Face

Front face

(Rr)	U	(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Right both Anti-clock

(Rr)	U2		(Rr)'

Right both Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Up face Clockwise	Right both Anti-clock

When you have solved all six centres you are ready to go to 5x5x5 Edges