Source: Levelica Canonical: https://www.levelica.com/en/guides/speedcubing # Speedcubing ## Summary Solving a scrambled cube fast with a method and finger skill, from first solve to records and new methods. ## Description A Rubik's cube is a puzzle you return to order with a fixed procedure. The moment you race a clock, it turns into a sport. You start by learning notation and a layer-by-layer method. From there it runs through finger tricks, route planning inside the inspection window, and lookahead that finds the next piece early. It ends with an official competition result on record. At the top levels, what separates times isn't how many algorithms you've memorized but how smoothly you link planning to execution. --- ## Level Overview | Level | Proficiency Stage | Hashtags | | ----- | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Lv.1 | First Solve | #CubeNotation #FirstLayer #ColorRecognition #GuidedSolve | | Lv.2 | Unaided Solve | #LayerByLayer #MemorizedAlgorithms #CrossFirst #FullSolve | | Lv.3 | Sub-60 | #Sub60 #IntuitiveF2L #TimerPractice #FingerTricks | | Lv.4 | Sub-30 | #Sub30 #CFOP #OLL #PLL | | Lv.5 | Sub-20 | #Sub20 #Lookahead #WCACompetition #Ao100 | | Lv.6 | Sub-10 | #Sub10 #NationalRanking #AdvancedAlgSets #EventSpecialist | | Lv.7 | World Class | #WorldClass #RecordHolder #MethodInnovation #CubingLegacy | > Proficiency mapping source: based on the distribution of 3x3 single and average times in the official World Cube Association results database. --- ## Level 1 #CubeNotation #FirstLayer #ColorRecognition #GuidedSolve ### Summary Learning notation and building the first layer with a guide open. ### Description You've just started learning to solve. You can read the notation that names each face and turn the cube as instructed. With a guide open, you finish the white cross and the first layer. You understand that the center pieces are fixed, so every face color is decided before you start. Cover the guide, though, and the next move won't come to you. ### Checklist - [ ] Can read cube notation (U, D, L, R, F, B and the prime symbol) and turn the matching face correctly - [ ] Can complete the white cross in under 5 minutes while following a guide - [ ] Can place all four first-layer corner pieces with a guide for reference - [ ] Can tell edge, corner, and center pieces apart and state how each one moves - [ ] Can explain that fixed center pieces decide the color of every face in advance - [ ] Can solve a scrambled cube in under 20 minutes with a guide open > If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Unaided Solve stage, closing the guide and solving on your own. Meinz et al. (2023) trained beginners on a 7-step method. Holding that procedure in memory as an ordered sequence is what makes the first solo solve possible. --- ## Level 2 #LayerByLayer #MemorizedAlgorithms #CrossFirst #FullSolve ### Summary Recalling the full method from memory and solving unaided. ### Description You've memorized the step order of the layer-by-layer method and finish the cube without help. You pick the right last-layer algorithm for the case in front of you. When a layer falls apart mid-solve, you repair it instead of starting over. Solves are reliable, but the pauses between moves run long and your times swing widely from attempt to attempt. ### Checklist - [ ] Can state the step order of the layer-by-layer method without a guide - [ ] Can solve 10 scrambled cubes in a row with no guide - [ ] Can time 10 solves and confirm an average under 3 minutes - [ ] Can recall four or more last-layer algorithms and apply the right one per case - [ ] Can repair a layer you scrambled by mistake instead of restarting the solve - [ ] Can adjust cube tension and lubrication so the turns stop catching > If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Sub-60 stage, starting the timer and pushing past the one-minute wall. Once you keep records, you can finally see which part of the solve leaks the time. --- ## Level 3 #Sub60 #IntuitiveF2L #TimerPractice #FingerTricks ### Summary Timing every solve and breaking the one-minute wall reliably. ### Description The timer runs on every attempt, you track the results, and you break the one-minute wall. Rather than rotating your whole wrist, you push turns with your fingers to keep the motion flowing. You build the first two layers by reading the case instead of recalling an algorithm. During inspection you sketch the cross route, and you split your times by stage to choose what to drill. ### Checklist - [ ] Can post an average of 12 (Ao12) under 60 seconds - [ ] Can hit a single solve under 45 seconds - [ ] Can chain turns with finger tricks instead of large wrist rotations - [ ] Can build the first two layers by reading the case rather than recalling an algorithm - [ ] Can plan a cross route of 8 moves or fewer during inspection - [ ] Can store 100 timed solves and analyze how long each stage takes - [ ] Can keep up 30 minutes of daily practice for four weeks or more > If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Sub-30 stage, taking on an advanced method and a wider algorithm set. Meinz et al. (2023) found that solution efficiency drives results, and from here your times drop only when the procedure itself changes. --- ## Level 4 #Sub30 #CFOP #OLL #PLL ### Summary Breaking 30 seconds with an advanced method and more algorithms. ### Description You've moved to an advanced system: cross, first two layers, orient the last layer, then permute it. You recognize last-layer cases on sight and fire the algorithm without hunting for it. Inside the inspection window you plan two steps ahead. The habit of tracking the next pair while your hands finish the current one is starting to stick. ### Checklist - [ ] Can post an average of 12 under 30 seconds - [ ] Can recognize and execute 20 or more last-layer orientation algorithms within 2 seconds - [ ] Can recall all 21 last-layer permutation algorithms and apply them in a solve - [ ] Can plan the cross and the first pair together inside the inspection window - [ ] Can keep tracking where the next pair sits while your hands solve the current one - [ ] Can break 100 solves down by stage, name your slowest stage, and plan a fix - [ ] Can solve at least one other event, such as 2x2, 4x4, or Pyraminx > If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Sub-20 stage, entering sanctioned competition and attacking the 20-second wall. Zarei et al. (2025) observed an unbroken link between planning and execution in experts. In this range that link decides times more than raw algorithm count does. --- ## Level 5 #Sub20 #Lookahead #WCACompetition #Ao100 ### Summary Breaking 20 seconds and posting sanctioned competition results. ### Description Your lookahead runs without pauses, you break 20 seconds, and you compete under sanctioned rules with official results on record. The full last-layer algorithm set lives in your hands, so the gap between recognizing a case and executing it has nearly closed. Under competition pressure your times stay close to what you post in practice at home. ### Checklist - [ ] Can post an average of 100 (Ao100) under 20 seconds - [ ] Can enter a sanctioned competition and register an official result - [ ] Can stay within 10% of your practice times under competition conditions - [ ] Can execute the full last-layer set (57 orientation, 21 permutation) from hand memory - [ ] Can apply competition rules on scrambling, inspection, and penalties, and judge a round - [ ] Can teach the layer-by-layer method to three or more beginners until they solve it - [ ] Can hold official results in two or more events besides 3x3 > If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Sub-10 stage, chasing a place near the top of your national ranking. In the World Cube Association record distribution, only a small share of competitors reach this range. Getting there takes training planned a quarter at a time. --- ## Level 6 #Sub10 #NationalRanking #AdvancedAlgSets #EventSpecialist ### Summary Averaging near 10 seconds and ranking near the national top. ### Description You average close to 10 seconds and sit in the upper tier of your national ranking. Advanced algorithm sets show up in real solves, not just in drills. You read your time distribution statistically and plan training a quarter at a time. You staff competitions as an organizer or judge, and local meetups and lessons lift the next group of solvers. ### Checklist - [ ] Can post an average of 100 under 10 seconds - [ ] Can reach the top 100 of your national ranking - [ ] Can use 100 or more advanced algorithms in real solves - [ ] Can analyze your time distribution statistically and plan training a quarter ahead - [ ] Can serve as a competition organizer or judge and run official rounds - [ ] Can run a local meetup or online course that develops 20 or more cubers > If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the World Class stage, chasing world-leading times and inventing new methods. Running an existing method faster and building a better one are two different problems. --- ## Level 7 #WorldClass #RecordHolder #MethodInnovation #CubingLegacy ### Summary Holding world-class times and reshaping the event with new methods. ### Description You hold world-class times, and the method or algorithm set you designed has spread across the community. Training systems and competition formats you shaped are still in use years later, and the cubers you coached now work independently. Beyond your own records, you've changed the way the event itself moves forward. ### Checklist - [ ] Can hold a national record or a world ranking inside the top 100 - [ ] Can show that a method or algorithm set you designed was adopted by three or more outside communities - [ ] Can confirm 10 or more external citations of your writing or materials on cube methods - [ ] Can show that a training system or competition format you created has lasted five years or more - [ ] Can coach five or more national-team-level cubers until they work independently > If you've checked off most of this list, you stand at the top of the event, shaping how the next generation solves the cube. Beyond the expert cognition Zarei et al. (2025) mapped, your task now is to define a new solving system of your own. --- ## References - [World Cube Association Official Results and Rankings Database](https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/rankings/333/single) — World Cube Association (WCA) - [Ability and Nonability Predictors of Real-World Skill Acquisition: The Case of Rubik's Cube Solving](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36662148/) — Meinz, Hambrick, Leach & Boschulte — Journal of Intelligence (2023) - [The electrocortical activity of elite Rubik's cube athletes while solving the cube](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12106139/) — Zarei, Frederiksen, Jensen & Oliveira — Experimental Brain Research (2025) - [WCA Regulations](https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/) — World Cube Association — WCA Regulations Committee