Guimond Method

Guimond solves the cube by orienting both layers, then permuting both layers (PBL). This method is very popular because it is efficient. For the first step, solve just 3/4 of a face of opposite colors, which means you have to get three stickers of one color and the opposite color on one face. You can usually get this step in one move or less, so you can look forward to the next step. In the next step, you finish the face and orient the opposite one, so that you have two opposite faces of opposite colors. Then you sort the opposite colors by putting all of one color onto one face and all of the other color onto the other, and finally you permute both layers like in Ortega. Except for the last step, all of these steps usually take four or less moves, and experienced users can often look all the way through to the last step during inspection. Guimond requires 21 algorithms (or 13 without reflections).

Guimond as a Beginner Method

Gaimond makes a slightly more efficient and intuitive alternative to Beginner LBL. The beginner method procedure is as follows:

1. Use intuition to orient three cubies on both U and D faces. Mixing U/D colours at this stage is fine, as long as each U/D face has three oriented cubies (ie. with U or D colour on top).
2. Using a U face turn, place the misoriented U-face cubie in UFL. Flip the cube using x2 and do the same for the opposite layer.
3. Now check the orientation of the mosoriented UFL cubie. If the U/D colour is facing you, use x2 to flip the cube. Now the misorineted cubie should have the U/D colour facing to the left.
4. Apply the algorithm R U' B L to complete orientation of the U/D faces.
5. Using F2 R2 and U moves, swap U/D cubies until the U-face contains only U colour.
6. Now look at the U layer only
   • If you see 1 bar, position the cube (using y turns) so that the bar is in the back face. Apply the algorithm R' F R' B2 R F' R' B2 R2 (A-perm).
   • If there are no bars apply A-perm to create a bar.
7. Do x2 and repeat step 6 for the D layer to complete the cube.

See Also

• PBL
• LBL
• Ortega Method

External Links

• funpic.org
• Martijn Bakker' doc on RapidShare
• Speedsolving.com 2 Alg Guimond