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RiDo’s Hunting Story for F2L (Crocodile/Tiger/Eagle)

An earlier version of My 1st CFOP solution included RiDo’s Hunting Story for F2L. He uses three main algorithms for the three possible ways the corner piece and edge piece can orientated next to each other.

Each of the algorithms is named after an animal with a similar “colour scheme” as the top layer of the two pieces: Crocodile (same colour), Tiger (two different colours) and Eagle (1 colour plus white “head”). The ways the corner pieces are “catching” the edge pieces are compared with the hunting method of the animals.

I still use a great part of the algorithms, too, but in a more intuitive way.

Preparations

The three hunting algorithms start with the corner piece in an upper corner in the front (left or right) and the edge piece in the upper rear edge. The “target slot” (the corner in layer 1 and 2 where you want to position your two pieces) is the front corner underneath your corner piece. To get to this point you might need some preparation.

If you already have the pair of pieces connected in the right way in the upper layer, then you don’t need the hunting algorithms – you have already “caught the prey”.

To take the “prey” (the pair of edge and corner piece) into the “hideout of the predator” (the target slot) you start with the two pieces above the center and edge piece with the “upper layer” colour of your two pieces, so that they form a bicolour “L form”. Then you only need the three moves of the “L algorithm” to put them into their “slot” in the two bottom layers (next to the L form):
You let the “target slot” jump upwards like a predator (L’/R), push the “prey” into the fangs of the predator (U/U’) and take the prey back into the hideout of the predator (L/R’). The “L algorithm” is also used as the final moves of the Crocodile and Eagle algorithms.

If the two pieces are connected, but the orientation of the pieces is not correct, then you need to separate them, first (see below).

If the corner piece is in the wrong front corner for the hunting algorithm, then you need another small algorithm to move it to the other corner.

Crocodile Algorithm

 

Tiger Algorithm

Eagle Algorithm

 

Basics: Glossary

  • 4LLL = 4-Look Last Layer
    A rather easy solution for the last layer with only 4 basic algorithms, 2 for OLL and 2 for PLL. Before each algorithm there has to be a pause to look on the cube to see how the cube has to be turned and how the next algorithm has to be applied. For faster methods with 3 or 2 looks a lot of additional algorithms have to be learned by a speed cuber. Anyway, to start, a CFOP method with 4LLL is good enough to get times well under 1 minute.
  • Algorithm
    A set of (mostly) 90 deg turns of one layer which have to be executed one after another to solve a part of the cube without destroying the already solved part of the cube. Some algorithms contain 180 deg turns of a layer, turns of two layers at a time or turns of the whole cube. Each turn is usually displayed as an upper-case letter for the layer (for clockwise turns) or an upper-case letter with a Prime symbol for counter-clockwise turns (p.e. U / U’). 180 deg turns are represented by a number 2 after the letter (or letter with Prime symbol, p.e. U2 / U’2). Turns of two layers at a time are displayed by lower-case letters (p.e. u / u’). Turns of the whole cube are displayed by a lower case letter of the axis (x / x’, y / y’ or z / z’)
  • CFOP = Cross – F2L – OLL – PLL (Fridrich) Method
    One of the preferred speed cubing method to solve the cube. First established by Jessica Fridrich in the 1980s. First the Cross  of the Down Layer is solved. After that the rest of the first 2 layers (F2L) are solved together, followed by the orientation of the pieces of the last layer (OLL).  After the right permutation of the pieces of the last layer (PLL) the cube is solved. Nowadays most records are hold by speed cubers using a variation of this method.
  • Crocodile Algorithm
    A pair of algorithms from RiDo’s Hunting Story for F2L for a set of corner and edge pieces of the same colour (like a crocodile with only one colour on its back). The crocodile waits just under the surface of the water, grabs the prey and takes it down under water. The way how the corner piece and the edge piece move in the Crocodile Algorithm is similar.
  • (White) Cross
    The first part of the cube that is usually solved is the Cross on the Down Layer. The easiest way for beginners is to build the Daisy on the Top Layer first an then one by one move the edge pieces into their right positions.
  • (Yellow) Cross Algorithm
    Algorithm of the 4LLL CFOP method for the orientation of the edge pieces in the last layer. The algorithm is used up to three times to finish the (yellow) cross.
  • Daisy
    The Daisy is the first part of an easy way to solve the Cross of the down layer (which is usually the white layer). In a first step all 4 edge pieces with white “stickers” are positioned around the upper (usually yellow) centre piece. The yellow center pieces with the 4 white edge pieces around it looks like a daisy. After completing the Daisy all 4 edge pieces are moved one by one into their right positions in the Down Layer to form the (white) Cross.
  • Eagle Algorithm

    a set of corner and edge pieces with the “white” side on top of the corner piece  (like a Bald Eagle, the National Bird of the U.S.A.  with a white head – RiDo explains it with an eagle in the white sky). The eagle flies in the sky, grabs the prey and takes it down  to the ground. The way how the corner piece and the edge piece move in the Eagle Algorithm is similar.

  • F2L = First 2 Layers
    Algorithms to solve the corners of the first layer and the edges of the second layer together. The corner piece and the corresponding edge piece above are paired and positioned on their “slot” in the corner together in one move. The most intuitive method to learn F2L is RiDo’s Hunting Story
  • LBL = Layer by Layer Method
    For beginners, their first way to learn how to solve the cube is usually a Layer by Layer method. As the name says, the cube is solved layer by layer, starting with the lower (Down) layer. Usually the edges are solved first creating the (white) Cross, followed by the corners. Next are the 4 edge pieces that form the 2nd layer. There are many different solutions for the last layer. Some start with permutation and orientation of the edge pieces, followed by permutation and orientation of the corner pieces. Others use the OLL and PLL algorithms of the CFOP method.
  • OLL = Orientation Last Layer
    Algorithms to turn all pieces of the last layer with the same colour (usually yellow) facing upwards. The 4LLL method starts with the edge pieces (Cross Algorithm) followed by the corners (Fish Algorithm).
  • PLL = Permutation Last Layer
    The last algorithms of the CFOP method to solve the cube. All pieces of the last layer are moved to their right position. The 4LLL method starts with the corner pieces and finishes the solution of the cube positioning the edge pieces of the last layer. Advanced speed cubers learn a whole set of permutation algorithms (up to 21) to solve all edges and corners in a single step.
  • RiDo’s Hunting Story for F2L
    An intuitive way to solve the first two layers (F2L) of the cube, first presented by Rishi Doashi (RiDo) on his Youtube channel. It’s based on three animals with a typical colour scheme (crocodile, tiger and eagle) and the way they hunt. The colour scheme of the animals represents the orientation of the two pieces (edge and corner) that have to be joined and positioned together in their “slot” in the lower corner of the cube. The hunting method of the animals is similar to the moves of the predator (corner piece) and the prey (edge piece). The hunting story can be displayed as a set of six algorithms (a “left” and “right” Crocodile, Tiger and Eagle Algorithm).
  • Tiger Algorithm

    a set of corner and edge pieces of different (non-white) colours ( a tiger has two colours on its back). The tiger waits at the entrance of its cave, grabs the prey and takes it back into the cave. The way how the corner piece and the edge piece move in the Tiger Algorithm is similar. The algorithms (left and right version) have only 3 steps and can be learned to be executed very fast as Trigger Moves.

  • Trigger Algorithms / Trigger Moves
    A group of short algorithms that can be learned to be executed very fast by multiple repetitions of the algorithm. The more they are used, the faster and easier they can be executed.  When they are included in a more complex algorithm the first move of the trigger algorithm works as a trigger for an “automatic” execution of the whole algorithm. The Tiger Algorithm is one of the easiest to learn 3-step Trigger Moves.

Basics: Notation

First things first:

When you talk about solving a cube, the first you have to learn is the notation. That’s the way how a move on the cube is displayed in your instructions.

The most common way of cube notation is a set of 90 deg turns of one or two layer or the whole cube, represented by letters and the Prime symbol.

Every clockwise 90 deg turn of a layer is represented by a letter, every counter-clockwise 90 deg turn of a layer is represented by the same letter followed by the Prime symbol:

The most commonly used shortcuts for turns on the cube are:

  • U / U’ – Up
  • D / D’ – Down
  • L / L’  – Left
  • R / R’ – Right
  • F / F’ – Front
  • B / B’ – Back
  • E / E’ – Equator
  • M / M’ – Middle

For a 90 deg turn of the whole cube with “fixed” Top and Down colors the letter y / y’ is used.

The notation with letters isn’t easy to learn for beginners and for cubers with a more visual way of learning (as myself). So I came back to the “square and arrow” notation from the Der Spiegel article from 1981.

To get a relation to modern “letter based” notation I’ve added the corresponding letters to the symbols. For 3D representations I’ve decided to use classic 45 deg cavalier projections.

This is a quick overview of the basic moves that I use in my instructions:

Layer by Layer Method for Beginners

These instructions are combination of different instructions I have found over the years. For each step I chose the algorithms that were the easiest to learn for me.

My first instructions were from an article in the German magazine Der Spiegel from 1981. I still like the graphic representation of the moves from that article, so my graphics are based on it. The algorithms for edge orientation and corner orientation in the last layer are from that article, too.

I use my own short version of the Daisy and White Cross part for the first layer, but it’s so intuitive that you will find the same move in many other instructions.

I’ve found the algorithm for corner permutation years ago somewhere in the web, but I don’t remember where. It was much easier than the one I used before and I kept using it until I changed to the CFOP method.

Most of the rest of the algorithms is from Robbie Gonzalez’ article on WIRED.com and his embedded YouTube videos. He learned his way of solving the cube layer by layer in under a minute from WCA cofounder Tyson Mao. A lot of the algorithms are based on a pair of simple left and right trigger moves that are easy to learn and fast to execute.

So let’s start…

First things first: To learn and understand the algorithms to solve the cube I use a combination of squares and arrows combined with the most commonly used “letter codes” for algorithm notation.

An algorithm is a combination of single 90 deg turns of a single layer of the cube. Each algorithm has the purpose of solving a part of the cube without destroying the part that has been solved before.

Usually a 180 deg turn of a layer is represented by a number 2 following the letter code. For my graphic representation I use a double symbol of the 90 deg turn instead.

These are the basic turns of the cube that I use in my instructions. You can find further details about the notation here.

First Layer

1.) The Daisy

Beginners usually start to learn how to solve the cube with the white side as the Down side and the yellow side as the Up side. So the first part of the cube that is solved, is the (white) cross on the Down layer. As a first step the four edge pieces with white stickers are positioned around the yellow center piece of the Up side.

With the yellow center and the white “leaves” the resulting cross looks like a daisy. If by coincidence you also get one or another white corner next tor the white egde pieces, you can ignore that. only the edge pieces are important.

You won’t really need a detailed algorithm to solve the daisy. It’s quite intuitive, so with some practice by “playing around” you will be able to solve the daisy very quickly. Anyway, you can find some basic moves below.

2.) The (White) Cross

Once you have solved the Daisy you can go on to solve the white Cross on the Down layer. The goal is not only to get the white side of the edge pieces next to the white center piece. We also want to have the edge pieces in the correct position right under their corresponding centre pieces.

So you start with a first centre piece in the front and turn the Up Layer until the colour of the edge piece in the Daisy and the centre piece below have matching colours. Then you turn the Front layer by 180 deg to move the edge piece to the Down layer. Repeat that with the other three centre pieces and their corresponding edge pieces and you will have the white Cross solved in the Down layer.

3.) (White) Corners

To finish the first layer all corner pieces with a white side will have to be positioned in their right place in the Down layer. An easy way to do that is using a 3-step algorithm, a so-called Trigger Move. The more you practice this Trigger Move the faster you will be able to apply it. After a while you will be able to apply it automatically after triggering the move with its first step.

There is a left and a right version of the algorithm. Depending on the situation you will need each of them for the next steps. The algorithms are represented by a square with three small squares inside forming a (chess) knight’s move pattern.

You start with a corner piece in the Up layer with the white side of the corner piece on the side. Then you position this corner piece with its front side diagonally above the centre piece of the same colour.

With the white cross solved before, you will have a pattern of a (chess) knight’s move on the Front side of your cube. You can either have a left or right knight’s move pattern. To position the corner piece in the Down layer you just apply the corresponding left or right algorithm.

For all possible other positions and orientations of the corner pieces you can also find algorithms below. Repeat those algorithms until you have all 4 corner pieces in their right place in the Down layer.

After that you will not only have the white Down side solved but also the four sides of the down layer, forming (Tetris) Ts with the centre pieces above.

Second Layer

4.) Edges of second layer

The second layer has only 4 movable pieces: The edge pieces without white (Down side) or yellow (Up side) sides. The solution is quite easy: The edge piece is positioned, then the corner piece below the “target slot” of the edge piece is moved to the Up layer and back to its position in the Down layer, taking the edge piece with it.

There are two sets of algorithms for that, a left and a right one. The algorithms are really easy to learn as they are mostly a combination of the Trigger Moves used before. For edge pieces in the second layer that aren’t positioned correctly, yet, there are two additional algorithms based on the previous ones.

Last layer

The sequence of the solution of the last layer and most of the algorithms are taken from the original solution printed in  issue 4/1984 of the German magazine Der Spiegel. I’ve been using these algorithms for many years and still think that they quite are easy to learn. If you only want to solve your cube every once in a while, then they are still very useful.

But if you really want to learn how to solve the cube and get faster, then I’d suggest to learn the OLL and PLL algorithms of the My 1st CFOP instructions instead. They are also quite easy to learn and it’s easier to get faster with them.

5.) Last Layer Edge Permutation

The first step in the last layer is to put all the edge pieces into their correct position. In this step we don’t care about the orientation of the colour stickers of each piece, yet.

The algorithm for that isn’t new: We just lift an edge piece from layer 2 into the upper layer and put the edge piece back into layer 2. This move also changes the position of two edge pieces in the upper layer and the orientation of the other two edge pieces in the upper layer.

If you have two swap two opposite edge pieces you just have to apply the algorithm twice, turning the cube into the right position between them.

6.) Last Layer Edge Orientation

Then the edges get their right orientation, so that after this step you get a complete “yellow cross” on your last layer. The algorithm is really simple, you just repeat R and E moves four times. This will mix up the cube quite a lot in layer 1 and 2 after the orientation of the first edge piece.

So for the next edge peace be sure that you only twist the upper layer to put the next edge piece on the right side. Then you repeat the algorithm and Layer 1 and 2 will be solved again.

There are always 0, 2 or 4 edge pieces that need a new orientation, never 1 or 3. So for all edge pieces you have to apply the algorithm 4 times, always with a U’ move after the algorithm.

7.) Last Layer Corner Permutation

The next step is the correct position of all 3 edge pieces. The original algorithm from the Der Spiegel article had more than 20 steps, which made it quite hard to memorize. Years later I found a much shorter solution on a website, which only had 8 steps with the same effect. The corner piece in the rear left corner stays in position, while the algorithm moves the other the corner pieces counter clockwise.

8.) Last Layer Corner Orientation

The last thing to do is the right orientation of the corner pieces in the upper layer. The algorithm is once more easy to learn and quite fast to apply. There are only 8 steps, only moving the front and side layer of the cube.

You will always turn the front right corner piece. As in step 6 (Last layer Edge Orientation), the algorithm will mix up layer 1 and 2 when it’s applied. In this case you will need 3 repetitions before both layers will be solved again.

So be sure once more that between two algorithms you only turn the upper layer and not the whole cube to position the next corner piece in the front right corner. Each corner piece might need one or two applications of the algorithm to get the right orientation (usually yellow on the upper side). To get all four corners right, you will need 0, 3 or 6 repetitions of the algorithm, plus a total of 4 U’ moves.

You will never need 1, 2, 4 or 5 repetitions of the algorithm. If that’s the case, then at least one of the corner pieces has been twisted and forced into a wrong orientation.

And that’s it! After Step 8.) you have solved your cube.
Congratulations!