Esquina sobre la ranura FR con blanco a la derecha, arista en la capa U ya emparejada con la esquina.
URU'R'
P 1/41 4 moves
CFOP · Paso 2
Algoritmos F2L
Los 41 casos estándar de F2L para el método CFOP. Inserta pares esquina-arista de forma eficiente en la ranura frente-derecha.
41 casos de inserción de pares F2L
What F2L really is
In the beginner method you solve the first layer in two separate phases: place four corners, then thread in four middle-layer edges. F2L collapses that into one idea — you pair each first-layer corner with its matching middle edge and drop them into their slot as a single unit, four times. That one change is the biggest single time saving in the whole solve. Dan Harris calls F2L the stage where “most people gain a lot more time,” and it is the reason a CFOP solver finishes in 20 seconds where the beginner method takes 60.
Hold the cube, then read the case
Keep the cross on the bottom and build every pair in the top layer, inserting downward into the four side slots — these algorithms target the front-right (FR) slot. To recognise a case, read it in two steps: first find the corner (is its white/cross-coloured sticker on the U face, the R face, the F face, or is the corner already down in a slot?), then find its edge. That two-step read is exactly how the case families below are grouped, so it doubles as a recognition routine.
The anatomy of every F2L algorithm
Almost every F2L algorithm does the same job in the same order: a set-up move or two to position the pieces, the pair-up that joins the corner and edge, the insert that drops the joined pair into its slot, and sometimes a restore that puts back any pair the pair-up disturbed. Once you can split an algorithm into those phases, you can rebuild a case you've forgotten and stop breaking slots you've already solved. Watch the two below and you'll see the phases happen.
Connected pair — the simplest insert
R lifts the slot pieces into the top layer and connects them with the waiting pair, U aligns the joined pair over its slot, and R' drops it home. There is no separate set-up or restore — a connected pair sitting in the right place is the gift case of F2L.
Separated pair — pair up, then insert
R U R' U' pairs the corner and edge up in the top layer; the trailing R U' R' connects and inserts the pair below the corner. Notice how the work splits cleanly into pair-up then insert — that is the template behind dozens of the cases below.
One trick, four angles
The most common myth about F2L is that filling all four slots means learning four times as many algorithms. It does not. Learn each case as a hand motion — how the pieces move relative to each other — rather than a fixed string of letters, and the same trick works from any side: you simply substitute the face that is in front of you. The front-right pair-up R' U R becomes F' U F, L' U L, or B' U B for the other three slots, with no new memorisation.
R'UR F'UF L'UL B'UB
Look-ahead: the real speed lever
Getting faster is not mainly about turning your hands faster — Harris's warning is that “the hands are quicker than the eyes.” Turn at full speed and your perception can't keep up, so you stall after every algorithm to hunt for the next pair, and those dead stops cost more than turning a little slower would. The fix feels backwards: slow your turning down just enough that your eyes can track the pieces, let the current algorithm run on autopilot from muscle memory, and spend the freed attention finding and orienting the next pair. Chain those together and the whole solve runs with no pauses.
The genuinely tricky cases
Most cases are short. The long ones almost all involve a piece trapped in a slot the wrong way — a corner wedged in with its cross colour pointing sideways, or a pair already in the slot but flipped. These are long for a reason: the algorithm has to eject the badly-placed piece into the top layer before it can rebuild and re-insert the pair. You'll find them under the “Corner in slot,” “Both in slot,” and similar filters below.
Finger tricks for F2L
A finger trick is a short sequence ripped off in one fluid motion instead of re-gripping between turns, and F2L is built almost entirely from a handful of them. Your index finger and thumb alone can drive the whole trigger family — these are the same pairs of moves that pair up and insert, so finger-tricking them is fast F2L. The famous “sexy move” R U R' U' is just two of these stitched together.
RUR' RU'R' R'F RB'
All 41 cases
Here is the complete set. Now that you can read an algorithm's phases and adapt it to any slot, treat these as phrases you understand rather than strings to parrot. Filter by case family, copy any algorithm, and step through it in 3D.
Espejo del caso 1. Par ya formado en la capa U, insertable por la izquierda.
U'F'UF
P 1/41 4 moves
Par ya alineado en la capa U, listo para inserción directa por la izquierda.
F'U'F
P 1/41 3 moves
Par ya alineado en la capa U, listo para inserción directa por la derecha.
RUR'
P 1/41 3 moves
Esquina con blanco arriba, arista al lado. Algoritmo de separación estándar.
U'RU'R'URUR'
P 1/41 8 moves
Espejo del caso 5. La misma idea, lado izquierdo.
UF'UFU'F'U'F
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina con blanco en la cara F, arista en la capa U.
U'RUR'URUR'
P 1/41 8 moves
Espejo del caso 7.
UF'U'FU'F'U'F
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina con blanco en la cara R, arista en la U. Usa una preparación de mano izquierda.
y'U'R'URU'R'UR
P 1/41 9 moves
Esquina con blanco en la cara R, arista en la capa U en la posición trasera.
URU2R'URU'R'
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina con blanco en la cara F, arista en la capa U en la posición trasera.
U'F'U2FU'F'UF
P 1/41 8 moves
Caso más complicado que requiere una preparación de triple sledgehammer.
URU'R'U'F'UF
P 1/41 8 moves
La esquina tiene la pegatina blanca arriba, arista en la capa U. Inserción estándar.
RU2R'U'RUR'
P 1/41 7 moves
Espejo del caso 13.
F'U2FUF'U'F
P 1/41 7 moves
Esquina arriba, arista en el lado izquierdo de la capa U.
U'RU2R'U'RUR'
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina arriba, arista en el lado derecho de la capa U.
UF'U2FUF'U'F
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina arriba, arista atrás en la capa U. Preparación más larga.
RU'R'URU'R'U2RU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Esquina arriba, arista en la ranura central (orientación incorrecta).
RU'R'dR'U2RUR'U2R
P 1/41 11 moves
Esquina arriba, arista en la capa central con orientación incorrecta.
RUR'URU2R'URU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Espejo del caso 19.
y'R'U'RUR'U2RU'R'UR
P 1/41 12 moves
Esquina en la capa U, arista ya en la capa central (ranura incorrecta o invertida).
RU'R'URU2R'URU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Arista en la ranura con blanco hacia el frente, esquina encima. Resolución de seis movimientos.
RUR'U'RU'R'
P 1/41 7 moves
Arista en la ranura que necesita reinserción con la esquina encima.
U'RU'R'URUR'
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina arriba, arista en la ranura. Preparación + inserción.
URUR'U2RUR'
P 1/41 8 moves
Caso más complicado usando agarre de mano izquierda.
y'UR'U'RU2R'UR
P 1/41 9 moves
Esquina ya en la ranura FR (orientación incorrecta), arista en la capa U.
URU'R'U'F'UF
P 1/41 8 moves
Espejo del caso 26.
U'F'UFURU'R'
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina en la ranura apuntando en la dirección incorrecta, arista en la U.
U'RUR'URUR'
P 1/41 8 moves
Espejo del caso 28.
UF'U'FU'F'U'F
P 1/41 8 moves
Esquina en la ranura incorrecta, arista en la U. Preparación de recuperación más larga.
RU'R'URU'R'U2RU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Esquina en la ranura incorrecta, arista en la U atrás. Caso de triple preparación.
RU'R'URU2R'URU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Ambas piezas en sus ranuras pero con orientaciones incorrectas. Algoritmo largo.
RU'R'dR'U2RUR'U2R
P 1/41 11 moves
Esquina orientada en la ranura, arista invertida. Caso común.
RU'R'UdR'U'R
P 1/41 8 moves
Patrón de repetición del sexy move para voltear el par.
RUR'U'RUR'U'RUR'
P 1/41 11 moves
Esquina correcta en la ranura, la arista necesita voltearse en la ranura opuesta.
RU'R'dR'U'RU'R'U'R
P 1/41 11 moves
Par en la ranura pero con posiciones de esquina y arista intercambiadas.
RUR'U'RU'R'dR'U'R
P 1/41 11 moves
Variante simple con la esquina correcta y la arista invertida.
RU'R'dR'U'R
P 1/41 7 moves
Solo la arista está en la ranura (invertida). Esquina encima en la capa U.
RU'R'URUR'U'RU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Solo la esquina está en la ranura (torcida). Arista en la capa U.
RUR'U'RUR'U'RUR'
P 1/41 11 moves
El par está en la ranura pero invertido (conexión esquina-arista invertida).
RU'R'URU2R'URU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Par en la ranura pero con la esquina y la arista en posiciones intercambiadas.
RU'R'URU'R'U2RU'R'
P 1/41 11 moves
Algoritmos OLL
Después del F2L, orienta la última capa con los 57 casos de OLL
ReferenciaIntroducción a CFOP
Entiende cómo encaja el OLL en el método CFOP completo