CFOP
What CFOP stands for:
C = Cross
F = F2L (First 2 Layers, which means to solve the first two layers at the same time, instead of solving them layer by layer)
O = OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer)
P = PLL (Permutation of the Last Layer)
This is the method I currently use, and is also used by almost every speed cuber.
Something you need know if you would like to try this method:
Before you learn this, you have to be able to solve the Rubik's cube with the original method. Otherwise, you won't know the cube well enough to understand the new method. In my opinion, your time should be at least two minutes before you learn this new method, and in saying two minutes, I mean two minutes for almost every time, not once in a while, and also with the cube properly scrambled. For me, I learnt the new method a few years after I learnt the easier one, and my average time then was about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
A small reminder:
Please do not think that your time will be greatly shortened right after you learnt this method. On the contrary, your time will be even slower when you first started using this new method. It takes a lot of practice - a month, maybe - to really see some improvements. So don't get disappointed or discouraged or even give up after you realize your time is slower than the original one. I can promise you that after enough practice, your time will be half of that of the original one!
How to practise:
The best way to practise is to start with only F2L first. That is to say, solve your first two layers with F2L and the third layer with the original method. Once you've had enough practice with F2L, go and learn the algorithms for OLL and PLL, and try solving the whole cube with the full CFOP method.
More about CFOP:
Source: http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/CFOP
C = Cross
F = F2L (First 2 Layers, which means to solve the first two layers at the same time, instead of solving them layer by layer)
O = OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer)
P = PLL (Permutation of the Last Layer)
This is the method I currently use, and is also used by almost every speed cuber.
Something you need know if you would like to try this method:
Before you learn this, you have to be able to solve the Rubik's cube with the original method. Otherwise, you won't know the cube well enough to understand the new method. In my opinion, your time should be at least two minutes before you learn this new method, and in saying two minutes, I mean two minutes for almost every time, not once in a while, and also with the cube properly scrambled. For me, I learnt the new method a few years after I learnt the easier one, and my average time then was about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
A small reminder:
Please do not think that your time will be greatly shortened right after you learnt this method. On the contrary, your time will be even slower when you first started using this new method. It takes a lot of practice - a month, maybe - to really see some improvements. So don't get disappointed or discouraged or even give up after you realize your time is slower than the original one. I can promise you that after enough practice, your time will be half of that of the original one!
How to practise:
The best way to practise is to start with only F2L first. That is to say, solve your first two layers with F2L and the third layer with the original method. Once you've had enough practice with F2L, go and learn the algorithms for OLL and PLL, and try solving the whole cube with the full CFOP method.
More about CFOP:
- Has been the most dominant 3x3 speedcubing method since around 2000
- Also known as the Fridrich Method
- Popularized by Jessica Fridrich. She published the method on her website in 1995 (http://www.ws.binghamton.edu/fridrich/cube.html)
Source: http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/CFOP