Skewb & Skewb Diamond Algorithms

IMG_20160203_102041198I remember buying my Skewb when I was just getting into cubing and realized…it’s not that cool. There’s really no true challenge and therefore it sat on my shelf, rarely touched. In the years since, I’ve purchased other octahedral puzzles: the skewb diamond, the rainbow cube, a face-turning octahedron, the flower rex cube. And it turns out…nah, they’re not that cool either.

Among my collection, those are collectively my least-favorite bunch of cubes.

However, I should at least know how to solve them, and I only recently realized I never actually solved my Skewb Diamond. So, I went out to figure it out and I was beyond frustrated. Tutorials weren’t clear enough (I plan on making my own) and it just annoyed me. But now, I think I have it down, and so as usual I’m tossing up some algorithms for future reference as I will inevitably put these away and forget about them…again!

Let’s get to it!

Skewb: (R’ / L / R / L’)(Alg will turn front center piece)

  1. Solve White Face
  2. Match Centers
  3. Top-Layer Corners

The second step will swap the Front and Top centers as well as Left and Right centers.

The last maneuver requires the algorithm to be performed twice.

4 Incorrect

  • Place yellow headlights on left (facing left)
  • Place yellow on front right facing front
  • Place yellow on back right facing back

Bar – Algorithm 2x

  • Yellow in Front Right – Facing Right
  • Yellow in Back Left – Facing Back

Skewb Diamond

Step One
The first step is to solve one side, not including the single-sticker center.

Then find one other correctly-placed corner to make a second complete side.

Step Two
Now, with a four-color piece facing you, place that new, correctly-placed piece in the back left and rotate the puzzle forward. The correct piece is now in the front-left position and the original face is on the left in your left palm. Perform this algorithm:

Solve All Corners
R / U’ / R’ / U / F

Step Three
You will face one of two situations. You’ll have to swap a three-cycle of faces or you’ll have four.

Four-Cycle
To swap four, place a four-sticker piece facing you. This algorithm swaps top & below 4-sticker piece as well as swapping top right back & top left back. The algorithm is:

Four-Cycle
R / U / R’ / U’ (x3)

Three Cycle
Find the base side (around which the three cycle goes) and put that in left palm.

Colors of the three-cycle around this face will be on bottom, back-left and top-left.

Using the opposite side of base side (same color) as your front face, the single-sticker triangle looking right at you with a flat top. Remember, one ill-placed center will be on the bottom.

Three-Cycle
Clockwise: U / R / U / R’ (x2)
Counter-CW: R / U’ / R’ / U’ (x2)

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