solving the professor

the most typical way to solve the 5x5x5 is to first assemble the centers,
then pair up the wings and edges into tredges, then solve what has been
built as you would a normal 3x3. since this is an odd nxn cube (unlike the
revenge) nothing wierd happens, it can be solved exactly like the 3x3

solving the centers

pairing up the wings and edges
final solve as a 3x3x3

solving the centers

1. solve a single center

2. solve the opposite center

3. solve another center

4. solve adjacent centers around the cube

solving the first center

connect an inside edge with its matching center

in this particular case a good choice to match up would be the edge on R,

by using (Ff)'. this matches up the center and first inside edge, the reason
this choice is good is because it also pairs up our first 1x2 block on the L
face. this is how one gets really fast with big cubes, efficiency and
multitasking.

build a 1x2 block and put it in place next to our center/edge pair

since we worked smart in the last step, all we have to do is put the 1x2
block where it goes, this will make a 2x2 block. also be sure to look for
ways to set up the next 1x2 pair or other things that will help us down the
road.
build another 1x2 block and place it on the other side of the center/edge
pair, this will give us a 2x3 block. try to find ways to make the final 1x3
easy to assemble, for example move #8 (U) is done to keep the 1x2 pair
that was built on the U face intact, as well as lining it up for the final
inside corner. this may seem like an incredible amount to keep track of at
first, but with some practice, this foresight becomes easier.

here we assemble the final portion of our center, a 1x3 block and put it
into position

opposite center of the first

this process is very much the same for the next center, except the moves
are a little bit more restricted because of the fixed center, this is achieved
with simple set up moves and paying attention to ensure that you don't
damage the first fixed center. in these examples the solved center from
step 1 will be on the L face.

we are just copying our first step from the first center, with an extra
move at the end to restore our first fixed center (Uu) moves the 1x3 back
to the L face)

here we are matching up a 1x2 pair then moving it to the center/edge

pair, again with a move at the end to restore our first center (a 1x3 is on
B until the (Uu)')

here again we build our last 1x2 group, swing it into place and restore the
first fixed center (a 1x3 is on the D face until the (Bb)')

here is the last step where we build the final 1x3 and put it into place,
and again restoring the first center ((Ll)' puts the 1x3 back this time)

solve another center

now we are going to solve one of the remaining four centers, this can be
done easily without destroying the two fixed centers we have, as long as
we are sure to not do any deep twists. this is were you should experiment
a little and see where you like to have the solved faces, on U and D, or on
R and L. this site was done with the solved faces on R and L. with the
solved faces on L and R avoid u or d turns; with the solved faces on U and
D faces avoid r or l turns (see the notation page for differences in capital
and lower case letters). since 2 sides are solved we also know the color of
all the other faces, so the center colors have been added.

now we are going to follow the same idea as the first two centers, but
since everything we need is on the four faces left (U, D, F, B) we can
speed up quite a bit, especially for this first face as we have nothing built
in the middle strips (l, M, and r) to interfere. since a edge/center pair is
already made (which is almost always the case at this point) we can work
right away for the 2x2 portion. in this case using the edge on the B face
can get this done quickly.

now we are going to again pair up a corner/edge group and put it in

place, next to our 2x2 block (note the final move in this sequence it done
to make a "path" on the right hand that we can use to maneuver our last
1x3 group together and into place)

same old, same old, build the 1x3 and put it in place...only three more
centers left, as we get farther we have a couple trade-offs that happen.
we may have to wiggle a little more to get things where they go, but
fortunately nearly everything left can be seen all once, so much less time
is spent searching for pieces, which can be a good trade since you can
look ahead easier.

solve the adjacent centers around the cube

now we will work our way around the cube and solve the adjacent
centers. The reason we do it adjacent instead of opposites is when you're
down to two centers left, usually its easy if they are adjacent to each
other, for solving and recognition purposes. the solved faces are now on
L, R, and B. there is no particular order or method to choose the next
center, except to try pick the one that looks the easiest.

at this point we have three centers solved so we should be well on our

way to understanding the process to make this happen. the one complete
side can make for a teeny bit of hassle but it's easily dealt with using
simple set up moves.

turn 1-4: building 2x2

turn 5-8: expanding the block to 3x3x2

turn 9-11: starting the final 1x3 block, being sure to restore the 1x3 to
the D face.

Turn 12-16: finishing the 1x3 block

turn 17-22 inserting the last 1x3, again being conscious of what we have
already built

solving the final two centers

now we are at our last two centers, this particular case is kind of an easy
one, but most of the time this is easily done, the most frequent ending in
this step is to swap a single edge or corner between adjacent centers is
show below by themselves. the single corner swap is a double layer sune.
it's a good idea to experiment with oll's on the top layer to see what they
achieve some have really great uses.

here are some special cases that you should look for when solving the centers
because of their ease and quickness to fix

lightning bolt with 1x2 in adjacent L-shape built with a single edge in
face adjacent face

swapping a single edge swapping a single corner

centers progress gauge

you have lightning recognition and response to easy

patterns, first 2 centers should be under 20 seconds,
master <40
last 4 under 25. last 2 centers should almost always be
centers seconds
completed with a 1x3 block, not piecing out edges or
corners

You can quickly recognize easy patterns and have the

responses committed to memory. slow practice to learn
intermediate <75
more patterns and trying to reduce move count will
centers seconds
make you a master. your time for the first 2 and last 4
centers should be about the same.

beginner 75+ you can assemble the centers, but it is disjointed and
centers seconds chaotic, not a smooth execution. learn a couple of easy
patterns and practice spotting them and executing. also
 work on smoothness over speed, the speed will come
naturally with improved look ahead and improved
methodology which will reduce move count

on to the edges

pairing up tredges

beginner method

pairing up edges and wings can be done almost entirely with the method
shown below, the idea is a very familiar one to cubers, fix something,
replace it with something else that isn't fixed to move it out of the way,
then restore what part of the centers were broke while pairing up the
edge and wing. this is a great beginner method as you don't have too
much to keep track of, and after every piece the centers are brought back
to solved state, so cube rotations aren't a problem.

advanced methods

this method is the advanced method for pairing up the tredges. it is

faster, but requires great look ahead and recognition. it also allows for the
centers to be off after each piece, so any mistakes can result in the
centers being messed up again, usually resulting from a cube rotation, or
a deep cut. The idea is to use the M or E ring (as you prefer) to pair up
the wings with their matching edges, then "store" the completed tredges
on the L and R (or U and D) faces depending on the building area you
use. at this time i know most of the top solvers are using the E area for
building and storing on U and D. for this reason i will show it like this, but
the M ring and storing on L and R is also very usable for great times.
Once you have eight sets of tredges stored you go on to solve the last
four in groups of one or two if you can. this applet will give you a single
edge view, for a compete walkthrough, check out this video.

last edge groups

now when you get to the last two, three, or four sets of tredges, this can
get a little tight because there is not always an extra set of pieces to
trade out, but these can be fixed easily with some of the following
algorithms in the complete last two tredges index. There are also other
useful algs included that work on more than one or two edges, allowing
for a faster resolution of the last four tredges.
 first 8 edges progress gauge

every turn is optimized to postition or match pieces up,

there is no delay between peices, and a consistent
master edges <45 smoothness is there while solving, the last 4 edges are
solved more efficiently, fixing as many things at once as
possible.

finding pieces is getting faster, but there are still delays

between some pieces. try slowing down and optimizing
moves, all insertions can be 3 or 4 moves. again smoothness
intermediate
<90 is the key, speed comes automatically when you you're
edges
smooth. last 4 edges are probably being solved one at a
time, experiment with last 2 edge algs and commutators to
really improve.

it is difficult to find matching groups and delays between

beginner every piece. try solving a specfic set for a while (like all the
>90
edges orange or white edges) to improve finding ability and learn
insertions.

on to the final solve

final solve as a 3x3x3

now for the final solve. as there is nearly an unlimited number of pages
on solving the 3x3 we won't go into great detail about that, below are
links to pages that have good methods, and we provide some tips
regarding the physical aspects of solving the big cube like a 3x3.

tips

now the main thing is to be patient, rushing will just lock the cube up,
and create more problems, especially since if something goes wrong when
solving a 5x5x5 it usually goes really, really wrong, setting you back
many steps.

you've practiced your finger tricks and it will be very hard to not apply
them to the professor, but honestly using more wrist twisting is the way
to go. its accurate, reasonably quick, and nearly guarantees no nasty
mistakes. finger tricks are sure possible, though, i find the ones that
involve my thumb work out well on professor, but some others usually
result in a lockup, be sure to experiment with what your personal limits
are here.

holding the inside corners as opposed the exact center like a 3x3, holding
these inside corners ensures that no accidental deep layer turns happen,
which can be disasterous for the solve, as well as stop those annoying
inside corner twists.

Lars Petrus' page

Shotaro "Macky" Makisumi's page

Master Katsu's page

Lars Vandenbergh's page

Ron van Bruchem's page

these pages are made by the best of the best, these represent almost all
the well known solving methods as well as some lesser known ones. there
are many, many pages for the 3x3 so be sure to find a method and
algorithms that suit your style best. What is right for one solver might not
be (and probably isn't) what's best for you.

so enough talk....here's some videos of frank morris, one of the leading

5x5x5 solvers in the world, and a current world record average holder
with a blazing 1:47.40 single solve and a 1:58.66 average,

download some of frank's solves by clicking here

final solve progress gauge

master final <30 you have your 3x3 method mastered and regularly
solve seconds achieve sub-20 averages with a 3x3 cube.

you have your method down, but solving is slow and

intermediate <45
clumsy. experiment with what grip and finger techniques
final solve seconds
work for you.

you either need to work on the 3x3 solve method you

beginner final 45+ use, or you just need time to get used to using a bigger
solve seconds cube. be sure to not rush and let the speed come
naturally through fast recognition and a good method.
solving the last sets of edges

here are the cases for the last two sets of tredges, split into cases
with/without the parity

no parity

simple match/flip

this is the same case, just mirrored. it is probably the best and easiest case to
end up with, and the easiest to understand. the idea is join the matching wing
and edge (with the first d/d' turn) then take the edge out, and reinsert it
upside down, then the unfold (last d/d') brings the final piece back into
position and restores centers.

double wing swaps

this first case will swap two wings on one side, for the ones directly across while
preserving orientation, the second alg swaps the same pieces, but flips
orientation. The first alg is easier done for me with edges on FL and FR, while
the second is easier with them on UF and UB, be sure to experiment with algs
to see what works best for you.

double edge flip

This will flip two middle edges, same idea as the simple
match/flip, except the centers are moved over instead of a
wing. take it out, flip it upside down, put it back and restore.
This is a good final case to get, also, using E/E' on the first turn
is possible instead of slicing.

with parity

single edge flip

 this is the single parity. it is similar to the revenge parity and the
same alg can be used. There are a couple of algs for this case, but
this one seems to be the most popular. you can usually avoid this
case by itself with a good look ahead and instead get one of the
easier parity situations.

double parity

this is a just like the double parity alg on revenge, it swaps the
two groups of wings like the double wing swap, but it also flips
one edge.

edge flip/swap

this parity is similar looking to the last two edges on revenge,

just one side is a double. this will swap and flip the two remaining
wings.

checkerboard

these patterns are easy to recognize since nothing is matched

up, and the algs for them are also easy, usually faster than the
single parity execution for me.

these cases are all the final edge configurations for the last two tredges,
you don't need them all to be able to solve the 5x5 everytime, but its
good to eventually learn them all. if you're looking at a minimum to learn,
the recommended repotoire is single match/swap (and learn the double
center flip at the same time, since its the same alg, just with a different
starting and finishing move), regular double wing swap, single edge
parity. after that the double parity, edge flip/swap and checkboards.
finally the double wing swap/flip since it is the rarest case. these cases
can sometimes be applied to individual groups in the last four to fix a
tredge, however, regular pairing up as shown on the edges page requires
many less moves than these cases. with some experimentation and
practice the last four tredges can be pretty quick, and a great time to look
ahead for the start of the 3x3 phase.
other useful algs and ideas

these next algs are useful for advanced last four edges strategies, one
flips three centers (the ones at FU, FD, and BD). this alg can also fix the
parity since it flips an odd number of centers.

the other is a simple M' U M idea, but when nothing good is visible to start
with on the last four tredges, often that sequence will make an easy start
somewhere. note that it create an edge three-cycle, and swaps the BU
and BD wings. at first it will be hard to see where to apply it for best
results, it will usually do something good if you just randomly apply it,
after time the best cycle will become more apparent.

cycle edges and swap

flip 3 edges
wings

master final there is no transitional delay between the first eight and last
<15
edges four edges, multiple pieces are placed at once

intermediate sluggish finding the best way to finish, usually the technique
<30
final edges is ok, but the look ahead is what needs the work

its difficult to see what to pair up, and sometimes you undo
beginner final
30+ previous matches accidently while pairing something up.
edges
practice is the key