Cube Finger Tricks
Finger tricks are ways of turning the cube with your fingers instead of your whole hand. They let you do algorithms in one smooth flow without stopping to change grip. They matter more for speed than turning hard.
The home grip
Hold the cube with your thumbs on the front face, near the bottom, and your fingers on the back. Your index fingers rest on the top back corners. Keep your grip loose: the cube should be able to turn under your fingers.
The main tricks
| Move | How |
|---|---|
| U | Flick the top front-right corner to the left with your right index finger. |
| U' | Flick the top front-left corner to the right with your left index finger. |
| U2 | Two quick flicks with the right index then middle finger (a “double flick”). |
| R / R' | Turn your right wrist, keeping your thumb on the front. Don’t let go of the cube. |
| F | Push the front top edge with your right thumb, or flick with your right index after an R’. |
| D / D' | Pull the bottom back with your left ring finger (D) or right ring finger (D’). |
| M' | Push the bottom back of the middle slice up with your left ring finger. |
| L / L' | Turn your left wrist, the mirror of R. |
Practise with these
- R U R' U': right wrist, right index flick, wrist back, left index flick. Repeat it six times and the cube is solved again.
- R U R' U R U2 R' (Sune): wrist and right index only. Aim to do it without your left hand moving at all.
- R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U' R U R' F' (T perm): a great test of R, U and F tricks together.
Do this with finger tricks: wrist, flick, wrist, flick.
Tips
- Go slowly at first. A smooth, slow algorithm with no pauses is faster than a fast, jerky one.
- Use a cube that turns easily. Old or stiff cubes make finger tricks almost impossible.
- Avoid cube rotations. Learn algorithms that use R, U and F, and solve F2L slots at the back without turning the cube round.
Next: learn 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL with finger tricks from the start, and time yourself on the cube timer.
Questions people ask
Do finger tricks really make you faster?
Yes. They remove the pauses for regripping, which are where most time goes after you know the method.
Which finger trick should I learn first?
The U flick with your right index finger and R wrist turns. Together they cover most of the moves in CFOP algorithms.