R2+1
F → R → B → L
+ slides right on FRONT
Index rows from top to bottom. On 3×3×3: R1, R2, R3.
One puzzle. Two alphabets.
Faces describe where.
Moves describe what travels.
01 / STATE
Six labels unfold the cube
A state lists the stickers on each physical face. Face letters are always followed by an equals sign.
F Front
B Back
L Left
R Right
U Up
D Down
READING ORDER
Start at the top-left sticker. Read each row from left to right, then move down to the next row.
BACK is shown head-on, not mirrored. Imagine walking around the cube and looking straight at the BACK face from outside. Read it left to right exactly as you read FRONT.
State clue: look for =, as in R=MMMGGGRRR.
EXACT SQN STATE
02 / MOVES
Three families move closed tapes
A move does not turn one face. It slides a complete tape through four faces. Every family and every index is defined from one fixed reference: looking at the FRONT face.
C2+1
F → D → B → U
+ slides down on FRONT
Index columns from left to right. On 3×3×3: C1, C2, C3.
D2+1
U → R → D → L
+ slides down on RIGHT
Index depth tapes from front to back. On 3×3×3: D1, D2, D3.
FRONT is the coordinate system: rows run horizontally and count top → bottom; columns run vertically and count left → right; depth counts FRONT → BACK. The + and − arrows drawn on each highlighted tape show its two travel directions.
03 / READ A TOKEN
Four parts, read left to right
The family and index choose the tape. The sign and count say how it moves.
familyrow tape
indexfirst from top
directionnegative
countthree positions
Read it aloud: “row one, minus three.”
04 / SEE IT MOVE
Three tokens. One live replay.
Start from the solved state, then apply one move from each family. With no earlier scramble, every changed sticker belongs to this three-move example.
R1+1top row slides right on FRONTC2-1middle column slides up on FRONTD3+1rear depth tape slides down on RIGHT
STARTsolved state
R1+1C2-1D3+1
→
RESULTafter 3 moves
The six face labels record a state. The three move families select one of the puzzle's closed tapes. They look similar in text, but they answer different questions.
L=MMMMMMMMMLEFT face in a state
is not
L1-3a valid SQN move
INVALID
L1-3
L names the LEFT face in a state. It does not identify one unique tape.
VALID
R1-3
R selects row 1. −3 slides that closed tape by three sticker positions.