Stage one: the white cross.
The goal: all four white edges placed around the white center — with each edge's second color matching the center beside it. That second condition is the one beginners miss: a white cross with mismatched sides is a cross you'll have to rebuild.
Why the daisy?
Building the cross directly means every new edge risks kicking out one you already placed. The daisy trick sidesteps that: park all four white edges around the yellow center first (white stickers facing up), where nothing can disturb them. Then deliver each one down with a single half turn.
- 1Hold the cube yellow-center-up. Find any edge with a white sticker and bring it to the top layer so its white faces up. Repeat until you have the four-petal daisy. There are no wrong moves here — petals already placed just need a twist of U to keep them out of the way.
- 2Take one petal. Turn U until the petal's other color sits directly above the center of the same color — green sticker over green center, say.
- 3Turn that face twice (F2 if it's the front). The petal travels down to the bottom, white now facing down, colors matched.
- 4Repeat for the other three petals. Flip the cube over: white cross, sides aligned.
Tip
Aim for a cross in under a minute before moving on — not for speed's sake, but because it means you're finding edges without hunting. Later, the cross is the one stage top solvers plan entirely before starting the timer.