You’re staring at it. That weird, four-sided plastic pyramid with the stickers peeling at the corners. It’s been sitting on your shelf—or maybe under your bed—for months. Most people call it a triangle Rubik's cube, but if you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about at a competition, call it the Pyraminx. It was actually invented by Uwe Mèffert back in 1970, which is wild because that’s years before Erno Rubik even released his famous 3x3 cube. Honestly, the Pyraminx is way easier than the standard cube, yet people get stuck because they try to apply 3x3 logic to a shape that has completely different geometry.
Let's be real. The Pyraminx looks intimidating. It has those pointy tips that spin independently, and the way the layers click feels different. But here is a secret: those four tips? They don't actually move the rest of the puzzle. They are basically just decoration. If you can solve a 2x2 cube, or even if you’ve never touched a puzzle in your life, you can learn how to solve the triangle Rubik's cube in about ten minutes. No, seriously.
Most beginners fail because they don't understand the "center" pieces. On a 3x3, the center is one fixed square. On a Pyraminx, the "centers" are the three pieces surrounding each tip. They don't move relative to each other. Once you align those three pieces to show the same color on one face, you’ve basically solved 70% of the puzzle. It’s mostly just a game of matching and then using one or two simple "triggers" to swap the edges.
The First Rule of the Pyraminx: Ignore the Tips
The first thing you do is click those four tips into place. Match the tip color with the diamond-shaped center piece right below it. This is the easiest part of the whole process. It takes four seconds. Now, forget they exist. They are fixed to the center pieces, so they won't move again.
Now, look at the centers. Each face needs three center pieces of the same color. A common mistake is trying to solve the "Red" side on a face that literally cannot have red. How do you know? Look at the three tips surrounding a face. If one of those tips doesn't have red on it, then that face can never be red. It’s simple logic, but when you're frustrated, it’s easy to overlook. You need to find the "Nuclear Sign" or the "Biohazard" shape. That’s when three center pieces of the same color are all facing you on one side.
Pick a color to start with. Let’s go with yellow. Most speedcubers start with yellow or green because the stickers are easy to track. Spin the layers until you have those three yellow center pieces on the same face. It’ll look like a yellow fan. If you can't get all three to one side, you're on the wrong side. Move to a different face and try again.
Solving the First Layer and the Sledgehammer
Once your yellow "fan" is built, keep that face on the bottom. You are looking for yellow edge pieces (the pieces with two colors that aren't the tips or centers) currently sitting in the top layer. This is where we actually start the process of how to solve the triangle Rubik's cube properly.
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Suppose you find a Yellow-Blue edge. Look at the blue side of that edge piece. Rotate the top of the pyramid until that blue side matches the blue centers on the side of the cube. Now, you’re going to perform the only move you really need to memorize: The Sledgehammer.
If the piece is on the right, you do this:
- Right side down
- Left side down
- Right side up
- Left side up
That’s it. It’s a rhythmic four-move sequence. If the piece was on the left, you just start with the left side. Left down, right down, left up, right up. This "inserts" the edge piece into the bottom layer without messing up your centers. Repeat this for all three yellow edges. If an edge is stuck in the bottom but in the wrong spot, just do a Sledgehammer to kick it out into the top layer, then put it back where it belongs.
The Last Layer: When Things Get Weird
Now your bottom layer is done. The yellow side is solid, and the first row of colors around the base matches. You’re left with the top layer. Usually, you’ll run into one of three situations.
Situation A: The Three-Edge Cycle.
The edges are in the right spots but the colors are "swirled" around. You need to move the piece from the front to the back-left, and so on. To fix this, use a "Sune" move (borrowed from the 3x3 world). It goes: Right up, Top right, Right down, Top right, Right up, Top right, Right down. It feels like the piece is dancing around the top until it finally drops into place.
Situation B: The Two-Edge Flip.
This is the most common "scary" look. Two edges are in their correct spots, but they are flipped backwards. The colors don't match the faces. To solve this, do a Sledgehammer (R' L R L'), then rotate the whole cube slightly to the top, and do a "reverse" insertion (L R' L' R). It sounds complicated in text, but your hands will feel the pattern after three tries.
Situation C: Everything looks like a mess.
Just keep doing the Sune or the Sledgehammer. On a Pyraminx, there are only 933,120 possible positions. That sounds like a lot, but compared to the 43 quintillion on a regular cube, it’s nothing. You can almost "accidently" solve it just by repeating the Sledgehammer enough times.
Speedcubing Nuance and Expert Tips
If you want to get fast—like under 5 seconds fast—you have to stop thinking in moves and start thinking in "blocks." Professional solvers like Drew Brads or Tymon Kolasiński don't just solve one edge at a time. They use the "V-First" method. They build a V-shape of two edges and three centers, then solve the entire rest of the puzzle in one look.
Another thing: lubricate your puzzle. A dry Pyraminx feels like grinding sand. Use a weight 1 or 2 silicone lube. It makes the layers glide. Also, check your tensions. If the screws are too tight, you can’t "corner cut," which is the ability to turn a layer even if the other side isn't perfectly aligned.
Actionable Steps to Mastery
- Don't over-rotate. Your biggest time-waster is turning the cube over and over in your hands. Keep the bottom face on the bottom.
- Learn the "Sexy Move." No, I didn't name it that; the cubing community did. It’s just Right up, Top right, Right down, Top left. It’s useful for shuffling edges quickly.
- Drill the Sledgehammer. Do it 50 times while watching TV. Make it muscle memory so your brain doesn't have to "think" the steps.
- Use a timer. Download an app like CSTimer. Seeing your times drop from 2 minutes to 30 seconds is the best motivation.
The beauty of the triangle cube is that it’s intuitive. Unlike the 3x3, where you need to memorize dozens of algorithms (OLL, PLL, F2L), the Pyraminx is mostly about spatial awareness. Once you understand how the edges swap places during a Sledgehammer, you stop following a guide and start just "seeing" the solution. Go grab that dusty pyramid and give it a twist. You'll have it solved before your coffee gets cold.