2 Layer Simplex

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Jacob's Method

This puzzle is, at least in my opinion, the easiest to solve. Using the following method, you can consistently solve this puzzle in 10 moves or less. It flows like an algorithm, so for each piece, you can start at the top of the guide and follow through the rest of the neccessary steps. There is no need for macros, you just have to recognize a few patterns. This description is a little vague, so if you have questions, send me an email at tsrgaes@yahoo.com and I'll try my best to help.

Short Explanation

To start things off, you need to understand how each click you make affects the puzzle. It's easiest to explain if the puzzle has one cell placed flat at the bottom of the screen. If you click a corner piece on the bottom cell you will cause the entire puzzle to rotate except for the corner at the very top of the puzzle. If you clicked one of the three corners on the bottom of the cell, the two cells dirrectly above it will rotate clockwise with a left click (imagining the invisible cell is below the puzzle). If you left click the top corner of the bottom cell, the three visible cells above the bottom cell will rotate counterclockwise (from a top down viewpoint), and the very top corner will remain stationary. If you hold the 1 and 2 buttons down when you rotate, the entire puzzle will rotate and will not count as a twist. This is all you need to know before you're ready to solve the simplex.

The Method

Start by putting any cell you want on the bottom of the puzzle. The bottom cell can be exchanged for another if necessary later. On the top corner, look for a single piece of the corner that matches the cell it is over top. If there are three, it is solved and you may ignore the corner for the rest of the solve.

If there is one, click the corner on the opposite side of the bottom cell either with a left click or right click. If you accidentally click the wrong way, simply press “CTRL + Z” to undo the move. This will take care of the remaining pieces in one click.

If there is not one, though, then check to see if the three pieces match the three visible top cells.

If they all match, then either left or right click the top piece of the bottom cell to fix all three pieces and solve the corner in one click. Again, if you click the wrong way the first time, :CTRL + Z” is your friend here.

If only two pieces match (each will be on the other piece's corresponding cell) then simply click the corner on the same side of the bottom cell once either direction and one of them will be over the correct cell. Now just do like you would normally do for this piece (mentioned in an above paragraph) to solve the piece in a total of two clicks.

The only time that none of this will be able to solve a piece is if that piece is in the very center of the visible part of the puzzle. If this happens, there is a simple way to fix this problem. Remember how holding down the 1 and 2 buttons rotate the entire puzzle without wasting a twist? If you click one of the bottom corners of the bottom cell, it will rotate the corner in the center of the visible part of the puzzle to an outside corner where you can make the above apply to the piece. Of course, you could just right click off the puzzle and rotate it that way if you would rather. You can also wait until later to solve that piece if there are others unsolved. Sometimes you can get away without rotating the entire puzzle in these cases.