Megaminx
Solution
by Kurt Endl.

Fast Forward to:
Section 1: The Objectives
Section 2: The Elementary Operations (current)
Section 3: Construction of the North Pole Cap
Section 4: Setting the Northern Equatorial Edges
Section 5: Setting the Northern Equatorial Corners
Section 6: Setting the Middle Equatorial Edges
Section 7: Setting the Southern Equatorial Edges
Section 8: Setting the South Pole Edges
Section 9: Placing the Southern Equatorial Corners
Section 10: Placement of the South Pole Corners
Section 11: Orientation of the Southern Equatorial and South Pole Corners

2. The elementary operations

Looking at MEGAMINX one really might get scared and think: So many parts to be arranged! So many difficult operations.


It will come as a big surprise to you that only two types of very short operations are needed. And, moat astonishing of all, we shall master MEGAMINX with the same elementary operations as we need for IMPOSSIBALL, which is only half of MEGAMINX!!

In these elementary operations, we shalt only use the leff and right caps which shall be turned alternately. Since we start either with the left or the right cap, we shalt use the letters L or R respectively for these operations.


In the first two operations, the first two turns are upwards. This we indicate by putting two stars "upwards" beside the letters L and R: , . You will notice that these two operations are symmetric, only "left" and "right" are exchanged. They are of the same "type".

	Step 1: The Left or Right Cap respectively is turned upwards
	Step 2: The Right or Left Cap respectively is turned upwards
	Step 3: The first turn is reversed
	Step 4: The second turn is reversed

In the next two operations - again symmetric - the first two turns are downwards. This we indicate by putting two stars "downwards" beside the letters L and R: , .

	Step 1: The Left or Right Cap respectively is turned downwards
	Step 2: The Right or Left Cap respectively is turned downwards
	Step 3: The first turn is reversed
	Step 4: The second turn is reversed

These operations are very fast. Please, do me a favor and practice each of these operations for a few minutes. After a very short time you will need less than three seconds for one operation.

Let me summarize once more and you will never forget these operations:
The letters L or R indicate that you start with the left or right cap respectively. If the Stars are 'up', the first two turns are upwards, if the stars are "down", the first two turns are downwards.

Let me point out very briefly the main properties of these operations:

1. All these operations excharge one pair of corners in the vertical direction.

2. All these operations exchange one pair of corners in the horizontal direction, either in the North Pole cap or in the equatorial belt.

3. All these operations move three edges.

It is sufficient to demonstrate this with and . For and you just have to read the arrows in the illustrations
of respectively in opposite directions: and are the "inverse" operations of respectively