Skewbs

Skewbs are a family of twisty puzzles related to the Rubik’s Cube, but with a different geometry created by cutting the cube along diagonal planes. A standard Skewb puzzle consists of eight corner pieces and six center pieces, totaling 14 movable pieces, with each piece carrying colored stickers. On a typical model there are 30 visible stickers, since the eight corners contribute 24 stickers and the six centers contribute 6 more.

Movement on a Skewb is achieved by turning one of six faces, each a 90-degree turn. A turn rotates a cluster of pieces around an axis that passes through the cube’s interior, permuting the positions of corners and centers while maintaining the overall structure. This makes the puzzle feel different from a Rubik’s Cube: pieces do not slide in layers but are rearranged by diagonal-cut turns, leading to distinct solving strategies and parity considerations.

The solved state of a Skewb has each of its six faces showing a uniform color. Solving commonly proceeds by addressing the centers first (aligning the six colors on the face centers), followed by positioning and orienting the eight corners. Many solving approaches use commutators and other short algorithms to swap small groups of pieces without disrupting the rest of the puzzle.

Variants of the Skewb include the Skewb Diamond, which reshapes the puzzle into a diamond-like form while preserving the same turn mechanics, and various stickerless or higher-piece-count versions produced by different manufacturers. The Skewb remains a popular element of the twisty-puzzle community, offering a distinct challenge from standard cube-based puzzles.