The ZZ method step by step
The ZZ method was developed by Zbigniew Zborowski. Its idea is to deal with edge orientation once, at the start, so the rest of the solve never has to. Pick a step in the tool to see on the 3D cube what it solves.
1. EOLine
Orient all twelve edges, then place the two bottom edges at the front and back (the line). An edge is oriented when it can be solved without F or B turns. The 3D view shows only the line, because orientation does not show on a solved picture.
2. F2L
Build the left and right blocks of the first two layers. Because R, U and L turns never change edge orientation, this whole step is done with those three faces, which lets you turn the cube less and keeps the edges oriented.
3. Last layer
The top edges are already oriented, so the yellow cross is there from the start. You can finish with the seven corner cases of OLL (21 to 27) and then the 21 PLL algorithms, or learn ZBLL, a much larger set that solves the whole last layer in one algorithm when the edges are oriented.
ZZ compared with CFOP
EOLine is harder to plan than a cross, and it takes practice to spot which edges are flipped. In return, F2L needs fewer cube rotations and the last layer always skips the edge part of OLL. Many ZZ users begin with the same last-layer algorithms as CFOP; see the algorithms overview for the 4-look version.
Sources: Speedsolving.com wiki: ZZ method. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
Who invented the ZZ method?
Zbigniew Zborowski, and ZZ comes from his initials.
What is EOLine?
The first step of ZZ: orient all twelve edges and place the two bottom edges at the front and back. After it, the rest of F2L only needs R, U and L turns.
How do I know if an edge is oriented?
An edge is oriented if it can be solved using only R, L, U and D turns. A common shortcut: look at the sticker of the edge that has the top or bottom color (or, if it has neither, the front or back color) and check which way it faces.
Which last-layer algorithms does ZZ use?
The simplest route is the seven corner cases of OLL (21 to 27) and then PLL. Advanced ZZ users learn ZBLL to finish the last layer in one look.