Rubik's Cube Solver (C++)

A high-performance Rubik’s Cube solver implemented in C++ using IDA* search and pattern database heuristics to compute optimal solutions efficiently. The solver uses a memory-efficient bitboard representation and can solve random scrambles in under one second when built in Release mode.

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Features

• Bitboard cube representation
• Optimal solver using IDA*
• Pattern database heuristics
• Fast solving (Release build < 1 second)
• Multiple search algorithms: BFS, DFS, IDDFS, IDA*
• Modern C++ (C++17)
• CMake build system
• Cross-platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS)

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Example Output

===== Rubik's Cube Solver =====

Scramble: U2 D R2 F
Solution: F' R2 U2 D'
Moves count: 4

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Project Structure

Rubiks-Cube-Solver/
│
├── Model/               Cube state representations
├── Solver/              Search algorithms
├── PatternDatabases/    Heuristic databases
├── Databases/           Precomputed tables
├── main.cpp             Program entry point
├── CMakeLists.txt       Build configuration
└── README.md

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Build Instructions

Requirements

• C++17 or newer
• CMake
• GCC / Clang / MinGW / MSYS2

Build (recommended: Release mode)

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . --config Release

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Run

Windows

.\rubiks_cube_solver.exe

Linux / macOS

./rubiks_cube_solver

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Algorithms

IDA* (Iterative Deepening A*)

• Finds optimal solutions
• Memory efficient
• Suitable for large search spaces

Pattern Databases

• Precomputed heuristics
• Reduce search time significantly

Bitboard Encoding

• Compact state representation
• Fast operations
• Cache friendly

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Performance

Build Type	Solve Time
Debug	Slow
Release	< 1 sec

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Technologies Used

• C++
• STL
• CMake
• Graph search algorithms
• Heuristic optimization

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Use Cases

• Learning search algorithms
• Understanding heuristic design
• Algorithmic optimization
• Systems and performance programming

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Author

Rahul Paul