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The Middle Three
People → China → Baian Liu

People · China

Baian Liu

2×2 · top 5.5% of 186,767 all-time · competing since May 2008 · 2008LIUB01

Baian Liu has been competing for 18 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 2.11, set at River Hill Fall 2010, puts him in the top 5.5% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 770th in China. Until February 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 10 competitions since May 2008, he has put 253 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 76% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 25.80 in May 2008 to 14.00, a 46% improvement. Baian has entered ten competitions, more competitions than 92% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 5.5% of 186,767 all-time
2.11
signature single · River Hill Fall 2010
253
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 76% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
2×22.113.77
top 5.5%770 / 15,796
Pyraminx4.917.87
top 12.6%1,511 / 10,224
3×3 one-handed19.7136.34
top 19.7%1,973 / 5,922
3×314.0016.10
top 21.0%8,098 / 28,153
Clock9.9712.11
top 25.0%565 / 1,843
3×3 Fewest Moves34 moves
top 26.7%289 / 1,058
4×457.061:10.28
top 33.2%3,314 / 5,926
5×52:40.16
top 70.6%2,574 / 2,816
Square-11:01.81
early days — 2 solves1,294 / 1,362

Percentile against all competitors ever ranked in each event, a fairer measure than raw rank, because the pools differ by a factor of ten.

The line so far

Washington DC Open 2008: 25.80Virginia Open 2008: 21.77Washington DC Open 2010: 14.52Baltimore Spring competition 2010: 18.78Washington DC Spring 2010: 15.56Virginia Open 2010: 14.00River Hill Fall 2010: 14.00Washington DC Winter 2011: 17.18SSL 2 Stockholm 2017: 17.2114.0025.8017 May 20088 Apr 2017

Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.

The story so far

Competitions

Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · top X% compares against everyone ever ranked in that event, which is fairer than raw rank because event pools differ tenfold.

The circuit

The people whose scorecards keep turning up next to his.

  • Bob Burton — met in 51 rounds, finished ahead 30 times
  • Kevin Zhou — met in 45 rounds, finished ahead 12 times
  • Evan Liu — met in 37 rounds, finished ahead 28 times

Next targets

  • A sub-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.11 away.
  • A sub-4 Pyraminx single — 9,892 people have one; it is 0.91 away.

Targets move as he improves.