People · New Zealand
Benjamin Gardner
2×2 · top 0.29% of 189,179 all-time · competing since December 2022 · 2022GARD06
Benjamin Gardner has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 0.85, set at Cubing East Auckland Newcomer Open 2026, puts him in the top 0.29% of the 189,179 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 21st in New Zealand. Until November 2011, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 13 competitions since December 2022, he has put 816 official solves on the record across 14 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 55% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His Pyraminx best has come down from 12.62 in December 2022 to 1.57, an 88% improvement. Benjamin has entered 13 competitions, more competitions than 94% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2×2 | 0.85 | 2.05 | top 0.29% | 21 / 1,627 | |
| Pyraminx | 1.57 | 2.17 | top 0.52% | 22 / 1,149 | |
| 3×3 | 8.17 | 10.64 | top 3.1% | 94 / 2,145 | |
| Clock | 5.25 | 5.93 | top 5.0% | 30 / 319 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 13.54 | 18.90 | top 5.4% | 48 / 607 | |
| 4×4 | 36.02 | 41.69 | top 7.8% | 69 / 745 | |
| Skewb | 3.50 | 4.87 | top 7.8% | 72 / 670 | |
| Square-1 | 14.80 | 18.40 | top 16.0% | 49 / 254 | |
| Megaminx | 1:11.80 | 1:16.78 | top 16.8% | 68 / 284 | |
| 5×5 | 1:38.84 | 1:48.10 | top 34.5% | 122 / 364 | |
| 3×3 Fewest Moves | 39 moves | — | early days — 2 solves | 60 / 111 | |
| 6×6 | 4:08.90 | 4:40.25 | top 68.6% | 112 / 150 | |
| 3×3 blindfolded | 4:19.47 | — | early days — 3 solves | 70 / 86 | |
| 7×7 | 6:34.67 | — | early days — 3 solves | 103 / 126 |
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
Best single per competition, Pyraminx. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 10 Jul 2026Five personal bests in one day at GAN New Zealand Nationals 2026.
- 18 Apr 2026Seven personal bests in one day at Cubing East Auckland Newcomer Open 2026.
- 27 Feb 2026Seven personal bests in one day at NZ North Island Championship 2026.
- 25 Oct 2025Three personal bests in one day at New Zealand Cubing Decathlon 2025.
- 20 Sep 2025Three personal bests in one day at Beachside Auckland 2025.
- 11 Jul 2025Nine personal bests in one day at NZ North Island Championship 2025.
Competitions
- GAN New Zealand Nationals 2026 · 10 Jul 2026 — 5 personal bests set
- Welcome Back Hamilton 2026 · 9 May 2026
- Cubing East Auckland Newcomer Open 2026 · 18 Apr 2026 — 7 personal bests set
- NZ North Island Championship 2026 · 27 Feb 2026 — 7 personal bests set
- New Zealand Nationals 2025 · 12 Dec 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- New Zealand Cubing Decathlon 2025 · 25 Oct 2025 — 3 personal bests set
- Beachside Auckland 2025 · 20 Sep 2025 — 3 personal bests set
- NZ North Island Championship 2025 · 11 Jul 2025 — 9 personal bests set
- Puzzling Papatoetoe 2025 · 10 May 2025 — 6 personal bests set
- Max Speed Milford 2024 · 30 Nov 2024 — 5 personal bests set
- NZ North Island Championship 2024 · 19 Jul 2024 — 7 personal bests set
- NZ North Island Championship 2023 · 27 Oct 2023 — 5 personal bests set
- New Zealand Nationals 2022 · 9 Dec 2022
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.
- Brandon Harris — met in 160 rounds, finished ahead 56 times
- Ashley Foster — met in 140 rounds, finished ahead 27 times
- Jesse Brooke — met in 131 rounds, finished ahead 57 times
Next targets
- A sub-1 Pyraminx single — 49 people have one; it is 0.57 away.
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 8,101 people have one; it is 0.17 away.
Targets move as he improves.