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People → China → Bowen Xiao (肖博文)

People · China

Bowen Xiao (肖博文)

3×3 blindfolded · top 0.69% of 12,178 all-time · competing since August 2017 · 2017XIAO09

Bowen Xiao (肖博文) has been competing for 9 years. His best event is the 3×3 blindfolded: a personal-best single of 17.34, set at Yong Jun KL Speedcubing 2023, puts him in the top 0.69% of the 12,178 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 6th in China. Until July 2018, no official 3×3 blindfolded solve in the world had been that fast. Across 36 competitions since August 2017, he has put 647 official solves on the record across 17 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 64% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. That figure sets aside his 13 DNFs. His 3×3 best has come down from 17.48 in August 2017 to 8.82, a 50% improvement. Bowen has entered 36 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3 blindfolded
best event — top 0.69% of 12,178 all-time
17.34
signature single · Yong Jun KL Speedcubing 2023
647
official solves on the record
14%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 64% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
3×3 blindfolded17.3419.47
top 0.69%6 / 1,183
2×21.873.26
top 4.0%530 / 15,796
3×38.829.90
top 4.5%1,698 / 28,153
4×4 blindfolded2:27.34—
top 5.0%10 / 149
4×436.8048.56
top 8.5%873 / 5,926
Pyraminx4.298.07
top 9.1%1,094 / 10,224
5×5 blindfolded7:47.78—
early days — 2 solves16 / 95
Clock7.8310.25
top 14.4%308 / 1,843
3×3 one-handed17.9421.37
top 14.9%1,473 / 5,922
3×3 Multi-Blind15 of 20 cubes · 47:29—
top 15.8%48 / 278
5×51:21.931:34.68
top 20.6%981 / 2,816
Skewb7.0011.25
top 33.7%2,055 / 5,004
Square-124.0642.68
top 36.9%627 / 1,362
Megaminx1:48.392:07.14
top 39.5%1,133 / 1,678
7×74:37.554:59.03
top 43.7%809 / 1,261
6×63:11.103:24.02
top 46.3%902 / 1,349
3×3 Fewest Moves40 moves44.67
top 48.3%560 / 1,058

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

Yangzhou Open 2017: 17.48Yunnan Open 2017: 16.08Jinan Open 2017: 14.90Qingdao Open 2018: 12.90Weihai Open 2018: 12.36China Championship 2018: 11.95Weihai Open 2019: 9.53China Championship 2019: 11.73Shandong Open 2019: 10.07Luoyang Open 2019: 11.51Zibo Open 2019: 12.38Guangzhou Good Afternoon 2020: 10.40Nanchang Good Afternoon 2021: 9.54Shenzhen Good Afternoon 2021: 10.39Beijing Spring PM 2021: 12.61Xi'an Cherry Blossom PM 2021: 9.25Guangdong Open 2021: 11.25Guilin Open 2021: 10.77Zhengzhou Summer 2021: 10.93Wuhan Open 2021: 9.13Tianjin Summer Solstice 2021: 12.30Yong Jun KL Speedcubing 2023: 9.91Leovit Anniversary Cubing Kazakhstan 2023: 8.82Tokyo Spring AM 2025: 12.008.8217.4820 Aug 201720 Apr 2025

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.

Next targets

  • A sub-15 3×3 blindfolded single — 19 people have one; it is 2.34 away.
  • A sub-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.87 away.

Targets move as he improves.