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People · United States

Brian Lai

3×3 · top 6.3% of 284,439 all-time · competing since August 2022 · 2022LAIB01

Brian Lai has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.58, set at Berkeley Winter A 2023, puts him in the top 6.3% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 3,491st in the United States. Until November 2007, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 6 competitions since August 2022, he has put 157 official solves on the record across eleven events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 52% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 11.76 in September 2022 to 9.58, a 19% improvement. Brian has entered six competitions, more competitions than 86% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 6.3% of 284,439 all-time
9.58
signature single · Berkeley Winter A 2023
157
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 52% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×39.5811.15
top 6.3%3,491 / 59,724
4×448.3650.87
top 22.6%3,422 / 19,072
2×23.764.69
top 23.5%9,207 / 40,951
Pyraminx6.5310.53
top 24.1%6,551 / 28,708
5×51:31.411:43.66
top 28.5%2,237 / 9,401
3×3 one-handed23.9630.37
top 31.4%4,071 / 15,683
Square-124.3234.80
top 37.5%2,441 / 6,743
Megaminx2:04.712:15.21
top 48.4%3,588 / 7,841
Skewb9.1212.12
top 49.3%8,803 / 18,907
6×63:49.564:23.29
top 62.1%2,398 / 4,196
7×75:50.33
early days — 1 solve1,973 / 3,184

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

Berkeley Fall 2022: 11.76Bay Area Speedcubin' 39 2022: 10.20Berkeley Winter A 2023: 9.58Berkeley Spring 2023: 9.70Bay Area Speedcubin' 43 2023: 10.409.5811.7610 Sep 20221 Apr 2023

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-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 1.58 away.
  • A sub-40 4×4 single — 10,180 people have one; it is 8.36 away.

Targets move as he improves.