Sunday 6 September 2026 Rebuilt nightly from the WCA's official results · export of 6 September 2026 · About
The Middle Three
People → China → Cai Ying (应才)

People · China

Cai Ying (应才)

4×4 · top 2.8% of 83,917 all-time · competing since May 2014 · 2014YING01

Cai Ying (应才) has been competing for 12 years. His best event is the 4×4: a personal-best single of 30.01, set at Deqing Big & Blind 2026, puts him in the top 2.8% of the 83,917 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 275th in China. Until April 2012, no official 4×4 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 20 competitions since May 2014, he has put 768 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 75% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 16.05 in May 2014 to 8.87, a 45% improvement. Cai has entered 20 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

4×4
best event — top 2.8% of 83,917 all-time
30.01
signature single · Deqing Big & Blind 2026
768
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 75% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
4×430.0135.99
top 2.8%275 / 5,926
5×555.041:04.98
top 3.4%151 / 2,816
3×38.8710.39
top 4.6%1,744 / 28,153
6×61:48.301:57.28
top 6.5%148 / 1,349
7×72:46.922:52.84
top 7.0%148 / 1,261
Pyraminx4.186.87
top 8.6%1,031 / 10,224
3×3 one-handed15.4119.09
top 9.0%852 / 5,922
2×22.984.47
top 14.0%2,191 / 15,796
3×3 Fewest Moves33 moves
early days — 2 solves244 / 1,058
Megaminx1:24.381:39.76
top 24.6%752 / 1,678
Skewb6.4711.64
top 29.5%1,816 / 5,004
Clock15.7617.79
top 50.9%1,192 / 1,843

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

Zhejiang University Open 2014: 16.05Shenzhen Open 2015: 11.53Wuxi Open 2015: 14.15Shanghai Summer Open 2015: 11.85Shenyang Open 2016: 11.78Jinhua Open 2016: 13.17Asian Championship 2016: 11.56Wuxi Open 2017: 10.71Hefei Open 2017: 11.31Dalian Winter 2017: 9.20Shanghai Winter 2018: 10.03Dalian Open 2018: 9.98Hangzhou Autumn 2019: 10.76Shaoxing Open 2019: 11.06Hangzhou Open PM 2021: 10.07Huzhou Open 2024: 10.11Lishui Open 2025: 9.13Xianju NxN 2026: 8.878.8716.0524 May 20147 Mar 2026

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-30 4×4 single — 2,388 people have one; it is 0.01 away.
  • A sub-50 5×5 single — 713 people have one; it is 5.04 away.

Targets move as he improves.