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People · United States

Christopher Lai

3×3 · top 0.49% of 288,433 all-time · competing since October 2016 · 2016LAIC01

Christopher Lai has been competing for 10 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 5.99, set at Corona Summer 2023, puts him in the top 0.49% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 326th in the United States. Until June 2011, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 34 competitions since October 2016, he has put 947 official solves on the record across eight events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 74% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 32.05 in October 2016 to 5.99, an 81% improvement. Christopher has entered 34 competitions, more competitions than 98% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 0.49% of 288,433 all-time
5.99
signature single · Corona Summer 2023
947
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 74% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×35.998.43
top 0.49%326 / 60,666
2×21.112.15
top 0.8%332 / 41,674
3×3 one-handed14.2417.11
top 6.6%918 / 15,900
Pyraminx4.5611.03
top 10.6%2,812 / 29,168
4×439.9246.88
top 12.1%1,819 / 19,354
Skewb6.208.55
top 27.4%4,519 / 19,164
Square-129.2138.96
top 48.0%3,167 / 6,846
3×3 Fewest Moves45 moves—
early days — 1 solve1,378 / 2,059

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

Newport Fall 2016: 32.05Skillcon 2016: 24.13Caltech Winter 2017: 13.27Qualifornia 2017: 14.65Las Vegas Spring 2017: 12.89OCSEF Open 2017: 11.68Nisei Week 2017: 11.51TF3I San Diego 2017: 10.28Berkeley Fall 2017: 9.22Irvine Winter 2018: 10.07West Coast Cubing Tour - Los Angeles 2018: 9.63CubingUSA Nationals 2018: 9.62Nisei Week 2018: 9.02Anaheim Fall 2018: 7.76CubeChella 2018: 8.32Mudd Winter 2019: 8.11Santa Barbara Winter 2019: 8.44San Diego Summer 2019: 8.06Santa Barbara Fall 2019: 8.42Mudd Winter 2020: 8.09Circle City Summer 2022: 8.34Marshall Middle Slice 2022: 7.76Diamond Bar September 2022: 7.47WCC Western Championship 2022: 7.46Marshall Cubing Spring 2023: 7.38Circle City Turbocharged 2023: 7.65Give Back RPV 2023: 6.56UCSD For Hemophilia 2023: 6.48Corona Summer 2023: 5.99UCSB Cubing 2024: 7.56Nub Open Lake Forest 2024: 8.45Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025: 9.865.9932.058 Oct 20163 Jul 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-5 3×3 single — 355 people have one; it is 0.99 away.
  • A sub-1 2×2 single — 1,050 people have one; it is 0.11 away.

Targets move as he improves.