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The Middle Three
People → South Africa → Duncan Hobbs

People · South Africa

Duncan Hobbs

3×3 blindfolded · top 2.8% of 12,178 all-time · competing since October 2019 · 2019HOBB02

Duncan Hobbs has been competing for 7 years. His best event is the 3×3 blindfolded: a personal-best single of 24.55, set at Please Be Solved This Time Joburg 2023, puts him in the top 2.8% of the 12,178 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1st in South Africa. Until June 2013, no official 3×3 blindfolded solve in the world had been that fast. Across 12 competitions since October 2019, he has put 196 official solves on the record across eight events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 19% around a typical one; 98% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. That figure sets aside his 11 DNFs. His 3×3 best has come down from 22.30 in October 2019 to 15.81, a 29% improvement. Duncan has entered twelve competitions, more competitions than 94% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3 blindfolded
best event — top 2.8% of 12,178 all-time
24.55
signature single · Please Be Solved This Time Joburg 2023
196
official solves on the record
19%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 98% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingSouth Africa
3×3 blindfolded24.5536.94
top 2.8%1 / 53
3×3 Multi-Blind26 of 29 cubes · 55:59
top 3.2%1 / 27
3×315.8118.97
top 27.1%346 / 2,164
2×25.1310.29
top 40.9%437 / 1,510
Megaminx2:18.872:43.06
top 55.8%104 / 266
4×41:20.521:30.30
top 56.3%198 / 491
Pyraminx16.2524.05
top 85.8%775 / 946
3×3 one-handed1:05.652:13.90
top 87.0%338 / 467

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

Cape Town Spring 2019: 22.30Cape Town Summer 2020: 16.80Cape Town Summer 2022: 15.81Arnold Classic Africa 2022: 16.46CubeCo Durban Winter Warmup 2022: 17.08Rubik's WCA African Championship 2022: 19.17CubingZA Cape Cubes Summer 2023: 16.86CubingZA National Championship 2023: 18.69CubingZA Cape Cubes Spring 2023: 17.76Pretoria Spring Afternoon 2023: 17.24CubingZA Cape Cubes Challenge 2023: 19.0515.8122.3020 Oct 20199 Dec 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-20 3×3 blindfolded single — 166 people have one; it is 4.55 away.
  • A sub-15 3×3 single — 69,493 people have one; it is 0.81 away.

Targets move as he improves.