People · United States
Ethan Christopher Cates
3×3 · top 3.2% of 284,439 all-time · competing since November 2018 · 2018CATE03
Ethan Christopher Cates has been competing for 8 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.22, set at Cobb Library Cubing A 2022, puts him in the top 3.2% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,804th in the United States. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 11 competitions since November 2018, he has put 442 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 66% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 35.92 in November 2018 to 8.22, a 77% improvement. Ethan has entered eleven competitions, more competitions than 93% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 8.22 | 11.37 | top 3.2% | 1,804 / 59,724 | |
| Pyraminx | 3.32 | 4.45 | top 4.8% | 1,249 / 28,708 | |
| Skewb | 3.28 | 4.74 | top 6.5% | 1,002 / 18,907 | |
| Square-1 | 13.13 | 16.71 | top 12.2% | 845 / 6,743 | |
| 2×2 | 2.89 | 3.67 | top 13.0% | 5,116 / 40,951 | |
| Megaminx | 1:07.22 | 1:21.84 | top 14.0% | 955 / 7,841 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 18.61 | 21.14 | top 16.7% | 2,165 / 15,683 | |
| 5×5 | 1:18.60 | 1:20.54 | top 18.0% | 1,386 / 9,401 | |
| 4×4 | 45.33 | 50.66 | top 18.7% | 2,832 / 19,072 | |
| Clock | 9.95 | 11.16 | top 24.9% | 1,913 / 8,927 | |
| 7×7 | 3:50.41 | 4:04.09 | top 27.3% | 768 / 3,184 | |
| 6×6 | 3:01.31 | 3:11.42 | top 41.7% | 1,532 / 4,196 |
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
Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 4 Nov 2023Seven personal bests in one day at North Carolina Championship 2023.
- 12 Nov 2022Three personal bests in one day at Carolina Clock 'Stravaganza 2022.
- 29 Jul 202214 personal bests in one day at CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2022.
- 23 Apr 2022First sub-10 3×3: 8.22 at Cobb Library Cubing A 2022.
- 23 Apr 2022Four personal bests in one day at Cobb Library Cubing A 2022.
- 7 Dec 2019First sub-15 3×3: 13.20 at Rocky Top 2019.
Competitions
- North Carolina Championship 2023 · 4 Nov 2023 — 7 personal bests set
- Kendeda Kubing B 2023 · 19 Mar 2023 — 2 personal bests set
- Carolina Clock 'Stravaganza 2022 · 12 Nov 2022 — 3 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2022 · 29 Jul 2022 — 14 personal bests set
- Cobb Library Cubing A 2022 · 23 Apr 2022 — 4 personal bests set
- Big Cubes for Dunwoody 2020 · 8 Feb 2020 — 2 personal bests set
- Rocky Top 2019 · 7 Dec 2019 — 11 personal bests set
- Cape Fear Cubing 2019 · 22 Jun 2019 — 6 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2019 · 27 Apr 2019 — 3 personal bests set
- Hendersonville Winter 2019 · 19 Jan 2019 — 1 personal best set
- Lowcountry Cubing 2018 · 3 Nov 2018
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.
- Jacob Ambrose — met in 108 rounds, finished ahead 24 times
- Daniel Mullen — met in 100 rounds, finished ahead 11 times
- Katie Hull — met in 98 rounds, finished ahead 5 times
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.22 away.
- A sub-3 Pyraminx single — 4,700 people have one; it is 0.32 away.
Targets move as he improves.