People · Australia
Ethan Lai
3×3 · top 6.4% of 288,433 all-time · competing since May 2024 · 2024LAIE03
Ethan Lai has been competing for 2 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.59, set at Australian Nationals 2026, puts him in the top 6.4% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 585th in Australia. Until November 2007, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 3 competitions since May 2024, he has put 66 official solves on the record across five events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one, an early reading from 5 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 13.01 in May 2024 to 9.59, a 26% improvement. Ethan has entered three competitions, more competitions than 69% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | Australia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 9.59 | 12.92 | top 6.4% | 585 / 11,943 | |
| Pyraminx | 5.66 | 7.39 | top 17.5% | 866 / 6,109 | |
| 2×2 | 3.42 | 3.95 | top 19.3% | 1,470 / 8,727 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 26.34 | 30.96 | top 37.8% | 880 / 2,685 | |
| Skewb | 7.54 | 8.91 | top 37.9% | 1,146 / 3,589 |
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
- 9 Jul 2026First sub-10 3×3: 9.59 at Australian Nationals 2026.
- 9 Jul 2026Five personal bests in one day at Australian Nationals 2026.
- 12 May 2024First competition: Kensington May Sunday 2024. A 16.03 3×3 single to start from.
- 12 May 2024First sub-15 3×3: 13.01 at Kensington May Sunday 2024.
Competitions
- Australian Nationals 2026 · 9 Jul 2026 — 5 personal bests set
- Melbourne Summer 2026 · 24 Jan 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Kensington May Sunday 2024 · 12 May 2024 — 1 personal best set
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.
- Jenson Chen — met in 14 rounds, finished ahead 5 times
- Ryan Deng — met in 14 rounds, finished ahead 5 times
- Andrew Dinh — met in 14 rounds, finished ahead 4 times
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 8,101 people have one; it is 1.59 away.
- A sub-5 Pyraminx single — 17,242 people have one; it is 0.66 away.
Targets move as he improves.