People · United States
Ian Symonds
3×3 · top 7.4% of 288,433 all-time · competing since September 2017 · 2017SYMO01
Ian Symonds has been competing for 9 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.98, set at NCSU Wolfpack Spring 2026, puts him in the top 7.4% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 4,143rd in the United States. Until May 2007, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 8 competitions since September 2017, he has put 186 official solves on the record across eight events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one; 86% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 27.32 in September 2017 to 9.98, a 63% improvement. Ian has entered eight competitions, more competitions than 90% 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 | 9.98 | 11.89 | top 7.4% | 4,143 / 60,666 | |
| 2×2 | 2.76 | 5.36 | top 11.6% | 4,641 / 41,674 | |
| Pyraminx | 6.32 | 8.59 | top 22.4% | 6,135 / 29,168 | |
| 4×4 | 55.42 | 59.18 | top 31.3% | 5,008 / 19,354 | |
| Skewb | 7.93 | 10.74 | top 40.8% | 7,180 / 19,164 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 30.35 | 34.26 | top 47.5% | 6,555 / 15,900 | |
| Megaminx | 2:19.42 | 2:40.53 | top 56.2% | 4,310 / 8,026 | |
| 5×5 | 3:08.66 | — | early days — 2 solves | 7,474 / 9,537 |
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
- 8 Mar 2026First sub-10 3×3: 9.98 at NCSU Wolfpack Spring 2026.
- 14 Sep 2019Five personal bests in one day at Rocky The Ram Cubes 2019.
- 30 Aug 2019First sub-15 3×3: 14.72 at Scuppernong Spectacular 2019.
- 30 Aug 2019Three personal bests in one day at Scuppernong Spectacular 2019.
- 13 Apr 2018Four personal bests in one day at CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2018.
- 2 Dec 2017First sub-20 3×3: 18.52 at Rocky Top 2017.
Competitions
- NCSU Wolfpack Spring 2026 · 8 Mar 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Rocky The Ram Cubes 2019 · 14 Sep 2019 — 5 personal bests set
- Scuppernong Spectacular 2019 · 30 Aug 2019 — 3 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2018 · 13 Apr 2018 — 4 personal bests set
- Fruit Salad 2018 · 3 Mar 2018 — 2 personal bests set
- Hendersonville Winter 2018 · 3 Feb 2018 — 1 personal best set
- Rocky Top 2017 · 2 Dec 2017 — 4 personal bests set
- Hendersonville Fall 2017 · 3 Sep 2017
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 38 rounds, never finished ahead
- Katie Hull — met in 38 rounds, never finished ahead
- Carson Claud — met in 37 rounds, finished ahead once
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 8,101 people have one; it is 1.98 away.
- A sub-2 2×2 single — 9,039 people have one; it is 0.76 away.
Targets move as he improves.