People · United States
James Cruess
3×3 · top 31.3% of 288,433 all-time · competing since September 2025 · 2025CRUE01
James Cruess has been competing for a year. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 17.08, set at Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2026, puts him in the top 31.3% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 17,539th in the United States. Across 4 competitions since September 2025, he has put 50 official solves on the record across five events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one, an early reading from 5 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 21.69 in September 2025 to 17.08, a 21% improvement. James has entered four competitions, more competitions than 78% 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 | 17.08 | 22.04 | top 31.3% | 17,539 / 60,666 | |
| Clock | 17.09 | 18.45 | top 55.8% | 4,766 / 9,172 | |
| 2×2 | 6.58 | 7.78 | top 56.8% | 23,639 / 41,674 | |
| Pyraminx | 11.67 | 13.14 | top 65.1% | 19,547 / 29,168 | |
| 4×4 | 2:28.18 | — | early days — 1 solve | 17,735 / 19,354 |
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
- 25 Apr 2026First sub-20 3×3: 18.08 at Welcome to Washington D.C. 2026.
- 27 Sep 2025First competition: Slow N Steady UMD Fall 2025. A 21.69 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Moore Cubes in Loudoun 2026 · 19 Sep 2026
- Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2026 · 2 Jul 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Welcome to Washington D.C. 2026 · 25 Apr 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Slow N Steady UMD Fall 2025 · 27 Sep 2025
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.
- Brad Hoffman — met in 13 rounds, never finished ahead
- Warren Morris — met in 13 rounds, never finished ahead
- Anderson Hong — met in 13 rounds, never finished ahead
Next targets
- A sub-15 3×3 single — 70,740 people have one; it is 2.08 away.
- A sub-15 Clock single — 15,733 people have one; it is 2.09 away.
Targets move as he improves.