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People · United States

James Ellis Nale V

3×3 · top 3.1% of 284,439 all-time · competing since April 2018 · 2018NALE01

James Ellis Nale V has been competing for 8 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.15, set at Spokane Summer 2023, puts him in the top 3.1% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,730th in the United States. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 16 competitions since April 2018, he has put 446 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 78% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 35.49 in April 2018 to 8.15, a 77% improvement. James has entered 16 competitions, more competitions than 96% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 3.1% of 284,439 all-time
8.15
signature single · Spokane Summer 2023
446
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 78% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×38.1511.54
top 3.1%1,730 / 59,724
Square-18.1513.83
top 3.3%238 / 6,743
2×22.895.02
top 13.0%5,116 / 40,951
Clock9.3611.06
top 21.8%1,681 / 8,927
4×448.3550.91
top 22.6%3,420 / 19,072
3×3 one-handed20.8130.13
top 22.7%2,915 / 15,683
Megaminx1:22.781:33.80
top 23.6%1,630 / 7,841
Skewb6.409.70
top 28.9%4,743 / 18,907
5×51:52.142:09.72
top 44.1%3,619 / 9,401
Pyraminx9.9812.76
top 52.9%15,426 / 28,708
6×63:29.973:32.50
top 54.7%2,065 / 4,196
7×77:07.45
early days — 2 solves2,564 / 3,184

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

Atomic Cubing Spring 2018: 35.49Yakima Valley Cubing 2018: 30.19Atomic Cubing Fall 2018: 17.65SnoCo Fall 2018: 17.98West Seattle Favorites 2019: 14.85CubingUSA Oregon Championship 2019: 14.74Atomic Cubing Spring 2019: 14.98Yakima Valley Cubing Spring 2019: 14.28Puget Sound Fall 2019: 14.91Washington Championship 2020: 13.36Central Washington Winter 2020: 12.10Central Washington Evens 2023: 10.17Spokane Summer 2023: 8.15Kent Summer 2023: 10.64Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025: 12.728.1535.496 Apr 20183 Jul 2025

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-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.15 away.
  • A sub-8 Square-1 single — 766 people have one; it is 0.15 away.

Targets move as he improves.