People · South Africa
James Ford
3×3 · top 2.8% of 288,433 all-time · competing since January 2026 · 2026FORD01
James Ford has been competing for 9 months. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 7.97, set at GAN WCA African Championship 2026, puts him in the top 2.8% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 26th in South Africa. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 7 competitions since January 2026, he has put 425 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, steadier than 55% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 11.92 in January 2026 to 7.97, a 33% improvement. James has entered seven competitions, more competitions than 88% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 7.97 | 9.97 | top 2.8% | 26 / 2,187 | |
| Skewb | 2.62 | 5.19 | top 3.3% | 16 / 444 | |
| Pyraminx | 3.45 | 5.29 | top 5.3% | 31 / 958 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 14.89 | 17.38 | top 8.0% | 23 / 473 | |
| 2×2 | 2.60 | 3.17 | top 10.0% | 98 / 1,525 | |
| Megaminx | 1:00.14 | 1:08.82 | top 10.1% | 16 / 268 | |
| 5×5 | 1:14.78 | 1:22.75 | top 15.3% | 22 / 225 | |
| 4×4 | 43.65 | 49.18 | top 16.7% | 49 / 495 | |
| Square-1 | 15.11 | 21.10 | top 16.8% | 17 / 121 | |
| Clock | 10.15 | 13.12 | top 25.7% | 33 / 153 | |
| 6×6 | 2:32.12 | 2:45.45 | top 26.8% | 19 / 87 | |
| 7×7 | 4:08.24 | 4:29.87 | top 33.8% | 17 / 73 |
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
- 24 Sep 202613 personal bests in one day at GAN WCA African Championship 2026.
- 1 Aug 2026First sub-10 3×3: 9.27 at Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Q3 2026.
- 1 Aug 2026Seven personal bests in one day at Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Q3 2026.
- 20 Jun 2026Three personal bests in one day at Cubestuff Grand Challenge - The Leonardo 2026.
- 17 May 2026Three personal bests in one day at Benoni May Madness 2026.
- 11 Apr 2026Five personal bests in one day at Cubestuff Centurion Q2 2026.
Competitions
- GAN WCA African Championship 2026 · 24 Sep 2026 — 13 personal bests set
- Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Q3 2026 · 1 Aug 2026 — 7 personal bests set
- Cubestuff Grand Challenge - The Leonardo 2026 · 20 Jun 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Benoni May Madness 2026 · 17 May 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Cubestuff Centurion Q2 2026 · 11 Apr 2026 — 5 personal bests set
- Beginner & Blind Benoni 2026 · 29 Mar 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Cubestuff Centurion Q1 2026 · 31 Jan 2026 — 3 personal bests 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.
- Marike Faught — met in 81 rounds, finished ahead 39 times
- Vincent Hazelton-Lagarrigue — met in 73 rounds, finished ahead 29 times
- Ian Luies — met in 67 rounds, finished ahead 37 times
Next targets
- A sub-6 3×3 single — 1,419 people have one; it is 1.97 away.
- A sub-2 Skewb single — 1,031 people have one; it is 0.62 away.
Targets move as he improves.