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People · United States

James Helland

Skewb · top 7.8% of 73,281 all-time · competing since October 2022 · 2022HELL04

James Helland has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the Skewb: a personal-best single of 3.51, set at St. Ansgar 2026, puts him in the top 7.8% of the 73,281 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,213th in the United States. Until February 2014, no official Skewb solve in the world had been that fast. Across 22 competitions since October 2022, he has put 792 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 78% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 28.00 in October 2022 to 10.35, a 63% improvement. James has entered 22 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

Skewb
best event — top 7.8% of 73,281 all-time
3.51
signature single · St. Ansgar 2026
792
official solves on the record
14%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 78% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
Skewb3.516.62
top 7.8%1,213 / 18,907
3×310.3512.24
top 8.5%4,677 / 59,724
Pyraminx4.967.77
top 12.9%3,359 / 28,708
2×23.454.67
top 19.6%7,678 / 40,951
4×450.7952.48
top 25.7%3,958 / 19,072
Clock10.1711.93
top 25.9%1,996 / 8,927
3×3 one-handed27.5732.85
top 40.8%5,454 / 15,683
5×51:52.632:05.26
top 44.4%3,648 / 9,401
Square-130.7734.90
top 50.8%3,327 / 6,743
Megaminx2:12.382:31.38
top 52.4%3,923 / 7,841
6×64:26.63—
top 73.7%2,910 / 4,196
7×77:04.97—
early days — 1 solve2,541 / 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

Rochester Fall 2022: 28.00Race the Clock Minnesota 2022: 23.20North Star Cubing Challenge 2023: 20.11Frozen Lake Minnesota 2023: 17.88SPAMtown Cubing 2023: 19.92Minnesota Cube Melt 2023: 16.83Minnesota Cube Day 2023: 15.73Cubetcha 2023: 14.03SPAMtown II 2023: 16.30Side Events Minnesota 2023: 14.02Race the Clock Minnesota 2023: 16.77Big Cube Battle of Waterloo 2024: 13.72Minnesota Newcomer Saturday 2024: 13.35Minnesota Slice 2024: 19.52CubingUSA Heartland Championship 2024: 13.73Cubetcha MN 2024: 12.92SPAMtown III MN 2024: 12.43North Star Cubing Challenge MN 2025: 11.94Big Cube Battle of Waterloo 2025: 12.66CubingUSA Heartland Championship 2025: 10.35St. Ansgar 2026: 10.7910.3528.0022 Oct 202218 Apr 2026

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-3 Skewb single — 3,646 people have one; it is 0.51 away.
  • A sub-10 3×3 single — 21,172 people have one; it is 0.35 away.

Targets move as he improves.