People · Canada
James Li
2×2 · top 9.5% of 186,767 all-time · competing since March 2023 · 2023LIJA04
James Li has been competing for 3 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 2.56, set at Greater Toronto 2025, puts him in the top 9.5% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 615th in Canada. Until February 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 15 competitions since March 2023, he has put 221 official solves on the record across seven events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 60% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 17.10 in March 2023 to 11.55, a 32% improvement. James has entered 15 competitions, more competitions than 95% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2×2 | 2.56 | 5.98 | top 9.5% | 615 / 7,173 | |
| 3×3 | 11.55 | 14.99 | top 12.3% | 1,161 / 10,392 | |
| Pyraminx | 5.79 | 9.64 | top 18.4% | 754 / 4,858 | |
| 4×4 | 1:08.54 | 1:19.73 | top 45.4% | 1,235 / 3,118 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 31.00 | 37.86 | top 48.9% | 1,135 / 2,620 | |
| Megaminx | 2:42.82 | — | early days — 2 solves | 825 / 1,375 | |
| Clock | 47.55 | — | early days — 1 solve | 985 / 1,029 |
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
- 29 Apr 2023First sub-15 3×3: 13.71 at Markham 3x3x3 Morning 2023.
- 26 Mar 2023First competition: Pickering D 2023. A 22.45 3×3 single to start from.
- 26 Mar 2023First sub-20 3×3: 17.10 at Pickering D 2023.
Competitions
- Pickering Mini Afternoon 2026 · 12 Apr 2026
- Pickering NxNxN Winter 2026 · 31 Jan 2026
- Waterloo Fall 2025 · 29 Nov 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Kawartha Fall 2025 · 22 Nov 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- Pickering Favourites Spring 2025 · 3 May 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- Greater Toronto 2025 · 9 Mar 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Ajax 3x3x3 Newcomers C 2024 · 24 Mar 2024
- Pickering Favourites Autumn 2023 · 16 Dec 2023 — 2 personal bests set
- Scarborough Fall B 2023 · 19 Nov 2023 — 2 personal bests set
- Pickering Fall A 2023 · 21 Oct 2023 — 1 personal best set
- Ajax 3x3x3 Morning 2023 · 26 Aug 2023
- Appleby Summer A 2023 · 12 Aug 2023
- Southern Ontario Summer - Oshawa 2023 · 24 Jun 2023 — 1 personal best set
- Markham 3x3x3 Morning 2023 · 29 Apr 2023 — 1 personal best set
- Pickering D 2023 · 26 Mar 2023 — 2 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.
- Charles Li — met in 48 rounds, finished ahead once · head to head
- Aidan Xu — met in 30 rounds, finished ahead 9 times
- Arhaan Sareen — met in 25 rounds, never finished ahead
Next targets
- A sub-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.56 away.
- A sub-10 3×3 single — 21,172 people have one; it is 1.55 away.
Targets move as he improves.