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People · Canada

James Matthews

2×2 · top 5.3% of 186,767 all-time · competing since January 2023 · 2023MATT01

James Matthews has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 2.08, set at New to Edmonton B 2025, puts him in the top 5.3% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 328th in Canada. Until February 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 23 competitions since January 2023, he has put 656 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 74% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 15.02 in March 2023 to 9.30, a 38% improvement. James has entered 23 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 5.3% of 186,767 all-time
2.08
signature single · New to Edmonton B 2025
656
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 74% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingCanada
2×22.082.96
top 5.3%328 / 7,173
3×39.309.92
top 5.6%536 / 10,392
Pyraminx3.684.33
top 6.2%216 / 4,858
4×435.4843.68
top 7.1%166 / 3,118
Skewb3.516.15
top 7.8%154 / 2,907
Clock7.719.28
top 13.8%103 / 1,029
3×3 one-handed18.5520.80
top 16.5%346 / 2,620
5×51:24.121:42.82
top 22.5%263 / 1,499
Megaminx1:26.641:29.32
top 26.0%237 / 1,375
Square-125.5732.31
top 40.3%349 / 952
6×64:43.67—
top 78.1%466 / 665
7×77:22.19—
early days — 3 solves400 / 503

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

Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2023: 15.02Sherwood Park Summer 2023: 11.82Calgary Summer Classic 2023: 14.72Odd Day in Sylvan 2023: 12.37Afraid in Airdrie 2023: 11.12Cubing Above the Dinosaurs 2024: 13.36Battle of Alberta 2024: 13.56New to Sherwood Park 2024: 11.20Mother Earth's Charter Spring 2024: 13.38Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2024: 12.79NA Stadium Series - Edmonton 2024: 10.18Solved Central Alberta 2024: 9.37Airdrie NxNs 2024: 10.78Lloydminster Border Battle 2024: 9.40Canadian Prairie Championship 2024: 9.70Alberta 10th Anniversary 2025: 10.10Battle of Alberta 2025: 10.36New to Edmonton B 2025: 10.08Edmonton River Valley Rumble 2025: 9.63Solved Central Alberta 2025: 9.53Grand Slam of Cubing: Lloydminster 2025: 10.59Edmonton Winter 2026: 9.309.3015.0211 Mar 20233 Jan 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-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.08 away.
  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 1.30 away.

Targets move as he improves.