Sunday 6 September 2026 Rebuilt nightly from the WCA's official results · export of 6 September 2026 · About
The Middle Three
People → United States → James O'Connell

People · United States

James O'Connell

2×2 · top 1.0% of 186,767 all-time · competing since April 2023 · 2023OCON06

James O'Connell has been competing for 3 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 1.20, set at River Hill Fall 2025, puts him in the top 1.0% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 434th in the United States. Until November 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 24 competitions since April 2023, he has put 809 official solves on the record across ten events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, steadier than 59% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 16.47 in April 2023 to 7.69, a 53% improvement. James has entered 24 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 1.0% of 186,767 all-time
1.20
signature single · River Hill Fall 2025
809
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 59% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
2×21.202.14
top 1.0%434 / 40,951
Pyraminx2.303.79
top 1.7%450 / 28,708
3×37.698.87
top 2.3%1,332 / 59,724
4×431.4038.69
top 3.7%600 / 19,072
Skewb2.915.50
top 4.6%708 / 18,907
Clock5.857.41
top 6.8%529 / 8,927
3×3 one-handed15.4518.23
top 9.1%1,204 / 15,683
5×51:24.891:29.76
top 23.2%1,801 / 9,401
Square-122.5627.43
top 33.7%2,195 / 6,743
Megaminx1:39.771:55.78
top 34.5%2,447 / 7,841

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

Slow N Steady Spring 2023: 16.47Cubing in the Lion's Den 2023: 17.56CubingUSA Nationals 2023: 14.11Slow N Steady Fall 2023: 10.57Cubing in the Lion's Den 2024: 9.39New-Cumberland County 2024: 8.82River Hill Spring 2024: 10.08New Jersey Championship 2024: 10.24Pennsylvania Championship 2024: 8.49Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2024: 9.50Pretzel Mania Summer 2024: 8.60River Hill Fall 2024: 9.30Bethesda Winter Wonderland 2025: 8.48Skewb on the Madison Snow 2025: 9.29Slow N Steady UMD Spring 2025: 9.09UMBC Spring 2025: 8.74TJHSST Spring 2025: 7.94Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025: 8.32Slow N Steady UMD Fall 2025: 8.22River Hill Fall 2025: 7.69Welcome to Washington D.C. 2026: 8.41Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2026: 7.997.6917.5615 Apr 20232 Jul 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.

  • Panashe Sharma — met in 129 rounds, finished ahead 15 times
  • Leland Pak — met in 117 rounds, finished ahead 79 times
  • Stone Payne — met in 114 rounds, finished ahead 36 times

Next targets

  • A sub-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.20 away.
  • A sub-2 Pyraminx single — 1,476 people have one; it is 0.30 away.

Targets move as he improves.