People · Ireland
James O'Shea
Skewb · top 4.2% of 73,281 all-time · competing since July 2022 · 2022OSHE01
James O'Shea has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the Skewb: a personal-best single of 2.84, set at Éire 100 2026, puts him in the top 4.2% of the 73,281 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 29th in Ireland. Until February 2014, no official Skewb solve in the world had been that fast. Across 23 competitions since July 2022, he has put 832 official solves on the record across eight events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 66% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 2×2 best has come down from 13.89 in July 2022 to 2.19, an 84% improvement. James has entered 23 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skewb | 2.84 | 5.44 | top 4.2% | 29 / 624 | |
| Pyraminx | 3.62 | 5.51 | top 6.0% | 84 / 911 | |
| 2×2 | 2.19 | 3.89 | top 6.1% | 91 / 1,163 | |
| 3×3 | 11.48 | 14.42 | top 12.1% | 180 / 1,427 | |
| 5×5 | 1:33.28 | 2:09.46 | top 30.1% | 90 / 296 | |
| Clock | 11.23 | 13.57 | top 31.2% | 110 / 331 | |
| 4×4 | 1:00.02 | 1:05.86 | top 36.5% | 169 / 579 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 53.39 | — | top 79.6% | 326 / 448 |
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, 2×2. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 30 May 2026Three personal bests in one day at Lets Go Back to Carlow 2026.
- 3 Aug 2024Three personal bests in one day at Cubing with the Kilkenny Cats Saturday 2024.
- 9 Sep 2023First sub-15 3×3: 14.01 at Cubing in Cill Chainnigh 2023.
- 9 Sep 2023Three personal bests in one day at Cubing in Cill Chainnigh 2023.
- 6 Aug 2023First sub-20 3×3: 15.37 at Cubing with the Cats Sunday 2023.
- 6 Aug 2023Four personal bests in one day at Cubing with the Cats Sunday 2023.
Competitions
- Éire 100 2026 · 22 Aug 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Rubik's Irish Championship 2026 · 24 Jul 2026
- Lets Go Back to Carlow 2026 · 30 May 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Cork Spring 2026 · 21 Feb 2026
- Solving by the Barrow 2025 · 29 Nov 2025
- Re-Laois the Cubers 2025 · 25 Oct 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Rebel County Colours 2025 · 27 Sep 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- Rubik's Irish Championship 2025 · 15 Aug 2025
- Cubing with the Kilkenny Cats 2025 · 12 Jul 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Don't Fail Kinsale 2024 · 30 Nov 2024 — 2 personal bests set
- Cubing with the Kilkenny Cats Saturday 2024 · 3 Aug 2024 — 3 personal bests set
- Rubik's Irish Championship 2024 · 5 Jul 2024 — 1 personal best set
- Cork Spring 2024 · 24 Feb 2024
- Rebel County Cubing 2024 · 13 Jan 2024
- Don't Fail Kinsale 2023 · 2 Dec 2023 — 1 personal best set
- Cubing in Cill Chainnigh 2023 · 9 Sep 2023 — 3 personal bests set
- Cubing with the Cats Sunday 2023 · 6 Aug 2023 — 4 personal bests set
- Solving by the Shannon 2023 · 22 Jul 2023 — 1 personal best set
- It's a Long Way to Tipperary 2023 · 13 May 2023 — 7 personal bests set
- Cork Spring 2023 · 25 Feb 2023 — 3 personal bests set
- Tuam Open Saturday 2022 · 26 Nov 2022 — 5 personal bests set
- Cubing in Cill Chainnigh 2022 · 8 Oct 2022 — 1 personal best set
- Cubing with the Cats Saturday 2022 · 23 Jul 2022
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.
- Ben Timmons — met in 176 rounds, finished ahead 20 times
- Lucas Patrick Dowling — met in 148 rounds, finished ahead 10 times
- Jack Corr — met in 132 rounds, finished ahead 43 times
Next targets
- A sub-2 Skewb single — 1,013 people have one; it is 0.84 away.
- A sub-3 Pyraminx single — 4,700 people have one; it is 0.62 away.
Targets move as he improves.