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 Tran

People · United States

James Tran

Pyraminx · top 8.1% of 129,321 all-time · competing since March 2013 · 2013TRAN01

James Tran has been competing for 14 years. His best event is the Pyraminx: a personal-best single of 4.09, set at BASC 4: Día de los Cubos 2014, puts him in the top 8.1% of the 129,321 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,081st in the United States. Until February 2008, no official Pyraminx solve in the world had been that fast. Across 24 competitions since March 2013, he has put 437 official solves on the record across eight events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one; 83% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. That figure sets aside his 7 DNFs. His 3×3 best has come down from 24.80 in March 2013 to 13.26, a 47% improvement. James has entered 24 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

Pyraminx
best event — top 8.1% of 129,321 all-time
4.09
signature single · BASC 4: Día de los Cubos 2014
437
official solves on the record
15%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 83% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
Pyraminx4.096.33
top 8.1%2,081 / 28,708
2×22.554.41
top 9.4%3,709 / 40,951
3×313.2616.50
top 18.3%9,832 / 59,724
3×3 one-handed27.4438.96
top 40.5%5,411 / 15,683
4×41:10.561:18.99
top 47.4%7,900 / 19,072
Clock17.6618.97
top 57.7%4,812 / 8,927
3×3 blindfolded5:06.40
early days — 2 solves1,667 / 2,092
5×53:56.80
early days — 2 solves8,621 / 9,401

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

Berkeley Winter 2013: 24.80Berkeley Spring 2013: 30.25World Rubik's Cube Championship 2013: 27.84Berkeley Summer 2013: 25.53Bay Area Speedcubin' Summer 2013: 21.97Berkeley Fall 2013: 24.27Berkeley Winter 2014: 18.40Bay Area Speedcubin' 2 2014: 20.15Berkeley Spring 2014: 17.43BASC 3: Flagj Day 2014: 20.71Berkeley Summer 2014: 19.13BASC 4: Día de los Cubos 2014: 14.37BASC 5: Everything But 2x2 2015: 16.60SPCS Stanford Spring 2015: 18.48BASC 6 2015: 16.66BASC 7 2015: 17.98Hayward Rubik's Rumble 2015: 15.06Bay Area Speedcubin' 8 2016: 14.33Bay Area Speedcubin' 9 2016: 18.15Berkeley Summer 2016: 16.07Hayward Rubik's Rumble 2016: 14.95Bay Area Speedcubin' 10 2017: 18.866.25 Bay Area 2017: 14.31Bay Area Speedcubin' 11 2018: 13.2613.2630.259 Mar 201318 Mar 2018

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.

  • Mitchell Lane — met in 93 rounds, finished ahead twice
  • Riley Woo — met in 87 rounds, finished ahead 10 times
  • Ryan Jew — met in 77 rounds, finished ahead 9 times

Next targets

  • A sub-4 Pyraminx single — 9,892 people have one; it is 0.09 away.
  • A sub-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.55 away.

Targets move as he improves.