People · Belgium
Jef Van Vaerenbergh
Square-1 · top 5.1% of 25,662 all-time · competing since May 2024 · 2024VAER01
Jef Van Vaerenbergh has been competing for 2 years. His best event is the Square-1: a personal-best single of 9.39, set at No Rush Hasselt 2026, puts him in the top 5.1% of the 25,662 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 5th in Belgium. Until October 2010, no official Square-1 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 20 competitions since May 2024, he has put 730 official solves on the record across 13 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one; 86% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 17.09 in May 2024 to 10.04, a 41% improvement. Jef has entered 20 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 | Belgium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square-1 | 9.39 | 12.62 | top 5.1% | 5 / 161 | |
| 2×2 | 2.30 | 3.87 | top 7.1% | 66 / 783 | |
| 3×3 | 10.04 | 12.71 | top 7.6% | 95 / 1,113 | |
| Pyraminx | 4.37 | 7.27 | top 9.6% | 75 / 605 | |
| Skewb | 4.56 | 7.69 | top 15.0% | 63 / 401 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 18.27 | 20.57 | top 15.9% | 45 / 314 | |
| 4×4 | 47.19 | 57.50 | top 21.1% | 103 / 464 | |
| Megaminx | 1:36.14 | 1:53.83 | top 32.2% | 56 / 203 | |
| Clock | 12.37 | 15.98 | top 36.8% | 68 / 188 | |
| 3×3 Fewest Moves | 38 moves | 41.33 | top 41.0% | 34 / 69 | |
| 5×5 | 1:53.59 | 2:14.57 | top 45.2% | 103 / 253 | |
| 6×6 | 3:53.35 | 4:02.75 | top 63.4% | 63 / 123 | |
| 7×7 | 7:21.02 | — | top 83.3% | 70 / 91 |
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
- 16 Jul 2026Three personal bests in one day at Rubik's WCA European Championship 2026.
- 3 May 2026Three personal bests in one day at Wezemaal Open 2026.
- 18 Apr 2026Three personal bests in one day at Twist and Turn Ghent 2026.
- 21 Feb 2026Three personal bests in one day at Hurlubik's Cube Mouscron 2026.
- 22 Nov 2025Seven personal bests in one day at Belgian Nationals 2025.
- 13 Sep 2025Three personal bests in one day at Visé Saturday Open 2025.
Competitions
- Waremme Open 2026 · 11 Oct 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Zottegem Open 2026 · 26 Sep 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Visé Sunday Open 2026 · 13 Sep 2026
- Rubik's WCA European Championship 2026 · 16 Jul 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Wezemaal Open 2026 · 3 May 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Twist and Turn Ghent 2026 · 18 Apr 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- No Rush Hasselt 2026 · 14 Mar 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Hurlubik's Cube Mouscron 2026 · 21 Feb 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Leuven Open 2026 · 7 Feb 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Belgian Nationals 2025 · 22 Nov 2025 — 7 personal bests set
- Beveren Saturday Open 2025 · 27 Sep 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- Visé Saturday Open 2025 · 13 Sep 2025 — 3 personal bests set
- Quiet Nivelles 2025 · 28 Jun 2025
- Leuven Open 2025 · 5 Apr 2025
- Brugge Beginners Open 2025 · 22 Mar 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- Hasselt Saturday Open 2025 · 8 Mar 2025 — 3 personal bests set
- Hurlubiks Cube Mouscron 2025 · 22 Feb 2025 — 7 personal bests set
- Christmas Cubing Breda 2024 · 22 Dec 2024 — 4 personal bests set
- Belgian Nationals 2024 · 16 Nov 2024 — 4 personal bests set
- Wommelgem Open 2024 · 10 May 2024
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.
- Joran Pauwels — met in 175 rounds, finished ahead twice
- Yanniko Zhechev — met in 165 rounds, finished ahead 14 times
- Tias Claeys — met in 150 rounds, finished ahead 16 times
Next targets
- A sub-8 Square-1 single — 781 people have one; it is 1.39 away.
- A sub-2 2×2 single — 9,039 people have one; it is 0.30 away.
Targets move as he improves.