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The Middle Three
People → United States → Joel Nieves

People · United States

Joel Nieves

3×3 · top 15.3% of 284,439 all-time · competing since February 2019 · 2019NIEV01

Joel Nieves has been competing for 8 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 12.40, set at Puzzles at Wisconsin Spring 2022, puts him in the top 15.3% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 8,181st in the United States. Across 6 competitions since February 2019, he has put 107 official solves on the record across seven events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 54% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 16.62 in February 2019 to 12.40, a 25% improvement. Joel has entered six competitions, more competitions than 86% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 15.3% of 284,439 all-time
12.40
signature single · Puzzles at Wisconsin Spring 2022
107
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 54% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×312.4014.16
top 15.3%8,181 / 59,724
2×23.774.56
top 23.6%9,256 / 40,951
4×41:06.491:08.92
top 43.4%7,152 / 19,072
Pyraminx10.4912.63
top 56.8%16,620 / 28,708
Skewb12.8118.07
top 69.9%13,131 / 18,907
3×3 one-handed49.10
early days — 2 solves11,050 / 15,683
5×53:08.46
early days — 2 solves7,347 / 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

Albany Winter 2019: 16.62Chicago Area Twist Spring 2019: 17.35Lake Country Fall 2019: 13.74Puzzles at Wisconsin Spring 2022: 12.40Get to the Point 2022: 12.69Wisconsin on Ice 2026: 14.1312.4017.3516 Feb 201924 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-12 3×3 single — 39,535 people have one; it is 0.40 away.
  • A sub-3 2×2 single — 26,570 people have one; it is 0.77 away.

Targets move as he improves.