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People → Spain → Joel Santamaría Arriola

People · Spain

Joel Santamaría Arriola

Square-1 · top 2.9% of 25,272 all-time · competing since May 2022 · 2022ARRI02

Joel Santamaría Arriola has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the Square-1: a personal-best single of 7.94, set at Arganda Open 2026, puts him in the top 2.9% of the 25,272 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 20th in Spain. Until November 2013, no official Square-1 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 41 competitions since May 2022, he has put 2,003 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 10% around a typical one, steadier than 95% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 20.87 in May 2022 to 8.14, a 61% improvement. Joel has entered 41 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

Square-1
best event — top 2.9% of 25,272 all-time
7.94
signature single · Arganda Open 2026
2,003
official solves on the record
10%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 95% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingSpain
Square-17.948.98
top 2.9%20 / 604
3×38.1410.27
top 3.0%127 / 5,141
Skewb2.865.60
top 4.3%142 / 1,685
Clock5.997.90
top 7.2%53 / 876
Megaminx54.871:00.34
top 7.4%52 / 874
2×22.483.47
top 8.7%347 / 3,845
Pyraminx4.295.51
top 9.1%284 / 2,865
4×441.7145.70
top 14.2%197 / 1,762
3×3 one-handed20.3125.99
top 21.3%232 / 1,315
3×3 blindfolded1:56.81—
top 32.4%93 / 273
5×51:49.791:55.32
top 42.4%285 / 863
6×66:46.54—
early days — 1 solve294 / 316

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

X-Madrid Open 2022: 20.87Parla Open 2022: 16.66Campeonato de España 2022: 15.35Madrid Norte Open 2022: 21.62Getafe Continúa 2023: 15.39X-Madrid Open 2023: 15.33Nhood Alcalá Mystery Open 2023: 13.11Parla Open 2023: 12.74Margarita Open 2023: 13.78Speedcube Battle Vallekas 2023: 12.10Madrid Norte Open 2023: 13.01Cabanillas del Campo Open 2023: 11.59URJC Open 2024: 10.96Velilla Open 2024: 13.23Getafe Continúa 2024: 12.95Móstoles Open 2024: 11.33X-Madrid Open 2024: 10.62Parla Open 2024: 9.28Rubik's WCA European Championship 2024: 13.12Madrid Norte Open 2024: 11.30Mirasierra Open 2024: 10.87URJC Open 2025: 11.38Margarita Burón Open 2025: 12.46Móstoles Open 2025: 9.69X-Madrid Open 2025: 10.01UC3M Leganés Open 2025: 12.04Parla Open 2025: 11.17Plaza Río 2 Open 2025: 10.30Madrid Norte Open 2025: 10.59Las Tablas Open 2026: 10.61URJC Open 2026: 9.46Cervantes Cubea Alcalá 2026: 10.06Getafe Open 2026: 9.98Mirasierra Open 2026: 10.26Móstoles Open 2026: 9.40X-Madrid Open 2026: 8.14UC3M Leganés Open 2026: 9.36Arganda Open 2026: 9.768.1421.6221 May 202225 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.

Next targets

  • A sub-6 Square-1 single — 201 people have one; it is 1.94 away.
  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.14 away.

Targets move as he improves.