People · United States
John Mark Grimes
3×3 · top 6.5% of 288,433 all-time · competing since October 2015 · 2015GRIM01
John Mark Grimes has been competing for 11 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.62, set at Williamsburg Open Spring 2026, puts him in the top 6.5% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 3,624th in the United States. Until November 2007, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 7 competitions since October 2015, he has put 116 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 17% around a typical one, an early reading from 9 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 39.94 in October 2015 to 9.62, a 76% improvement. John has entered seven competitions, more competitions than 88% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 9.62 | 12.93 | top 6.5% | 3,624 / 60,666 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 17.39 | 23.10 | top 13.6% | 1,784 / 15,900 | |
| 2×2 | 4.37 | 6.51 | top 31.3% | 12,664 / 41,674 | |
| Megaminx | 1:40.08 | — | early days — 2 solves | 2,524 / 8,026 | |
| 4×4 | 1:03.19 | 1:09.29 | top 39.9% | 6,560 / 19,354 | |
| Pyraminx | 9.87 | 12.61 | top 52.0% | 15,377 / 29,168 | |
| 5×5 | 2:47.92 | — | top 73.9% | 6,665 / 9,537 | |
| Clock | 24.03 | 25.77 | top 74.8% | 6,699 / 9,172 | |
| Square-1 | 1:13.20 | 1:35.76 | top 90.3% | 6,195 / 6,846 |
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
- 28 Mar 2026First sub-10 3×3: 9.62 at Williamsburg Open Spring 2026.
- 22 Apr 2023Three personal bests in one day at ODU Big Blue Spring 2023.
- 11 Mar 2023Three personal bests in one day at Virginia Beach Spring 2023.
- 20 Nov 2021First sub-20 3×3: 13.17 at Slow N Steady Fall 2021.
- 20 Nov 2021First sub-15 3×3: 13.17 at Slow N Steady Fall 2021.
- 23 Apr 2016First sub-30 3×3: 26.96 at ODU Big Blue Spring 2016.
Competitions
- Virginia Beach Spring 2026 · 2 May 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Williamsburg Open Spring 2026 · 28 Mar 2026 — 1 personal best set
- ODU Big Blue Spring 2023 · 22 Apr 2023 — 3 personal bests set
- Virginia Beach Spring 2023 · 11 Mar 2023 — 3 personal bests set
- Slow N Steady Fall 2021 · 20 Nov 2021 — 1 personal best set
- ODU Big Blue Spring 2016 · 23 Apr 2016 — 1 personal best set
- ODU Big Blue Open 2015 · 24 Oct 2015
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.
- Charles Jerome — met in 25 rounds, never finished ahead
- Ledger Ramirez — met in 22 rounds, finished ahead 7 times
- Bobby Mapp — met in 18 rounds, finished ahead 11 times
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 8,101 people have one; it is 1.62 away.
- A sub-15 3×3 one-handed single — 6,118 people have one; it is 2.39 away.
Targets move as he improves.