People · China
Liqian Zhang (张礼潜)
3×3 · top 5.0% of 284,439 all-time · competing since October 2016 · 2016ZHAL01
Liqian Zhang (张礼潜) has been competing for 10 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.05, set at TKK Open 2017, puts him in the top 5.0% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,895th in China. Until May 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 7 competitions since October 2016, he has put 206 official solves on the record across eight events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 9% around a typical one, steadier than 99% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. That figure sets aside his 6 DNFs. His 3×3 best has come down from 18.95 in October 2016 to 9.05, a 52% improvement. Liqian 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 | China | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 9.05 | 10.90 | top 5.0% | 1,895 / 28,153 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 13.77 | 20.24 | top 5.7% | 536 / 5,922 | |
| 2×2 | 2.28 | 2.88 | top 6.9% | 974 / 15,796 | |
| 4×4 | 36.91 | 40.82 | top 8.6% | 883 / 5,926 | |
| Pyraminx | 5.12 | 7.65 | top 13.9% | 1,653 / 10,224 | |
| 5×5 | 1:14.63 | 1:28.96 | top 15.0% | 730 / 2,816 | |
| Megaminx | 1:10.85 | 1:16.28 | top 16.1% | 477 / 1,678 | |
| Skewb | 5.06 | 6.31 | top 18.6% | 1,159 / 5,004 |
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
- 9 Dec 2018Four personal bests in one day at Xiamen Open 2018.
- 14 Jul 2018Five personal bests in one day at Zhangzhou Open 2018.
- 19 Nov 2017First sub-10 3×3: 9.05 at TKK Open 2017.
- 19 Nov 2017Three personal bests in one day at TKK Open 2017.
- 9 Apr 2017First sub-15 3×3: 12.87 at Zhangzhou Spring 2017.
- 16 Oct 2016First competition: TKK Open 2016. A 18.95 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Start of Summer Beijing 2026 · 1 May 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Beijing Winter 2026 · 10 Jan 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Xiamen Open 2018 · 9 Dec 2018 — 4 personal bests set
- Zhangzhou Open 2018 · 14 Jul 2018 — 5 personal bests set
- TKK Open 2017 · 19 Nov 2017 — 3 personal bests set
- Zhangzhou Spring 2017 · 9 Apr 2017 — 2 personal bests set
- TKK Open 2016 · 16 Oct 2016
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.
- Chenge Liu (刘晨舸) — met in 28 rounds, finished ahead 12 times
- Jianyan Ou (欧鉴言) — met in 24 rounds, finished ahead 10 times
- Zheng Lin (林铮) — met in 23 rounds, finished ahead 3 times
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 1.05 away.
- A sub-12 3×3 one-handed single — 2,187 people have one; it is 1.77 away.
Targets move as he improves.