People · United States
Matthew Lu
3×3 · top 2.8% of 288,433 all-time · competing since June 2016 · 2016LUMA01
Matthew Lu has been competing for 10 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 7.97, set at Tartan Twist PA 2026, puts him in the top 2.8% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,615th in the United States. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 15 competitions since June 2016, he has put 369 official solves on the record across ten events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one; 84% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 23.60 in June 2016 to 7.97, a 66% improvement. Matthew has entered 15 competitions, more competitions than 95% 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 | 7.97 | 10.43 | top 2.8% | 1,615 / 60,666 | |
| Pyraminx | 4.52 | 8.03 | top 10.3% | 2,744 / 29,168 | |
| 4×4 | 42.82 | 52.52 | top 15.6% | 2,390 / 19,354 | |
| 2×2 | 3.29 | 5.04 | top 17.7% | 7,044 / 41,674 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 27.67 | 33.91 | top 41.2% | 5,589 / 15,900 | |
| Skewb | 8.04 | 9.43 | top 41.7% | 7,352 / 19,164 | |
| 5×5 | 1:50.28 | 2:18.76 | top 42.9% | 3,552 / 9,537 | |
| Megaminx | 2:02.80 | 2:14.68 | top 47.4% | 3,581 / 8,026 | |
| Clock | 30.09 | — | early days — 2 solves | 7,708 / 9,172 | |
| 3×3 Fewest Moves | 55 moves | — | early days — 1 solve | 1,818 / 2,059 |
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
- 29 Aug 2026First sub-10 3×3: 9.35 at Tartan Twist PA 2026.
- 15 Jun 2019Three personal bests in one day at Pittsburgh Summer 2019.
- 9 Sep 2017Three personal bests in one day at Howland High Fall 2017.
- 11 Mar 2017Three personal bests in one day at Howland High Spring 2017.
- 10 Dec 2016First sub-15 3×3: 14.47 at Shaker Fall 2016.
- 24 Sep 2016First sub-20 3×3: 15.61 at Slow N Steady Fall 2016.
Competitions
- Beaver Falls Open 2026 · 19 Sep 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Tartan Twist PA 2026 · 29 Aug 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Nationals 2023 · 27 Jul 2023 — 1 personal best set
- Pittsburgh Fall 2019 · 7 Dec 2019 — 2 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Nationals 2019 · 1 Aug 2019 — 2 personal bests set
- Pittsburgh Summer 2019 · 15 Jun 2019 — 3 personal bests set
- Pittsburgh Spring 2019 · 9 Mar 2019 — 1 personal best set
- Pittsburgh Open 2018 · 8 Dec 2018 — 1 personal best set
- Shaker Fall 2017 · 2 Dec 2017 — 2 personal bests set
- Howland High Fall 2017 · 9 Sep 2017 — 3 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Nationals 2017 · 7 Jul 2017 — 2 personal bests set
- Howland High Spring 2017 · 11 Mar 2017 — 3 personal bests set
- Shaker Fall 2016 · 10 Dec 2016 — 1 personal best set
- Slow N Steady Fall 2016 · 24 Sep 2016 — 1 personal best set
- Cube4Cam 2016 · 4 Jun 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.
- Stephen Griggs — met in 55 rounds, never finished ahead
- Jack Pfeifer — met in 52 rounds, finished ahead 6 times
- Steve Greer — met in 51 rounds, finished ahead 11 times
Next targets
- A sub-6 3×3 single — 1,419 people have one; it is 1.97 away.
- A sub-4 Pyraminx single — 10,050 people have one; it is 0.52 away.
Targets move as he improves.