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People · United States

Matthew Tian

3×3 · top 4.3% of 284,439 all-time · competing since February 2019 · 2019TIAN01

Matthew Tian has been competing for 8 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.77, set at Brown Cubing Day 2026, puts him in the top 4.3% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,420th in the United States. Until May 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 12 competitions since February 2019, he has put 220 official solves on the record across ten events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 65% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 28.12 in February 2019 to 8.77, a 69% improvement. Matthew has entered twelve competitions, more competitions than 94% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 4.3% of 284,439 all-time
8.77
signature single · Brown Cubing Day 2026
220
official solves on the record
14%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 65% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×38.7711.32
top 4.3%2,420 / 59,724
2×21.943.78
top 4.4%1,731 / 40,951
4×439.0645.95
top 11.0%1,627 / 19,072
Skewb4.598.24
top 15.1%2,375 / 18,907
Pyraminx6.329.77
top 22.4%6,030 / 28,708
5×51:40.932:10.72
top 36.1%2,868 / 9,401
3×3 one-handed29.3131.96
top 45.1%6,092 / 15,683
Megaminx2:08.83
top 50.6%3,775 / 7,841
Square-131.5935.61
top 52.4%3,438 / 6,743
3×3 blindfolded4:36.73
early days — 1 solve1,567 / 2,092

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

Salem Cube Trials 2019: 28.12Empire State Spring 2019: 23.63Colonie Spring 2019: 26.45Massachusetts Championship 2019: 20.05Providence Fall 2019: 17.22Empire State Fall 2019: 12.15SBU Fall 2019: 12.48BA Four 2019: 12.72Constitution State Winter 2020: 9.78CubingUSA Northeast Championship 2022: 11.14Brown Cubing Day 2026: 8.778.7728.122 Feb 201921 Feb 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-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.77 away.
  • A sub-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.94 away.

Targets move as he improves.