People · United States
Max Lai
2×2 · top 19.2% of 186,767 all-time · competing since September 2022 · 2022LAIM01
Max Lai has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 3.42, set at Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025, puts him in the top 19.2% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 7,537th in the United States. Across 9 competitions since September 2022, he has put 81 official solves on the record across three events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, an early reading from 7 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 1:05.87 in September 2022 to 29.48, a 55% improvement. Max has entered nine competitions, more competitions than 91% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2×2 | 3.42 | 6.40 | top 19.2% | 7,537 / 40,951 | |
| Pyraminx | 7.32 | 12.33 | top 30.5% | 8,498 / 28,708 | |
| 3×3 | 29.48 | 33.70 | top 61.6% | 36,751 / 59,724 |
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
- 2 Nov 2025First sub-30 3×3: 29.48 at Cool Down Berkeley 2025.
- 5 Nov 2022First sub-60 3×3: 48.90 at Bay Area Speedcubin' 39 2022.
- 10 Sep 2022First competition: Berkeley Fall 2022. A 1:05.87 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Cool Down Berkeley 2025 · 2 Nov 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025 · 3 Jul 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Berkeley Fall 2024 · 13 Oct 2024 — 1 personal best set
- Berkeley Spring 2023 · 12 Mar 2023 — 1 personal best set
- Berkeley Winter B 2023 · 22 Jan 2023 — 1 personal best set
- SacCubing XIII 2023 · 14 Jan 2023
- Bay Area Speedcubin' 40 - San Ramon 2022 · 4 Dec 2022 — 1 personal best set
- Bay Area Speedcubin' 39 2022 · 5 Nov 2022 — 2 personal bests set
- Berkeley Fall 2022 · 10 Sep 2022
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.
- Mitchell Lane — met in 16 rounds, never finished ahead
- Ryan Jew — met in 15 rounds, never finished ahead
- Varun Mohanraj — met in 15 rounds, never finished ahead
Next targets
- A sub-3 2×2 single — 26,570 people have one; it is 0.42 away.
- A sub-6 Pyraminx single — 25,870 people have one; it is 1.32 away.
Targets move as he improves.