Sunday 6 September 2026 Rebuilt nightly from the WCA's official results · export of 6 September 2026 · About
The Middle Three
People → United States → Michael Bame

People · United States

Michael Bame

3×3 · top 4.6% of 284,439 all-time · competing since January 2016 · 2016BAME01

Michael Bame has been competing for 11 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.87, set at Cape Fear Cubing 2019, puts him in the top 4.6% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,536th in the United States. Until May 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 25 competitions since January 2016, he has put 633 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 78% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 16.79 in January 2016 to 8.87, a 47% improvement. Michael has entered 25 competitions, more competitions than 98% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 4.6% of 284,439 all-time
8.87
signature single · Cape Fear Cubing 2019
633
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 78% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×38.8710.12
top 4.6%2,536 / 59,724
2×23.254.38
top 17.2%6,726 / 40,951
Pyraminx6.659.14
top 25.0%6,829 / 28,708
7×73:55.624:16.51
top 29.0%811 / 3,184
4×454.5159.95
top 30.1%4,734 / 19,072
3×3 one-handed25.0230.63
top 34.3%4,514 / 15,683
5×51:43.501:55.04
top 37.9%3,035 / 9,401
6×63:03.513:13.46
top 42.7%1,577 / 4,196
Skewb9.3112.80
top 50.6%9,052 / 18,907
Square-155.421:09.78
top 80.6%5,373 / 6,743
Megaminx3:46.56—
early days — 2 solves7,030 / 7,841
Clock36.8841.03
top 91.2%8,158 / 8,927

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

Music City Winter 2016: 16.79Athens Spring 2016: 15.28Spontaneous Summer 2016: 12.90Discovery Place 2016: 14.62Crossroads Cubing 2017: 12.42Unionville Open Spring 2017: 13.51Crossroads Cubing Spring 2017: 13.42CubingUSA Nationals 2017: 12.01Hendersonville Winter 2018: 11.02Fruit Salad 2018: 9.93CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2018: 10.53Carolina Cubers United 2018: 10.38Crossroads Cubing 2018: 9.56Carolina Season Starter 2018: 10.40Carolina Clock 'Stravaganza 2018: 9.32Hendersonville Winter 2019: 9.02CubingUSA Southeast Championship 2019: 9.95Cape Fear Cubing 2019: 8.87CubingUSA Nationals 2019: 11.64Rocky The Ram Cubes 2019: 9.75Carolina Clock 'Stravaganza 2019: 9.55Concord Summer 2024: 10.52NxN Nonsense NC 2026: 9.31Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2026: 10.578.8716.792 Jan 20162 Jul 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 0.87 away.
  • A sub-3 2×2 single — 26,570 people have one; it is 0.25 away.

Targets move as he improves.