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Michael Gottlieb

3×3 one-handed · top 2.1% of 73,695 all-time · competing since November 2006 · 2006GOTT01

Michael Gottlieb has been competing for 20 years. His best event is the 3×3 one-handed: a personal-best single of 11.21, set at Slow n Steady Spring 2015, puts him in the top 2.1% of the 73,695 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 330th in the United States. Until August 2010, no official 3×3 one-handed solve in the world had been that fast. Across 49 competitions since November 2006, he has put 1,886 official solves on the record across 14 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 10% around a typical one, steadier than 95% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 37.78 in November 2006 to 8.88, a 76% improvement. Michael has entered 49 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3 one-handed
best event — top 2.1% of 73,695 all-time
11.21
signature single · Slow n Steady Spring 2015
1,886
official solves on the record
10%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 95% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×3 one-handed11.2116.00
top 2.1%330 / 15,683
4×428.8536.78
top 2.2%358 / 19,072
2×21.813.84
top 3.6%1,427 / 40,951
3×38.889.85
top 4.6%2,551 / 59,724
5×559.271:03.97
top 5.1%427 / 9,401
7×72:48.973:04.54
top 7.6%205 / 3,184
Megaminx55.611:00.47
top 7.7%534 / 7,841
Pyraminx4.696.16
top 11.3%2,950 / 28,708
Square-113.0519.42
top 12.0%835 / 6,743
3×3 Fewest Moves29 moves30.33
top 12.2%280 / 2,040
6×62:03.362:09.56
top 12.4%451 / 4,196
Clock7.7310.33
top 13.9%1,063 / 8,927
3×3 blindfolded1:45.78—
top 28.5%593 / 2,092
Skewb7.368.04
top 36.4%6,207 / 18,907

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

Rutgers Fall competition 2006: 37.78Cornell Spring competition 2007: 16.46Captain's Cove competition 2007: 15.91Caltech Summer competition 2007: 16.12Caltech Fall competition 2007: 14.96UCSD competition 2008: 15.12EPGY California Open 2008: 14.83Princeton Open 2008: 15.40Discovery Science Center competition 2008: 13.96Berkeley Spring competition 2008: 13.90San Diego Open 2008: 14.17US Nationals and Open 2008: 14.28German Nationals 2008: 12.97Berkeley Fall 2008: 13.66Caltech Fall 2008: 12.53San Francisco Open 2009: 15.58EPGY Stanford Winter 2009: 10.30Discovery Science Center competition 2009: 12.56Safe Haven competition 2009: 10.63Connecticut Summer Competition 2009: 12.11Caltech Fall competition 2009: 13.15Bayview Hills Open 2010: 10.68Caltech Winter 2010: 9.97Safe Haven competition 2010: 11.00Captain's Cove competition 2010: 13.36United States Rubik's Cube Championships 2010: 13.11Hackley Summer 2011: 9.56Chesapeake Science Point Fall 2013: 9.81Slow 'n Steady Fall 2013: 9.88River Hill Summer 2014: 9.11Slow n Steady Fall 2014: 9.54River Hill Winter 2015: 9.90Johns Hopkins Winter 2015: 9.09Chesapeake Science Point Spring 2015: 9.28Slow n Steady Spring 2015: 13.42Slow n Steady Fall 2015: 8.94Slow N Steady Winter 2016: 8.88Manhasset Spring 2016: 9.65Big Apple Spring 2016: 9.37New York City Winter 2017: 9.23Liberty Science Center Open 2018: 9.98Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025: 9.55Connecticut Championship 2025: 9.59PBs in Palisades Open 2026: 10.53PBs in Palisades Spring 2026: 9.918.8837.7818 Nov 20064 Apr 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.

  • Rowe Hessler — met in 109 rounds, finished ahead 40 times
  • Dan Selzer — met in 101 rounds, finished ahead 81 times
  • Lucas Garron — met in 101 rounds, finished ahead 56 times

Next targets

  • A sub-10 3×3 one-handed single — 779 people have one; it is 1.21 away.
  • A sub-25 4×4 single — 588 people have one; it is 3.85 away.

Targets move as he improves.