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People → Japan → Naoki Tani (谷直輝)

People · Japan

Naoki Tani (谷直輝)

3×3 · top 2.5% of 284,439 all-time · competing since September 2017 · 2017TANI04

Naoki Tani (谷直輝) has been competing for 9 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 7.82, set at Kansai Odd and BLD 2025, puts him in the top 2.5% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 103rd in Japan. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 46 competitions since September 2017, he has put 562 official solves on the record across 16 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 65% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 23.17 in September 2017 to 7.82, a 66% improvement. Naoki has entered 46 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 2.5% of 284,439 all-time
7.82
signature single · Kansai Odd and BLD 2025
562
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 65% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingJapan
3×37.8210.11
top 2.5%103 / 3,329
3×3 one-handed12.1914.52
top 3.2%37 / 529
Pyraminx2.906.92
top 3.3%49 / 688
2×22.045.35
top 5.0%61 / 1,021
3×3 blindfolded37.7746.16
top 6.2%30 / 282
3×3 Multi-Blind16 of 18 cubes · 55:52—
top 9.6%14 / 128
4×4 blindfolded4:24.43—
top 17.6%16 / 81
4×444.9653.05
top 18.3%185 / 667
5×5 blindfolded9:23.92—
top 19.2%14 / 50
Megaminx1:26.041:39.71
top 25.6%148 / 313
3×3 Fewest Moves36 moves—
top 33.6%103 / 201
5×51:38.891:44.33
top 34.5%198 / 420
Skewb9.5613.11
top 52.2%230 / 338
6×63:27.963:51.91
early days — 3 solves131 / 209
7×75:38.716:02.96
top 62.2%126 / 188
Square-149.441:01.47
top 75.6%217 / 245

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

Kansai Fall 2017: 23.17Kansai Big Cube 2017: 20.77Japan Open 2017: 20.94Kobe Open 2018: 20.47Kansai Open 2018: 22.06Kyoto Open 2018: 15.82Kansai Summer 2018: 15.88Cube Camp in Kanazawa 2018: 14.55Hiroshima 2018: 15.56Kansai Big Cube 2018: 14.23Japan Championship 2018: 13.26JRCA Kansai Winter 2019: 13.26Kansai Open 2019: 11.42Tribox Open Spring 2019: 11.73Reiwa Anniversary 2019: 11.41WCA World Championship 2019: 10.84Nishinomiya Open 2019: 10.20Cube Camp in Kanazawa 2019: 11.48Kansai Summer 2019: 11.72Kyoto Open 2019: 9.76Japan Championship 2019: 9.98Hiroshima Open 2019: 11.40Kanazawa Open 2020: 12.27Welcome Back Ayase Winter 2020: 10.86Tokai Winter PM 2021: 8.66Minatomirai 2022: 9.79Yoga Summer B 2022: 10.44Go x Go Kyoto 2023: 11.80Hiroshima Spring 2023: 10.28Rubik's WCA World Championship 2023: 10.38Otsu Biwako Autumn 2023: 9.84Hiroshima Winter 2024: 11.18Katano Milky Way 2024: 11.94Kansai Odd and BLD 2025: 7.82Tokyo Summer 2025: 9.08Tokai Summer 2025: 11.36Katano Summer 2025: 10.62Kansai Mega Day 2025: 9.10Shimonoseki 2025: 8.85Katano Spring 2026: 9.68Otsu Biwako Spring 2026: 9.97Japan Championship 2026: 9.73Kansai Mega Day 2026: 9.207.8223.1724 Sep 20171 Aug 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-6 3×3 single — 1,376 people have one; it is 1.82 away.
  • A sub-12 3×3 one-handed single — 2,187 people have one; it is 0.19 away.

Targets move as he improves.