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People · Australia

Nicholas Penfold

2×2 · top 0.64% of 186,767 all-time · competing since January 2023 · 2023PENF01

Nicholas Penfold has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 1.04, set at VIC State Championship 2025, puts him in the top 0.64% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 66th in Australia. Until November 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 40 competitions since January 2023, he has put 1,947 official solves on the record across 13 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 77% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 16.97 in January 2023 to 8.55, a 50% improvement. Nicholas has entered 40 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 0.64% of 186,767 all-time
1.04
signature single · VIC State Championship 2025
1,947
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 77% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingAustralia
2×21.042.76
top 0.64%66 / 8,567
Pyraminx2.884.14
top 3.2%147 / 5,993
3×38.559.97
top 3.8%365 / 11,709
Skewb2.985.53
top 4.9%153 / 3,534
3×3 one-handed16.2820.28
top 10.9%247 / 2,659
4×440.3044.95
top 12.5%313 / 3,051
Megaminx1:14.001:29.78
top 18.0%215 / 1,277
5×51:32.691:36.43
top 29.5%401 / 1,356
Square-122.5628.11
top 33.7%324 / 899
Clock13.1215.12
top 40.2%414 / 1,095
3×3 Fewest Moves39 moves45.00
top 44.7%205 / 468
6×63:59.07—
early days — 1 solve404 / 641
7×76:57.37—
top 79.7%393 / 523

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

Melbourne Summer 2023: 16.97Brilliant Ballarat 2023: 17.31Speedcubing at Seaworks 2023: 14.32Solving in Sale 2023: 11.90Apollo Bay Cubing 2023: 10.16Victorian Open 2023: 11.39Geelong Winter 2023: 13.42Melbourne Cubing for Kids Sunday 2023: 10.58Australian Nationals 2023: 13.37Melbourne Cube Days 2023: 12.02Mildura Madness 2023: 10.14Melbourne Summer 2024: 10.88Don't Inverloch Up 2024: 10.74Altona Algorithms 2024: 9.04Brilliant Ballarat 2024: 10.18Solving In Sale 2024: 10.02Apollo Bay Cubing 2024: 10.67Australian Nationals 2024: 9.03Geelong Winter 2024: 8.76Spark Melbourne Spring Saturday 2024: 10.24Nimble Newborough 2024: 10.40Melbourne Cube Days 2024: 9.40Melbourne Summer 2025: 9.58Brilliant Ballarat 2025: 9.75Solving in Sale 2025: 8.83Don't Inverloch Up 2025: 10.02VIC State Championship 2025: 10.12Spark Melbourne July 2025: 10.10Geelong Winter 2025: 9.44Australian Nationals 2025: 9.06Apollo Bay Cubing 2025: 9.60Nimble Newborough 2025: 9.77Melbourne Cube Days 2025: 8.55Melbourne Summer 2026: 9.65North-East Melbourne March Saturday 2026: 9.45West Melbourne Open 2026: 9.38Solving in Sale 2026: 10.12Brilliant Ballarat 2026: 9.78Australian Nationals 2026: 9.30Geelong Winter 2026: 10.428.5517.3120 Jan 202329 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-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.04 away.
  • A sub-2 Pyraminx single — 1,476 people have one; it is 0.88 away.

Targets move as he improves.