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

People · United States

Nick Penafiel

3×3 · top 2.4% of 284,439 all-time · competing since September 2015 · 2015PENA05

Nick Penafiel has been competing for 11 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 7.76, set at Slow N Steady Summer 2019, puts him in the top 2.4% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,390th in the United States. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 16 competitions since September 2015, he has put 393 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 51% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 30.43 in September 2015 to 7.76, a 74% improvement. Nick has entered 16 competitions, more competitions than 96% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 2.4% of 284,439 all-time
7.76
signature single · Slow N Steady Summer 2019
393
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 51% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×37.769.74
top 2.4%1,390 / 59,724
2×22.123.24
top 5.6%2,232 / 40,951
Pyraminx4.515.63
top 10.3%2,681 / 28,708
3×3 one-handed16.6222.11
top 11.7%1,522 / 15,683
4×440.6847.64
top 12.9%1,911 / 19,072
5×51:18.831:29.37
top 18.2%1,403 / 9,401
Megaminx1:52.352:08.47
top 41.7%3,028 / 7,841
Skewb8.4411.89
top 44.6%7,846 / 18,907
7×75:11.805:17.52
top 54.4%1,598 / 3,184

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

Slow n Steady Fall 2015: 30.43River Hill Fall 2015: 21.65Virginia Open Spring 2016: 12.63Slow N Steady Spring 2016: 13.75Slow N Steady Fall 2016: 11.07TJHSST Fall 2016: 10.53Virginia Open Winter 2017: 9.30NovaCube 2017: 8.60Slow N Steady Summer 2017: 9.24Maryland 2017: 8.42Rally in the Valley 2019: 8.21CubingUSA Nationals 2019: 8.73Slow N Steady Summer 2019: 7.76TJHSST Fall 2019: 9.22Potomac Spring 2023: 9.88Cougar Qualifier 2023: 9.167.7630.4326 Sep 201529 Apr 2023

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 1.76 away.
  • A sub-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.12 away.

Targets move as he improves.