Sunday 6 September 2026 Rebuilt nightly from the WCA's official results · export of 6 September 2026 · About
The Middle Three
People → United Kingdom → Raphael Niman

People · United Kingdom

Raphael Niman

Pyraminx · top 1.1% of 129,321 all-time · competing since December 2016 · 2016NIMA01

Raphael Niman has been competing for 10 years. His best event is the Pyraminx: a personal-best single of 1.96, set at East London Autumn 2022, puts him in the top 1.1% of the 129,321 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 46th in the United Kingdom. Until July 2011, no official Pyraminx solve in the world had been that fast. Across 33 competitions since December 2016, he has put 1,029 official solves on the record across 14 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, steadier than 61% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 21.34 in December 2016 to 7.08, a 67% improvement. Raphael has entered 33 competitions, more competitions than 98% of everyone who has ever competed.

Pyraminx
best event — top 1.1% of 129,321 all-time
1.96
signature single · East London Autumn 2022
1,029
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 61% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited Kingdom
Pyraminx1.962.90
top 1.1%46 / 3,656
3×37.088.44
top 1.4%110 / 6,689
Megaminx42.4950.17
top 2.3%39 / 966
2×22.122.82
top 5.6%404 / 4,895
3×3 one-handed14.8016.82
top 7.7%153 / 1,851
Skewb3.784.67
top 9.4%214 / 2,421
4×438.0540.78
top 9.8%232 / 2,071
5×51:09.161:19.62
top 11.0%149 / 1,151
Clock8.8611.29
top 19.2%270 / 1,232
Square-119.7627.12
top 27.5%258 / 778
3×3 Fewest Moves38 moves—
early days — 1 solve167 / 372
6×63:28.823:33.57
early days — 3 solves330 / 548
7×76:20.28—
early days — 2 solves347 / 459
3×3 blindfolded4:51.34—
early days — 2 solves272 / 311

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

Birmingham Open 2016: 21.34August Bank Holiday Competition 2017: 15.82UK Championship 2017: 16.16Weston-super-Mare Open 2018: 13.70London Open 2019: 9.22Guildford Open 2020: 10.44Wakefield Open 2022: 8.58Stevenage Spring 2022: 9.23Stevenage Summer 2022: 8.83Stevenage Autumn B 2022: 7.34Kewbz UK Championship 2022: 8.20East London Autumn 2022: 7.25Stevenage January 2023: 8.87Stevenage June 2023: 8.56Stevenage July 2023: 7.71Norwich Summer 2023: 8.18Mind Sports Olympiad Cubing 2023: 7.10Harrow Autumn 2023: 7.56Rubik's UK Championship 2023: 8.73Stevenage February 2024: 8.88Stevenage Newcomers Sunday 2024: 7.76Kewbz UK Open 2024: 8.33Battersea Autumn 2024: 8.73Rubik's UK Championship 2024: 7.51Stevenage September 2025: 8.42Stevenage 10th Anniversary 2025: 8.15Leicestershire Autumn 2025: 7.26Stevenage January 2026: 7.70Stevenage July 2026: 7.86Kewbz UK Championship 2026: 7.087.0821.3417 Dec 201628 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 Pyraminx single — 49 people have one; it is 0.96 away.
  • A sub-6 3×3 single — 1,376 people have one; it is 1.08 away.

Targets move as he improves.