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People · New Zealand

Richard Yiheng Tao

3×3 · top 0.085% of 284,439 all-time · competing since February 2020 · 2020TAOR01

Richard Yiheng Tao has been competing for 6 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 4.80, set at NZ North Island Championship 2026, puts him in the top 0.085% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 6th in New Zealand. Until November 2016, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 49 competitions since February 2020, he has put 3,873 official solves on the record across 15 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, steadier than 60% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 26.77 in February 2020 to 4.80, an 82% improvement. Richard has entered 49 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 0.085% of 284,439 all-time
4.80
signature single · NZ North Island Championship 2026
3,873
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 60% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingNew Zealand
3×34.806.14
top 0.085%6 / 2,095
2×20.671.69
top 0.094%7 / 1,615
Pyraminx1.152.20
top 0.11%3 / 1,141
4×422.1725.83
top 0.2%3 / 722
5×543.6247.46
top 0.5%5 / 355
3×3 one-handed9.1810.85
top 0.59%10 / 600
Megaminx36.1044.26
top 0.8%7 / 283
Clock3.053.77
top 0.81%6 / 303
6×61:25.761:33.76
top 1.2%3 / 149
7×72:16.322:22.56
top 1.9%5 / 126
Skewb2.404.06
top 2.5%31 / 666
Square-17.739.56
top 2.6%13 / 251
3×3 Fewest Moves27 moves30.67
top 8.0%12 / 111
3×3 blindfolded49.43—
top 9.7%18 / 86
3×3 Multi-Blind2 of 2 cubes · 8:16—
early days — 3 solves32 / 49

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

Auckland Summer Open 2020: 26.77Welcome Back Wellington 2020: 8.94New Zealand Nationals 2020: 8.97A New Year in Auckland 2021: 9.08Twisty Taranaki 2021: 8.25NZ South Island Championship 2021: 8.34NZ North Island Championship 2021: 7.79Popping Off Pukekohe A 2022: 6.32Twisty Taranaki 2022: 7.20Three Rounds Whangarei 2022: 7.01New Zealand Nationals 2022: 6.18Rubik's WCA Oceanic Championship 2022: 5.94A New Year in Hamilton 2023: 5.79Solving in Sale 2023: 6.61Auckland Mid-Year Madness 2023: 6.52NZ South Island Championship 2023: 6.81Rubik's WCA World Championship 2023: 6.53Australian Nationals 2023: 5.83NZ North Island Championship 2023: 6.00New Zealand Nationals 2023: 5.03Te Atatū Newcomers Open 2024: 6.04Beachside Auckland 2024: 5.94Great Peconic Bay Spring 2024: 6.06Auckland Matariki Open 2024: 6.05Clauckland 2024: 6.01NZ North Island Championship 2024: 6.67New Zealand Cubing Decathlon 2024: 6.11Springing into Auckland 2024: 5.08Max Speed Milford 2024: 5.79Twisting in Titirangi 2025: 6.29Queenspark O'Clock 2025: 5.51Milford Winter Warm Up 2025: 5.51Rubik's WCA World Championship 2025: 6.182x2 in Tāmaki Makaurau 2025: 6.16Beachside Auckland 2025: 6.16New Zealand Cubing Decathlon 2025: 5.73Drury Summer 2025: 5.23New Zealand Nationals 2025: 5.43NZ North Island Championship 2026: 4.80Cubing East Auckland Newcomer Open 2026: 5.03Auckland Winter Open 2026: 5.47Mountain House Open 2026: 5.894.8026.7729 Feb 202018 Jul 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-4 3×3 single — 38 people have one; it is 0.80 away.
  • A sub-1 Pyraminx single — 49 people have one; it is 0.15 away.

Targets move as he improves.