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The Middle Three
People → South Africa → Ruben van Niekerk

People · South Africa

Ruben van Niekerk

3×3 one-handed · top 5.1% of 73,695 all-time · competing since June 2022 · 2022NIEK01

Ruben van Niekerk has been competing for 4 years. His best event is the 3×3 one-handed: a personal-best single of 13.41, set at Cubestuff Centurion Q1 2026, puts him in the top 5.1% of the 73,695 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 14th in South Africa. Until January 2010, no official 3×3 one-handed solve in the world had been that fast. Across 20 competitions since June 2022, he has put 1,000 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 55% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 34.56 in June 2022 to 9.22, a 73% improvement. Ruben has entered 20 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3 one-handed
best event — top 5.1% of 73,695 all-time
13.41
signature single · Cubestuff Centurion Q1 2026
1,000
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 55% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingSouth Africa
3×3 one-handed13.4120.02
top 5.1%14 / 467
3×39.2211.22
top 5.4%50 / 2,164
Pyraminx3.937.27
top 7.3%52 / 946
4×436.6441.18
top 8.3%24 / 491
2×22.543.84
top 9.3%89 / 1,510
Megaminx1:18.311:28.52
top 20.7%31 / 266
5×51:30.721:39.49
top 27.9%42 / 221
Square-120.1425.29
top 28.3%30 / 118
Skewb6.459.14
top 29.3%104 / 438
6×64:33.374:42.22
top 75.5%63 / 84
Clock30.1735.15
top 84.5%124 / 148
3×3 Fewest Moves55 moves—
early days — 1 solve45 / 53

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

Arnold Classic Africa 2022: 34.56Inni-Horie-Fees Speedcubing 2022: 23.33Just Cube Joburg 2022: 21.26Crazy Cubing Centurion 2023: 18.65CubingZA National Championship 2023: 18.14Cubestuff Challenge Q1 2024: 13.72Cubestuff Challenge Q2 2024: 13.27Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Q3 2024: 13.05Rubik's WCA African Championship 2024: 12.64Inni-Horie-Fees 2024: 12.29Cubestuff Challenge Q4 Menlyn Park 2024: 10.74CuBeaulieu Craze 2024: 11.20Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Hotel Q1 2025: 11.65CuBeaulieu Craze Comeback 2025: 9.88Beginner & Blind Johannesburg 2025: 9.51Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Q2 2025: 10.19Menlo Cubing Open 2025: 9.22Cubestuff Centurion Q1 2026: 9.49Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Q3 2026: 10.149.2234.563 Jun 20221 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-12 3×3 one-handed single — 2,187 people have one; it is 1.41 away.
  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 1.22 away.

Targets move as he improves.