People · United States
Samuel Nelson
Clock · top 23.0% of 32,817 all-time · competing since February 2026 · 2026NELS03
Samuel Nelson has been competing for 8 months. His best event is the Clock: a personal-best single of 9.61, set at Welcome to Washington D.C. 2026, puts him in the top 23.0% of the 32,817 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,808th in the United States. Across 3 competitions since February 2026, he has put 47 official solves on the record across nine events. His 3×3 best has come down from 25.08 in February 2026 to 18.16, a 28% improvement. Samuel has entered three competitions, more competitions than 69% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clock | 9.61 | 12.21 | top 23.0% | 1,808 / 9,172 | |
| Skewb | 6.59 | 10.46 | top 30.5% | 5,088 / 19,164 | |
| 3×3 | 18.16 | 20.66 | top 34.7% | 19,617 / 60,666 | |
| Pyraminx | 11.20 | 13.46 | top 62.0% | 18,511 / 29,168 | |
| 5×5 | 2:24.22 | — | early days — 3 solves | 5,542 / 9,537 | |
| 2×2 | 7.76 | — | early days — 3 solves | 27,807 / 41,674 | |
| Square-1 | 45.74 | — | top 72.0% | 4,796 / 6,846 | |
| 4×4 | 1:45.69 | — | early days — 2 solves | 13,687 / 19,354 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 50.66 | — | early days — 2 solves | 11,470 / 15,900 |
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
Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 3 Oct 2026First sub-20 3×3: 18.72 at UMBC Fall 2026.
- 3 Oct 2026Three personal bests in one day at UMBC Fall 2026.
- 14 Feb 2026First competition: UMBC Winter 2026. A 25.08 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- UMBC Fall 2026 · 3 Oct 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Welcome to Washington D.C. 2026 · 25 Apr 2026 — 1 personal best set
- UMBC Winter 2026 · 14 Feb 2026
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.
- Hasan Ali — met in 16 rounds, finished ahead 4 times
- Stone Payne — met in 16 rounds, finished ahead twice
- Shvant Gode — met in 16 rounds, finished ahead twice
Next targets
- A sub-8 Clock single — 4,962 people have one; it is 1.61 away.
- A sub-6 Skewb single — 19,128 people have one; it is 0.59 away.
Targets move as he improves.