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The Middle Three
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People · United States

Samuel Zhu

3×3 · top 17.6% of 284,439 all-time · competing since April 2015 · 2015ZHUS01

Samuel Zhu has been competing for 11 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 13.04, set at Berkeley Fall 2017, puts him in the top 17.6% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 9,407th in the United States. Across 11 competitions since April 2015, he has put 96 official solves on the record across five events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 79% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 21.94 in April 2015 to 13.04, a 41% improvement. Samuel has entered eleven competitions, more competitions than 93% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 17.6% of 284,439 all-time
13.04
signature single · Berkeley Fall 2017
96
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 79% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×313.0415.19
top 17.6%9,407 / 59,724
2×24.786.59
top 36.5%14,600 / 40,951
Pyraminx8.4011.48
top 39.7%11,340 / 28,708
4×42:07.83
early days — 2 solves16,000 / 19,072
3×3 one-handed1:03.63
early days — 2 solves12,962 / 15,683

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

SPCS Stanford Spring 2015: 21.94BASC 7 2015: 19.25Berkeley Summer 2015: 17.10Bay Area Speedcubin' 8 2016: 16.56Bay Area Speedcubin' 9 2016: 15.94Berkeley Spring 2017: 13.086.25 Bay Area 2017: 14.63San Ramon 2017: 13.92Berkeley Summer 2017: 15.50Berkeley Fall 2017: 13.04West Coast Cubing Tour - Cupertino 2018: 15.9313.0421.9419 Apr 201515 Jul 2018

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.

  • Riley Woo — met in 20 rounds, never finished ahead
  • Ryan Jew — met in 18 rounds, never finished ahead
  • Alex Johnson — met in 18 rounds, never finished ahead

Next targets

  • A sub-12 3×3 single — 39,535 people have one; it is 1.04 away.
  • A sub-4 2×2 single — 49,452 people have one; it is 0.78 away.

Targets move as he improves.