People · Japan
Taiyo Nakai (仲井太洋)
3×3 · top 4.8% of 284,439 all-time · competing since January 2020 · 2020NAKA01
Taiyo Nakai (仲井太洋) has been competing for 7 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.97, set at Cubing in Cambridge 2023, puts him in the top 4.8% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 314th in Japan. Until May 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 8 competitions since January 2020, he has put 123 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, an early reading from 8 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 13.89 in January 2020 to 8.97, a 35% improvement. Taiyo has entered eight competitions, more competitions than 90% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 8.97 | 11.15 | top 4.8% | 314 / 3,329 | |
| 4×4 | 38.77 | 45.00 | top 10.6% | 141 / 667 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 16.41 | 19.39 | top 11.2% | 0 / 529 | |
| Megaminx | 1:18.27 | 1:38.45 | top 20.7% | 0 / 313 | |
| 5×5 | 1:32.91 | 1:35.07 | top 29.8% | 0 / 420 | |
| 3×3 Fewest Moves | 39 moves | 43.00 | early days — 3 solves | 0 / 201 | |
| 7×7 | 4:40.86 | — | early days — 1 solve | 0 / 188 | |
| 2×2 | 5.58 | 6.33 | top 46.3% | 0 / 1,021 | |
| 6×6 | 3:32.73 | — | early days — 1 solve | 0 / 209 |
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
- 9 Apr 2022First sub-10 3×3: 9.27 at Saint John's Spring 2022.
- 9 Apr 2022Three personal bests in one day at Saint John's Spring 2022.
- 12 Jan 2020First competition: MIT Winter 2020. A 13.89 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Kanto Winter 2026 · 21 Feb 2026
- Cambridge Cube Clash 2025 · 16 Feb 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Christmastime in Cambridge 2024 · 21 Dec 2024 — 1 personal best set
- Cubing in Cambridge 2023 · 1 Apr 2023 — 2 personal bests set
- CubingUSA Northeast Championship 2022 · 27 May 2022 — 1 personal best set
- Saint John's Spring 2022 · 9 Apr 2022 — 3 personal bests set
- Cambridge Challenge 2022 · 13 Mar 2022
- MIT Winter 2020 · 12 Jan 2020
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.
- Will Russo — met in 24 rounds, finished ahead once
- Giulio Beniamino Ciampa — met in 20 rounds, finished ahead 14 times
- Ryan Waite — met in 19 rounds, finished ahead 12 times
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.97 away.
- A sub-30 4×4 single — 2,388 people have one; it is 8.77 away.
Targets move as he improves.