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The Middle Three
People → China → Yan Xia (夏炎)

People · China

Yan Xia (夏炎)

3×3 blindfolded · top 6.2% of 12,178 all-time · competing since December 2009 · 2009XIAY02

Yan Xia (夏炎) has been competing for 17 years. His best event is the 3×3 blindfolded: a personal-best single of 37.67, set at Taiwan Championship 2017, puts him in the top 6.2% of the 12,178 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 103rd in China. Until August 2009, no official 3×3 blindfolded solve in the world had been that fast. Across 10 competitions since December 2009, he has put 70 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 26% around a typical one, an early reading from 5 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 40.52 in December 2009 to 15.03, a 63% improvement. Yan has entered ten competitions, more competitions than 92% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3 blindfolded
best event — top 6.2% of 12,178 all-time
37.67
signature single · Taiwan Championship 2017
70
official solves on the record

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
3×3 blindfolded37.6746.93
top 6.2%103 / 1,183
3×3 Multi-Blind13 of 14 cubes · 48:27
early days — 2 solves38 / 278
2×23.406.26
top 19.0%3,104 / 15,796
3×315.0317.44
top 24.5%9,251 / 28,153
Square-141.3654.38
top 67.1%1,114 / 1,362
4×41:41.832:09.33
top 71.8%5,437 / 5,926
3×3 Fewest Moves48 moves
early days — 1 solve864 / 1,058
3×3 one-handed1:03.55
early days — 2 solves5,811 / 5,922
Clock1:03.03
early days — 1 solve1,838 / 1,843

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

Nanjing Open 2009: 40.52Hangzhou Open 2010: 22.69Nanjing Spring Open 2010: 21.58Kaohsiung Winter Open 2014: 15.0315.0340.526 Dec 200922 Feb 2014

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-30 3×3 blindfolded single — 501 people have one; it is 7.67 away.
  • A sub-3 2×2 single — 26,570 people have one; it is 0.40 away.

Targets move as he improves.