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The Middle Three
People → China → Yichen Yao (姚依辰)

People · China

Yichen Yao (姚依辰)

3×3 · top 3.4% of 284,439 all-time · competing since November 2015 · 2015YAOY03

Yichen Yao (姚依辰) has been competing for 11 years. Her best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.33, set at Heze Open 2019, puts her in the top 3.4% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,266th in China. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 12 competitions since November 2015, she has put 243 official solves on the record across six events. Solve to solve, her 3×3 times vary about 10% around a typical one, steadier than 98% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. Her 3×3 best has come down from 11.14 in November 2015 to 8.33, a 25% improvement. Yichen has entered twelve competitions, more competitions than 94% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 3.4% of 284,439 all-time
8.33
signature single · Heze Open 2019
243
official solves on the record
10%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 98% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
3×38.3310.66
top 3.4%1,266 / 28,153
2×21.974.63
top 4.5%617 / 15,796
4×449.851:00.34
top 24.5%2,610 / 5,926
5×51:32.661:46.40
top 29.5%1,331 / 2,816
3×3 one-handed32.8836.44
top 53.1%4,511 / 5,922
Skewb10.1916.42
top 56.1%3,116 / 5,004

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

Zhenjiang Open 2015: 11.14Shanghai Spring 2016: 13.19Nanjing Spring 2016: 12.30Suzhou Open 2016: 11.98Linyi Open 2016: 11.26Asian Championship 2016: 10.15Shanghai Winter is Coming 2016: 11.19Shanghai Love In ECNU 2017: 10.62Hefei Open 2017: 11.31Shanghai Love in ECNU 2018: 10.64Heze Open 2019: 8.33China Championship 2019: 9.348.3313.197 Nov 201526 Jul 2019

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 her.

Next targets

  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.33 away.
  • A sub-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.97 away.

Targets move as she improves.