Sunday 6 September 2026 Rebuilt nightly from the WCA's official results · export of 6 September 2026 · About
The Middle Three
People → Japan → Yu Nakajima (中島悠)

People · Japan

Yu Nakajima (中島悠)

2×2 · top 0.72% of 186,767 all-time · competing since July 2007 · 2007NAKA03

Yu Nakajima (中島悠) has been competing for 19 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 1.08, set at Japan Contest 2012, puts him in the top 0.72% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 5th in Japan. Until November 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 74 competitions since July 2007, he has put 2,324 official solves on the record across 17 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, steadier than 55% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 12.21 in July 2007 to 7.00, a 43% improvement. Yu has entered 74 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 0.72% of 186,767 all-time
1.08
signature single · Japan Contest 2012
2,324
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 55% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingJapan
2×21.082.46
top 0.72%5 / 1,021
3×37.008.79
top 1.3%59 / 3,329
5×553.111:03.06
top 2.7%22 / 420
4×430.3334.04
top 3.0%41 / 667
3×3 one-handed12.1115.12
top 3.1%36 / 529
3×3 Fewest Moves24 moves28.33
top 4.0%25 / 201
Pyraminx3.694.41
top 6.2%81 / 688
Megaminx53.5257.82
top 6.7%51 / 313
3×3 blindfolded40.1155.91
top 6.8%35 / 282
Square-111.3615.82
top 8.6%32 / 245
Clock7.058.31
top 11.1%45 / 263
Skewb4.065.75
top 11.3%58 / 338
6×62:04.692:13.82
top 13.0%40 / 209
7×73:11.443:25.27
top 13.7%34 / 188
5×5 blindfolded8:49.05
early days — 3 solves10 / 50
4×4 blindfolded4:17.50
top 16.7%13 / 81
3×3 Multi-Blind9 of 10 cubes · 56:03
top 24.8%43 / 128

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

Japan Open 2007: 12.21World Rubik's Cube Championship 2007: 11.50Kawasaki Open 2008: 10.77Osaka Open 2008: 10.21Kashiwa Open 2008: 8.72Tokyo Open 2008: 10.30Japan Open 2008: 9.84Japan Open 2009: 10.5330th Anniversary MegaHouse Cup 2010: 11.43Matsudo Open 2010: 8.09Osaka 2011: 10.94Matsudo Spring 2011: 9.69Japan Open 2011: 8.47United States National Championships 2011: 8.81Cube Camp in Kanazawa 2011: 8.78Taipei Open 2011: 8.53World Rubik's Cube Championship 2011: 8.16Matsudo Autumn 2011: 8.21Kyotanabe Open 2011: 8.58UT Open 2011: 8.46Human Rights Day 2011: 9.03Hokuriku Eve 2011: 8.86Kansai New Year 2012: 9.13Tsukuba 2012: 8.72Kyushu Open 2012: 7.72Kansai Open 2012: 8.05Matsudo Spring 2012: 8.03Tokai Open 2012: 8.02Rabbit and Turtle 2012: 7.77Kyotanabe Open 2012: 8.68Kawasaki Open 2012: 8.00Kansai Star Festival 2012: 8.65Shanghai Summer 2012: 8.47Kanto Open 2012: 7.78Cube Camp in Kanazawa 2012: 9.03Japan Open 2012: 8.43Japan Contest 2012: 7.55West Japan Big Cube 2012: 7.41UT Open 2012: 8.56Kanto Winter 2012: 8.90Hokuriku Eve Open 2012: 8.08Rabbit And Turtle 2013: 8.65Kansai Open 2013: 7.43Cherry Blossom Viewing Open 2013: 7.00Japan Contest Spring 2013: 8.28Kawasaki Open 2013: 7.83Japan Open 2013: 9.08Tachikawa 3x3 Fest 2013: 7.81Kawasaki Autumn 2013: 8.33UT Open 2013: 8.38Kanto Open 2014: 7.407.0012.2128 Jul 200722 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-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.08 away.
  • A sub-6 3×3 single — 1,376 people have one; it is 1.00 away.

Targets move as he improves.