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The Middle Three
People → China → Zhili Zhang (张志立)

People · China

Zhili Zhang (张志立)

3×3 · top 3.3% of 284,439 all-time · competing since August 2012 · 2012ZHAN24

Zhili Zhang (张志立) has been competing for 14 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.27, set at Xiamen Autumn 2017, puts him in the top 3.3% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,224th in China. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 20 competitions since August 2012, he has put 424 official solves on the record across seven events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 74% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 19.28 in August 2012 to 8.27, a 57% improvement. Zhili has entered 20 competitions, more competitions than 97% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 3.3% of 284,439 all-time
8.27
signature single · Xiamen Autumn 2017
424
official solves on the record
14%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 74% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
3×38.2711.09
top 3.3%1,224 / 28,153
2×22.836.32
top 12.3%1,928 / 15,796
3×3 one-handed17.5921.62
top 14.0%1,399 / 5,922
4×446.7151.46
top 20.4%2,200 / 5,926
Megaminx1:20.161:27.82
top 21.9%658 / 1,678
Pyraminx12.9721.01
top 72.7%7,279 / 10,224
Skewb16.68
early days — 2 solves4,198 / 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

Hefei Summer 2012: 19.28Guangdong Open 2013: 12.36Chengdu Open 2014: 12.55Chongqing Open 2014: 11.65Xi'an Open 2015: 12.01Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2016: 11.94Chengdu Open 2016: 11.09Fuzhou Open 2016: 10.48Chongqing Open 2016: 13.03Shantou Open 2016: 10.52Asian Championship 2016: 11.95Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2017: 11.76Zhangzhou Spring 2017: 10.47Longyan Summer Open 2017: 10.01China's 10th Anniversary Championship 2017: 9.49Xiamen Autumn 2017: 8.27TKK Open 2017: 11.15Chongqing Open 2017: 10.10Beijing Open 2018: 11.408.2719.285 Aug 201230 Apr 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.

Next targets

  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.27 away.
  • A sub-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.83 away.

Targets move as he improves.