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People → China → Zhiyuan Liao (廖智远)

People · China

Zhiyuan Liao (廖智远)

Megaminx · top 5.2% of 34,786 all-time · competing since December 2012 · 2012LIAO05

Zhiyuan Liao (廖智远) has been competing for 14 years. His best event is the Megaminx: a personal-best single of 50.26, set at Fuzhou Open 2018, puts him in the top 5.2% of the 34,786 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 119th in China. Until April 2010, no official Megaminx solve in the world had been that fast. Across 30 competitions since December 2012, he has put 591 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 52% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 13.84 in December 2012 to 10.86, a 22% improvement. Zhiyuan has entered 30 competitions, more competitions than 98% of everyone who has ever competed.

Megaminx
best event — top 5.2% of 34,786 all-time
50.26
signature single · Fuzhou Open 2018
591
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 52% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
Megaminx50.2656.11
top 5.2%119 / 1,678
3×310.8611.99
top 10.1%3,939 / 28,153
4×441.2749.65
top 13.6%1,474 / 5,926
2×23.487.08
top 20.0%3,273 / 15,796
3×3 one-handed22.2525.85
top 26.7%2,631 / 5,922
5×51:36.461:41.79
top 32.6%1,476 / 2,816
Pyraminx11.1212.12
top 61.4%6,291 / 10,224
7×76:37.337:20.13
early days — 3 solves1,144 / 1,261
Skewb15.6817.17
top 80.4%4,103 / 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

Xi'an Newborn 2012: 13.84Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2013: 13.78Xi'an Summer 2013: 15.31Xi'an Winter 2013: 14.94Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2014: 11.26Chengdu Open 2014: 12.99Chongqing Open 2014: 13.99Xi'an More Coffee 2014: 13.72Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2015: 13.72Chengdu Open 2015: 13.74Xi'an Summer 2015: 12.23Xining Summer Open 2015: 15.99Xi'an Open 2015: 11.25Xi'an New Year 2016: 10.86Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2016: 13.12Xining Summer Open 2016: 13.38Taiyuan Winter Open 2016: 13.26Taiyuan Open 2017: 14.24Shantou Open 2017: 12.86Jieyang Open 2018: 12.72Shantou Open 2018: 13.17Fuzhou Open 2018: 11.06Jieyang Open 2019: 10.89Xiamen Winter 2019: 12.38Xi'an Cherry Blossom 2026: 11.18Zhangzhou Open 2026: 11.4710.8615.9923 Dec 201227 Jun 2026

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-50 Megaminx single — 1,776 people have one; it is 0.26 away.
  • A sub-10 3×3 single — 21,172 people have one; it is 0.86 away.

Targets move as he improves.