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People → China → Zhou Yichen (周奕臣)

People · China

Zhou Yichen (周奕臣)

2×2 · top 3.1% of 186,767 all-time · competing since February 2009 · 2009YICH01

Zhou Yichen (周奕臣) has been competing for 18 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 1.71, set at Beijing Winter Open 2013, puts him in the top 3.1% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 398th in China. Until February 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 52 competitions since February 2009, he has put 672 official solves on the record across 13 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 59% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 one-handed best has come down from 37.72 in March 2010 to 13.36, a 65% improvement. Zhou has entered 52 competitions, more competitions than 99% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 3.1% of 186,767 all-time
1.71
signature single · Beijing Winter Open 2013
672
official solves on the record
13%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 59% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
2×21.712.43
top 3.1%398 / 15,796
3×3 one-handed13.3618.57
top 5.0%455 / 5,922
3×39.5412.51
top 6.2%2,403 / 28,153
Pyraminx3.845.82
top 6.9%820 / 10,224
Megaminx1:02.181:09.21
top 11.2%299 / 1,678
Skewb5.136.84
top 19.2%1,193 / 5,004
4×459.881:03.89
top 36.3%3,578 / 5,926
5×51:59.302:05.83
top 48.8%2,066 / 2,816
3×3 Fewest Moves42 moves—
early days — 1 solve652 / 1,058
Square-137.2850.95
top 61.7%1,037 / 1,362
3×3 blindfolded3:44.78—
top 64.5%891 / 1,183
Clock21.7632.79
top 69.5%1,507 / 1,843
6×64:55.865:31.99
early days — 3 solves1,284 / 1,349

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

Rubik's Cube Singapore Open 2010: 37.72Shenyang Cubing Boxing Day 2010: 26.71NUS Rubik's Cube Competition 2011: 18.91Yingkou Open 2011: 22.90Cube Fever 2011: 21.52Tianjin Winter 2012: 20.37Batam Mini Competition 2017: 19.18Mofunland Cruise Open 2023: 13.36Singapore 50 and Counting 2024: 17.33Rubik's WCA Asian Championship 2024: 16.40Singapore Championship 2025: 17.91Singapore March Classics 2025: 17.84OH My March Singapore 2025: 17.62Please No Tips Singapore June 2025: 18.40Singapore Mofunland Cruise 2025: 17.98Clock Battle August Singapore 2025: 17.65Mofunland Speedcubing Singapore 2025: 17.67Singapore Polytechnic September Showdown 2025: 20.35Malaysia Cube Championship 2025: 18.20Singapore Two-Day Nov 2025: 20.09Singapore Championship 2026: 16.51Back to Downtown Singapore 2026: 16.78Singapore Pyraminx March 2026: 17.66NUS Masters 2026: 16.53Singapore Polytechnic Sprint 2026: 17.56NUS Clock Clash 2026: 19.06NUS Mini 2026: 17.42Odd July Singapore 2026: 16.05Singapore Augu-Skewb Day 2026: 19.19Mofunland Speedcubing Singapore 2026: 16.4413.3637.7220 Mar 20105 Sep 2026

Best single per competition, 3×3 one-handed. 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 0.71 away.
  • A sub-12 3×3 one-handed single — 2,187 people have one; it is 1.36 away.

Targets move as he improves.