People · China
Zihao Niu (牛子皓)
3×3 · top 0.59% of 284,439 all-time · competing since April 2024 · 2024NIUZ01
Zihao Niu (牛子皓) has been competing for 2 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 6.17, set at Xuzhou Zenith 2026, puts him in the top 0.59% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 215th in China. Until June 2011, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 9 competitions since April 2024, he has put 302 official solves on the record across six events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 67% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 14.20 in April 2024 to 6.17, a 57% improvement. Zihao has entered nine competitions, more competitions than 91% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | China | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 6.17 | 7.85 | top 0.59% | 215 / 28,153 | |
| Pyraminx | 2.33 | 3.31 | top 1.8% | 210 / 10,224 | |
| 2×2 | 1.77 | 2.71 | top 3.4% | 450 / 15,796 | |
| Skewb | 3.58 | 5.32 | top 8.2% | 467 / 5,004 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 18.15 | 20.26 | top 15.5% | 1,515 / 5,922 | |
| Clock | 11.98 | 13.38 | top 34.8% | 832 / 1,843 |
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
Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 21 Sep 2025Three personal bests in one day at Shenyang Autumn 2025.
- 13 Apr 2025First sub-10 3×3: 8.65 at Shenyang Spring 2025.
- 13 Apr 2025Six personal bests in one day at Shenyang Spring 2025.
- 29 Jun 2024Four personal bests in one day at Dandong Yalu River Open 2024.
- 5 Apr 2024First competition: Shenyang Spring 2024. A 14.20 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Xuzhou Zenith 2026 · 11 Apr 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Guangdong Open - Revival & Rival 2026 · 6 Feb 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Shenyang Autumn 2025 · 21 Sep 2025 — 3 personal bests set
- Harbin Open 2025 · 20 Jul 2025
- Beijing Summer 2025 · 17 May 2025 — 2 personal bests set
- Shenyang Spring 2025 · 13 Apr 2025 — 6 personal bests set
- Harbin Open 2024 · 27 Oct 2024 — 2 personal bests set
- Dandong Yalu River Open 2024 · 29 Jun 2024 — 4 personal bests set
- Shenyang Spring 2024 · 5 Apr 2024
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.
- Chenhao Ma (马晨皓) — met in 50 rounds, finished ahead 10 times
- Sijian Zhao (赵思鉴) — met in 44 rounds, finished ahead 29 times · head to head
- Zizhen Li (李子贞) — met in 44 rounds, finished ahead 10 times
Next targets
- A sub-6 3×3 single — 1,376 people have one; it is 0.17 away.
- A sub-2 Pyraminx single — 1,476 people have one; it is 0.33 away.
Targets move as he improves.