Rubik's Cube solve

Speedcubers now solve the 3x3 Rubik's Cube in around three seconds in official competition. The record has dropped several times in recent years.

The single-solve record changes often. Check the WCA for the current time.

Context

Official speedcubing results are kept by the World Cube Association, which sets rules for competitions, such as scrambling the cube using computer-generated sequences and giving solvers 15 seconds to inspect the puzzle before starting a timer. Judges also check that the cube is solved when the timer stops, and penalties are added for mistakes.

The 3x3 single record has dropped steadily as methods and equipment have improved. Solvers use methods like CFOP, which breaks the solve into stages, and modern cubes with magnets and smoother turning have helped. Records in the 3-second range are now reported, for example the 3.08 seconds credited to Yiheng Wang in the source cited here.

A single solve is partly luck, since the scramble can give a very easy case, so the WCA also keeps records for the average of five solves. Those averages are generally considered a better measure of consistency.

Because new records appear every year or two, the figure should be read as a snapshot, and the WCA site has the current list.

The cube itself was invented in 1974 by the Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik, and it has more than 43 quintillion possible arrangements.