CHENGDU, China | Six-year-old speedcuber Lian Yunzhi has broken the women’s 3×3 Rubik’s Cube average world record twice in three days, completing five solves with averages of 4.52 seconds and then 4.27 seconds at World Cube Association-sanctioned competitions in China.
Lian first set the record on Sept. 12 at the WCA Wuhan Danqiu Rubik’s Cube Competition, recording a 4.52-second average. Two days later, at the WCA Guangzhou Speedcubing Competition IV, she lowered her own mark to 4.27 seconds. The result made her the first female speedcuber to record an average below 4.5 seconds, according to CCTV and AFP.
Known by the nickname “Zhizhi,” Lian was introduced to speedcubing through an extracurricular class alongside activities including dance and music. Her mother, Lin Yangxi, told local media that the family eventually focused more heavily on cubing after seeing its potential to develop concentration and problem-solving skills. Lian has reportedly mastered more than 1,300 solving algorithms and practices for two to three hours a day.
The records were achieved under WCA competition rules, which require competitors to solve the cube five times for an average, with the fastest and slowest attempts removed before the remaining three times are averaged. Lian’s achievement is separate from the overall fastest single 3×3 solve. Guinness World Records lists Poland’s Teodor Zajder as the current holder of that mark, at 2.76 seconds, achieved in February 2026.
The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik and was originally known as the Magic Cube. It was first sold internationally as the Rubik’s Cube in the early 1980s and became one of the world’s best-known mechanical puzzles.
Lian’s rapid progress highlights the increasingly competitive world of speedcubing, where competitors train extensively to improve recognition, finger movements and solving efficiency. According to her mother, Lian’s routine has also involved developing logical reasoning rather than simply memorizing algorithms.
At just six years old, Lian has now twice rewritten the women’s 3×3 average record within days, putting her among the youngest competitors to make a mark at the highest level of competitive speedcubing.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
