Six-year-old Lian Yunzhi sets women's Rubik's Cube world record with 4.27-second average

World records in Wuhan and Guangzhou

Six-year-old Chinese speedcuber Lian Yunzhi set a women's world record by solving the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube with an average time of 4.27 seconds. Her mark was verified by the World Cube Association, the international governing body for mechanical puzzle competitions. Lian achieved the benchmark across two tournaments held in September 2026. On September 13, she competed in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, recording an average time of 4.52 seconds and completing a single attempt in 3.54 seconds. Three days later, at the Guangzhou GraDUAL 3x3 IV 2026 event in southern China, she lowered her average to 4.27 seconds. The performances established Lian as the first female competitor to record an official average time below 4.5 seconds.

Yiheng Wang (men's record)3.51

Lian Yunzhi (Guangzhou)4.27

Lian Yunzhi (Wuhan)4.52

Yiheng Wang (men's record)

3.51 s

Lian Yunzhi (Guangzhou)

4.27 s

Lian Yunzhi (Wuhan)

4.52 s

Data from the article text

Competition format and rigorous preparation

Official rankings use the Average of Five format, where each competitor receives five scrambled cubes from judges. The fastest and slowest completion times are discarded, and the official result is calculated from the mean of the remaining three attempts. Lian, who lives in Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province, began solving the Rubik's Cube at age four, when a single solve took roughly 90 seconds. To reach competitive speed, she memorized more than 1,300 distinct algorithms, which are fixed sequences of moves applied to specific cube configurations. Over the past year, she practiced two to three hours each day. Her parents also took her to Shanghai to receive specialized guidance from professional speedcubing coaches.

Family background and personal growth

Lian was first introduced to the puzzle, created in the 1970s by Hungarian architect Ernö Rubik, through an extracurricular enrichment class that complemented her music and dance lessons. Her mother, Lin Yangxi, noted that the training emphasizes logical deduction rather than passive memorization. While Lian was initially hesitant to take part in competitive tournaments, her confidence expanded as she gained experience and achieved faster solve times.

“She was an introverted kid. Now, she is very confident wherever she goes,”

Broadcast footage from the Wuhan tournament showed Lian wearing a red bow in her hair, turning the cube faces before placing the solved puzzle on the timer table, clapping, and raising her fist.

Demographic shifts in competitive speedcubing

Lian's achievements reflect a broader trend across speedcubing, where children and preteens increasingly occupy the highest positions in international rankings. The overall men's 3x3x3 world record is held by 12-year-old Chinese competitor Yiheng Wang, who recorded an average of 3.51 seconds. While historical records were typically held by teenagers and competitors in their twenties, dedicated speedcubing academies across China have accelerated the progression of younger solvers. Elite participants rely heavily on muscle memory and immediate spatial recognition during rapid solves.

“Don't think, just solve,”

Speedcubing also features international competitions in specialized puzzle categories, including the 4x4x4 cube, where the women's world record is 23 seconds and change, and the 7x7x7 puzzle, which holds a record of 1:49. In addition, competitors have completed standard 3x3x3 cubes blindfolded in under 20 seconds.