6-year-old girl from China breaks women’s Rubik’s Cube speed record

A six-year-old girl has set a new women’s world record by completing Rubik’s cubes at an average pace of under five seconds per cube.

Lian Yunzhi, from China, broke the record earlier this month with an average time of 4.52 seconds at a World Cube Association-certified competition in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

She later improved her time to 4.27 seconds at another contest in Guangzhou, the Associated Press reported, citing state media outlet CCTV.

She became the only female speedcuber to achieve an average below 4.5 seconds, it said.

Lian is listed on the World Cube Association website as the record holder for the fastest women’s average time solving the 3x3x3 cube.

Footage of the young record holder, shared by China’s state media, who wore a red headband with a large bow during the Wuhan competition, shows her tiny hands racing against the clock to solve the algorithmic puzzle in less than five seconds.

She smiled proudly and clapped after one attempt took her only about 3.54 seconds.

According to the Associated Press, CCTV said Lian first tried to complete a Rubik’s Cube when she was four years old, at which point it took her 90 seconds to solve.

She initially did not want to compete, but became more enthusiastic when her skills improved and she started to gain recognition. That encouraged her to train harder and persevere through challenges, it said.

“She was an introverted kid. Now, she is very confident wherever she goes,” her mother, Lin Yangxi, was quoted as saying, the AP reported.

CCTV said Lian has memorized more than 1,300 formulas that help her solve the puzzle and spends two to three hours a day practicing. Her parents also brought her to Shanghai to learn from top coaches, it added.

While Lian holds the record for the fastest female to complete the puzzle, she is not the fastest overall; that accolade belongs to Teodor Zadjer from Poland, who solved a single 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube in 2.76 seconds.

— with files from the Associated Press