A 6-year-old Chinese girl has broken the women’s Rubik’s Cube world record twice in September, recording averages of 4.52 seconds and 4.27 seconds at separate competitions. Lian Yunzhi, from Chengdu, became the first female speedcuber to achieve an average below 4.5 seconds in the 3x3x3 event, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Lian first broke the record Sept. 13 at the Wuhan Crimson Autumn competition, where she finished third overall with a 4.52-second average. One of her attempts took just 3.54 seconds. She improved her record three days later, winning the Guangzhou GraDUAL 3×3 IV competition Sept. 16 with an average of 4.27 seconds, according to official World Cube Association results.
Both performances took place at association-sanctioned events. Under competition rules, participants complete five solves, with the fastest and slowest times excluded from the final average. In Guangzhou, Lian’s five attempts ranged from 4.02 to 4.54 seconds.
How Lian achieved her second Rubik’s Cube world record
Her second record followed a difficult round in Guangzhou. Lian recorded a 5.87-second average in the second round and was visibly upset afterward, her mother, Lin Yangxi, told Red Star News. With only a few minutes before the next round, Lin comforted and encouraged her daughter.
6-year-old Chinese girl sets Rubik’s Cube world record with an average time of just over 4 seconds pic.twitter.com/eY1BY3WGaM
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The final took place around 9:30 p.m. local time, when Lian would normally have been asleep. Despite her earlier disappointment, she recovered to complete five solves in 4.20, 4.39, 4.54, 4.02 and 4.22 seconds. Her performance secured first place and lowered her previous record by 0.25 seconds.
Footage from the Wuhan competition also captured her reaction to an individual solve of 3.54 seconds. Wearing a red bow, Lian put down the cube before smiling, clapping, and raising her fist in celebration.
From early cube lessons to international recognition
Lian began solving Rubik’s Cubes at age 4 after her parents enrolled her in an extracurricular class alongside dance and music lessons. According to CCTV, she initially needed about 90 seconds to complete the puzzle. Her parents later took her to Shanghai for professional coaching as her skills developed.
Her mother said Lian has mastered more than 1,300 solving algorithms and has spent about two to three hours training daily over the past year. She also credited cubing with helping her daughter gain confidence after initially being reluctant to compete.
“She was an introverted kid. Now, she is very confident wherever she goes,” Lin said, according to CCTV.
Lian’s achievements subsequently attracted international attention, with news organizations sharing footage of her performances. Her Guangzhou result also placed her among the fastest speedcubers worldwide, regardless of gender, according to World Cube Association rankings.
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