Young speedcuber Lian Yunzhi broke the women’s 3×3 average world record twice this month at two World Cube Association certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.
She posted averages of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds, after solving the Rubik’s Cube five times.
Lian, who is from Chengdu, is “the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds”, CCTV added.
Her 4.27-second average in Guangzhou ranks fourth in the world among all competitors, not just women, according to official World Cube Association rankings. Only three speedcubers have ever posted a faster official average: world record holder Yiheng Wang at 3.51 seconds, Xuanyi Geng at 3.67 and Yi Shen at 4.24, all from China.
A video CCTV posted showed the small girl wearing a red gingham bow on her head as she deftly turned and twisted a Rubik’s Cube.
After solving the puzzle she places the cube on the table, claps her hands and pumps a fist into the air.
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Young speedcuber Lian Yunzhi. Photo by Reuters |
Nicknamed “Zhizhi”, Lian was first introduced to the Rubik’s Cube after being enrolled into a class as a child — one of various extracurriculars alongside dance and music lessons, her mother Lin Yangxi, told local media outlets.
Lin “gradually realized” that cubing was an “excellent activity for fostering a child’s comprehensive abilities” and shifted her focus towards it, she told Chengdu’s Red Star News.
Her daughter has now mastered over 1,300 Rubik’s Cube solving algorithms, practising daily for two to three hours, Lin said.
Photos from Red Star News showed Lian’s trophies displayed on a shelf in her home.
“Solving a Rubik’s Cube improves focus, memory, logical thinking, spatial awareness, and helps develop a healthy mindset toward winning and losing,” Lin said.
“It’s not just about blindly memorising formulas, but using logical reasoning to find optimal solutions,” she added.