For years it looked like an impossible barrier, like 10 seconds in the 100 metres. Until 7 February 2026, when at GLS Big Cubes Gdańsk 2026 (Poland), Polish cuber Teodor Zajder solved the Rubik's Cube in 2.76 seconds. It is the first time in history that anyone has gone under 3 seconds in an official competition.
Blink three times. It's already solved.
How it happened
In official competitions, each round consists of 5 solves. Teodor's times in that round were 4.99, 5.36, 5.76, 2.76 and 5.34 seconds. In other words, his "normal" solves are around 5 seconds, which is already world-class, and the fourth one was exceptional.
In single-solve records the scramble also matters: some allow especially short solutions. But you still have to spot them in time and execute them without a single mistake, all in under 3 seconds. Here is the same solve from a better angle:
A huge improvement
The previous record was 3.05 seconds, set by China's Xuanyi Geng in April 2025. Teodor improved it by 0.29 seconds, which is very unusual: in recent years the record had been improving by hundredths of a second.
This is how the Rubik's Cube world record has evolved:
| Year | Time | Record holder |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 22.95 | Minh Thai (United States), at the first World Championship |
| 2008 | 7.08 | Erik Akkersdijk (Netherlands) |
| 2011 | 5.66 | Feliks Zemdegs (Australia) |
| 2018 | 3.47 | Yusheng Du (China), a record that stood for almost 5 years |
| 2023 | 3.13 | Max Park (United States) |
| 2025 | 3.08 | Yiheng Wang (China) |
| 2025 | 3.05 | Xuanyi Geng (China) |
| 2026 | 2.76 | Teodor Zajder (Poland) |
Interestingly, Poland is now a speedcubing powerhouse: another Polish cuber, Tymon Kolasiński, holds the 4x4 and 5x5 records.
What about the average record?
For many fans, the most important record is the average, because luck matters much less: competitors do 5 solves, the best and the worst are discarded and the other three are averaged. That record belongs to China's Yiheng Wang, with a 3.51-second average set in June 2026. There, the 3-second barrier is still far away… for now.
You can see all the records, with their videos, on the Rubik's Cube records page. And if you still don't know how to solve it, start with our step-by-step Rubik's Cube solution. You may not get under 3 seconds, but you will be surprised how fast you improve.