Ziyu Ye sets 2x2 world record with 0.39-second solve

A 0.39 on 2x2 does more than trim a few hundredths off the record book. It breaks a barrier that had started to feel almost symbolic, pushing the event under 0.4 seconds and landing in the space where a solve can be faster than a blink. The World Cube Association has now locked that time in as the official benchmark, and for speedcubers, the number reads less like a margin and more like a new frontier.

Ziyu Ye set the record at Hefei Open 2025 in Hefei, Anhui, China, on October 25, 2025. The WCA results page marked the 0.39 single as the competition’s world record highlight, and Ye’s name now sits first in the 2x2 single rankings, which were last updated on June 7, 2026. Jiazhou Li and Sky Guo are next at 0.41, a reminder that the elite end of 2x2 is now separated by just two-hundredths of a second.

That is what makes this solve feel bigger than a clean time. In 2x2, there is no long algorithm tree to hide behind, no wide margin for recovery. The event rewards instant recognition, a direct solution, and turning that never hesitates once the hands are on the cube. At this speed, every part of the solve becomes magnified: the start, the read, the selection, the execution. Ye did not just turn quickly. Ye turned with the kind of precision that leaves no room for wasted motion.

Ye’s broader WCA profile fits the profile of an established all-around competitor rather than a one-event flash. The Chinese cuber, listed under WCA ID 2021YEZI01, has competed in 40 WCA competitions and logged 1,558 recorded solves. Ye’s current personal records also stretch well beyond 2x2, including a 4.19 single in 3x3, a 39.27 single in 4x4, a 13.24 single in 3x3 one-handed, a 1.99 single in Pyraminx, and a 1.12 single in Skewb. The medal count, 19 gold, 19 silver, and 15 bronze, shows the same thing from another angle: this is a seasoned, well-rounded competitor who happened to break through in the event where every hundredth matters most.

The WCA has seen sub-second 2x2 results before, and it has adjusted its review approach in response to especially extreme times, including concerns around a 0.78-second 2x2 world-record average. That history makes Ye’s 0.39 feel less like a one-off shock and more like the next step in a field that keeps compressing toward its limits. After 0.39, 2x2 does not look solved. It looks like it has moved again, and everyone chasing the top of the rankings now has a new number to measure against.