Xuanyi Geng Smashes 3x3 World Record with 2.51 Second Solve
Xuanyi Geng has smashed the 3x3 World Record single, recording an extraordinary 2.51-second solve at Guangzhou Grand Open 2026.
The result takes a massive 0.25 seconds off the previous World Record of 2.76, set by Teodor Zajder at GLS Big Cubes Gdańsk 2026 in February.
At this level, where World Records are increasingly decided by hundredths of a second, an improvement of a quarter of a second is enormous. In percentage terms, Xuanyi reduced the World Record by just over 9% in a single solve.
It also returns the 3x3 single World Record to Xuanyi, who previously held it with his famous 3.05 at Shenyang Spring 2025.
From 2.76 to 2.51
The progression of the 3x3 World Record has accelerated dramatically over the past couple of years.
Xuanyi originally broke Yiheng Wang's 3.08 World Record with a 3.05 in April 2025, leaving the sub-3 barrier tantalisingly close.
In February 2026, nine-year-old Teodor Zajder didn't just break that barrier — he went straight through it with an incredible 2.76.
That record has now been demolished just eight months later.
Xuanyi's 2.51 is 0.25 seconds faster than 2.76. For comparison, the previous jump from 3.05 to 2.76 was 0.29 seconds.
That means the World Record has fallen from 3.05 to 2.51 in less than 18 months — an improvement of more than half a second at a point where it already seemed there was very little time left to save.
How Was the 2.51 Solved?
The solve has already been reconstructed by Stewy on reco.nz, giving us a detailed look at how Xuanyi managed to solve a scrambled Rubik's Cube in just 2.51 seconds.
Scramble:
B2 D2 B2 D R2 U' F2 D' U' B' D2 B2 U2 R2 D F D' F2 R
Inspection:
x' z'
Xuanyi then began with an extremely efficient XXCross, solving the cross and the first two F2L pairs together:
XXCross:
U' r' R2 U' R2' D' R2 U R' U' D'
He then solved the third pair in only three moves:
3rd pair:
R' U' R
The fourth pair was another three-move insertion, while simultaneously setting up the last layer through ZBLS:
4th pair / ZBLS:
L' U' L
That left a ZBLL, allowing Xuanyi to solve the entire last layer in one algorithm:
ZBLL:
R' U R U R' U2' R U R D R' U2 R D' R'
The complete solution was just 32 moves, giving a turning speed of approximately 12.75 turns per second.
Rather than simply being a case of turning extraordinarily quickly, the reconstruction shows just how efficient the solve was. Xuanyi used the favourable scramble to produce an XXCross, followed by two extremely short F2L pair solutions, with ZBLS allowing him to reach a one-look last layer.
Watch My Reconstruction
I have reconstructed Xuanyi Geng's incredible 2.51 World Record solve so you can see exactly how it was done.
Watch my reconstruction of Xuanyi Geng's 2.51 World Record on YouTube
For the full move-by-move reconstruction, you can also view Xuanyi Geng's solve on reco.nz.
Another 2.74 Just Afterwards
Remarkably, the 2.51 wasn't the only exceptionally fast solve at Guangzhou Grand Open 2026.
Shortly afterwards, Yang Pin Xiu recorded a 2.74-second solve.
Had it happened before Xuanyi's 2.51, the 2.74 would have broken Teodor Zajder's 2.76 World Record by 0.02 seconds. Instead, because Xuanyi had already produced the 2.51, Yang's solve became WR2 rather than a World Record.
The fact that two competitors managed to beat the previous World Record at the same competition demonstrates just how rapidly the very top level of 3x3 speedsolving continues to progress.
A 2.74 would have been a historic result on almost any other day. At Guangzhou Grand Open 2026, it was overshadowed by a solve another 0.23 seconds faster.
Xuanyi Geng Reclaims the World Record
There is another particularly fitting aspect to this result: Xuanyi has reclaimed a record that he held less than a year ago.
His 3.05 in April 2025 made him the 3x3 World Record holder before Teodor's 2.76 displaced it in February.
Xuanyi has also been one of the world's strongest 3x3 average solvers, previously holding the World Record average as well.
Now, with 2.51, he once again owns the fastest official 3x3 solve ever recorded.
The sequence of recent World Records illustrates just how extraordinary the current level of 3x3 has become:
3.13 — Max Park (2023)
3.08 — Yiheng Wang (2025)
3.05 — Xuanyi Geng (2025)
2.76 — Teodor Zajder (2026)
2.51 — Xuanyi Geng (2026)
It took nearly five years for the World Record to move from Yusheng Du's legendary 3.47 to Max Park's 3.13.
Now, in less than two years, the record has fallen from 3.13 all the way to 2.51.
Could We Really See a Sub-2.5?
For years, breaking three seconds was one of the biggest milestones in speedcubing.
That barrier was finally broken in February.
Only eight months later, we are suddenly talking about sub-2.5.
Xuanyi missed that barrier by just 0.02 seconds.
With a World Record of 2.51 and another competitor producing a 2.74 at the very same competition, official 3x3 solving appears to have entered another new era.
The question is no longer whether someone can solve a Rubik's Cube in under three seconds.
It is now whether we are about to see the first official sub-2.5-second solve.
