The only person allowed to solve the Rubik’s cube faster than Flower Mound’s Ryan Pilat is Ryan Pilat himself.
In March, a video posted on Pilat’s YouTube channel shows the long-time Texas champion setting a new Guinness speed-cubing world record by completing the Square-1 puzzle in a staggering 3.41 seconds. Pilat’s previous record in June was 3.73 seconds, though he hadn’t even received his Guinness certificate in the mail before another competitor bested him by 0.04 seconds in December.
With practice and what he calls a little bit of luck, Pilat, 16, earned back a world record many people feel will be his for a long time. And the funny thing is this: Pilat genuinely believes he will only keep churning out faster times.
“Something like Square-1 can be very scramble-dependent. So, if the scramble is bad, you’re less likely to get a world record. If it’s really good, then you have a better chance. I was lucky to get a pretty good one and executed fast enough. I’ll probably continue to cube and hopefully beat my record. No matter what, you can always improve on something.”
Pilat, who is homeschooled and also taught himself how to play the piano, received his first cube for his 8th birthday and quickly taught himself how to solve it by watching countless YouTube tutorials. The following year, he went to his first competition and averaged around 30 seconds. The World Cube Association (WCA) features 17 events, including Square-1. Pilat is highly proficient in all of them and is currently the 6th best speed-cuber in the world based on the ranking average in all events.
His YouTube channel has almost 4,000 subscribers, and he’s known for organizing official competitions in North Texas and beyond. He recently hosted a free booth at a local Flower Mound STEM fair, and roughly 100 kids crowded his booth.
His records are listed at www.worldcubeassociation.org/persons/2016PILA03.
