SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRL FROM CHINA BREAKS RUBIK'S CUBE WORLD RECORD

A six-year-old girl from Sichuan province in southwest China, Lian Yunzhi, has broken the women's world record for solving the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, doing so twice within three days. She first recorded an average time of 4.52 seconds before improving to 4.27 seconds. According to one report, the records were set at competitions sanctioned by the World Cube Association, held in the cities of Wuhan and Guangzhou. Both reports say she is now the only female cuber in the world with an average solving time under 4.5 seconds.

Lian has mastered more than 1,300 Rubik's Cube solving algorithms, according to the reports. She has spent between two and three hours a day training with the cube over the past year, the reports said. One report adds that her parents took her to Shanghai so she could train with professional coaches. Both reports agree on the sequence of her two record-breaking times and the three-day span in which they were set.

The achievement establishes Lian as a leading figure among competitive speedcubers in the women's category, according to the reports. Her sub-4.5-second average time distinguishes her from every other female competitor recorded by the World Cube Association. The reports do not detail any further competitions scheduled for Lian. Her rise has been attributed by the reports to sustained daily practice and dedicated coaching over the past year, following her family's move to train in Shanghai.