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Science & Tech168 outlets ran this2 min read

Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average

The Chinese speedcuber broke the women's 3x3x3 record twice in three days.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Lian Yunzhi reacts after solving a Rubik's cube at a World Cube Association-certified competition in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on Sept. 13, 2026. (YouTube@cuberootme via AP)

What this story says

  • Lian Yunzhi, a six-year-old from China, set a new women's world record for the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube with an average solve time of 4.27 seconds.
  • She achieved this record average twice within three days at World Cube Association-certified competitions in China.
  • Lian practices between two and three hours daily and knows over 1,300 cube algorithms.
  • Reports from 28 outlets covered the record-breaking achievement.

Who covered it

Left 45%(35)Centre 25%(21)Right 30%(24)

Percentages are shares of the 80 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 88 of the 168 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

76/100

Craft

67/100

Hype

15/100

168 sources · methodology

Lian Yunzhi, a six-year-old Chinese speedcuber, has set a new women's world record for solving the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube. She achieved an average time of 4.27 seconds. This surpassed her previous record, which she had set just three days earlier with an average of 4.52 seconds. Both record attempts took place in competitions certified by the World Cube Association in China.

Coverage comparison

Digests from 15 left-rated outlets reported that Lian Yunzhi set a new women's 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube world record with an average of 4.27 seconds. Seven of these mentioned she broke the record twice in three days. Seven left-rated digests noted her daily practice of two to three hours and knowledge of over 1,300 algorithms.

Digests from eight centre-rated outlets reported that Lian Yunzhi set a new women's 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube world record with an average of 4.27 seconds. Seven of these mentioned she broke the record twice in three days. Seven centre-rated digests noted her daily practice of two to three hours and knowledge of over 1,300 algorithms.

Digests from 12 right-rated outlets reported that Lian Yunzhi set a new women's 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube world record with an average of 4.27 seconds. Seven of these mentioned she broke the record twice in three days. Three right-rated digests noted her daily practice of two to three hours and knowledge of over 1,300 algorithms.

What the coverage left out

None of the 28 digests mention the specific locations within China where the record attempts took place, beyond stating they were certified by the World Cube Association. The digests also do not provide details on the specific competitions or the names of other competitors.

Tags:#RubiksCube#WorldRecord#Speedcubing#China#LianYunzhi#ScienceAndTech

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 23 Sept 2026, 15:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Teodor Zajder set the world record at the GLS Big Cubes Gdańsk event in February. (Reuters: Vincent West)
ABC AustraliaLeft
Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average
20 MinutesLeft

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

35 rated outlets

  • The left-rated outlets reported that Lian Yunzhi, a six-year-old from China, set a new world record for solving a Rubik's Cube. Multiple reports stated her average time was 4.27 seconds, with some noting this was a repeat of a previous record set earlier in the month.
  • One full report stated Yunzhi trains two to three hours daily and has memorised over 1,300 cube sequences. This report also mentioned the male world record holder and other single-solve records.
  • Several digests mentioned that Yunzhi's achievement was a women's world record. Some digests also stated that she solved the cubes at an average pace of just over four seconds.

Centre

21 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated outlets reported that six-year-old Lian Yunzhi set a new women's world record for solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube. Multiple reports stated she broke the record twice in three days at World Cube Association-certified competitions. Average times of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds were cited.
  • CBS News, which published a full report, stated Lian Yunzhi is the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds. This report included details from her mother about her practice habits and the benefits of cubing.
  • Other centre-rated outlets mentioned Lian Yunzhi learned over 1,300 cube algorithms and practices for two to three hours daily. Some reports noted she is from China and competed in Wuhan and Guangzhou.

Right

24 rated outlets

  • Right-rated outlets reported that six-year-old Lian Yunzhi set a new women's world record for solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube. The digests stated she achieved this by averaging 4.27 seconds per cube. Several reports noted she broke the record twice in three days.
  • Some reports mentioned her average times were 4.52 seconds and 4.27 seconds. One digest stated she was the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds. Another digest mentioned the male world record is 3.51 seconds.
  • Digests from right-rated outlets did not mention the location of the second competition she participated in. None of the digests mentioned the specific age of the record holder in relation to her achievements.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average?
Of the 80 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 45% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 30% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 168. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 80 rated outlets on this story, 45% are rated left, 25% are rated centre, 30% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average biased?
Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average is one event reported by 168 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Lian Yunzhi, 6, sets Rubik's Cube world record average?
168 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the new women's Rubik's Cube world record?
The new women's world record for the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube is an average solve time of 4.27 seconds. This was set by six-year-old Chinese speedcuber Lian Yunzhi.
How many times did Lian Yunzhi break the record?
Lian Yunzhi broke the women's 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube world record twice within a three-day period. Her first record-breaking average was 4.52 seconds, followed by 4.27 seconds.
Where were the record attempts held?
The record attempts were held in competitions in China that were certified by the World Cube Association. Specific locations within China were not detailed in the digests.
How much does Lian Yunzhi practice?
Lian Yunzhi practices between two and three hours daily. She also knows over 1,300 cube algorithms, which contributes to her speedcubing abilities.

Read it at the source

168 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

35
Show 27 more

Centre

21
Show 13 more

Right

24
Show 16 more

Not rated

88
Show 80 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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Lian Yunzhi Rubik's Cube record | MediaBias News