Yi Shen recorded a 4.24 3x3 average in the first round of Wuhan Crimson Autumn 2026, moving him from world No. 8 to No. 3.
Shen’s five solves were 3.82, 4.57, 4.33, (5.66) and (3.79). The result improves his previous personal best of 4.46 by 0.22 seconds and leaves only Yiheng Wang and Xuanyi Geng ahead of him in the world rankings.
The rise has been remarkably fast. Shen is believed to be just seven years old and only began competing in 2026. I’ve been high on him for a while on the Plus Three Podcast, and seeing him reach the world top three this quickly feels like some validation. His progression, even compared with other young Chinese stars, has been hard to ignore.
Shen’s timer starts/stops have also received some attention recently. Dylan Miller and Chris Mills discussed him on the latest episode of The Millisecond, while making the broader point that questionable timer technique is not limited to Yiheng or Yi Shen.
For now, though, the result is the bigger story. Less than a year into his competitive career, Yi Shen is already the third-ranked 3x3 average solver in the world.