Bangkok, October 2011
The World Cube Association's championship reached Bangkok in October 2011. The winners' list records the outcome in two pieces of information: the champion, Michal Pleskowicz of Poland, and the number that decided it, an average of 8.65 seconds.
That average is not a single lucky solve. Speedcubing results are calculated as a trimmed mean of five attempts: a competitor solves the cube five times, the fastest and slowest solves are thrown out, and the remaining three are averaged. A world title won on average is therefore a statement about consistency rather than about one good scramble.
What the World Cube Association is
The WCA was founded on 18 October 2004 by Ron van Bruchem of the Netherlands and Tyson Mao of the United States, with the stated goal of more competitions in more countries with more people and more fun, under fair and equal conditions. It ratifies and publishes every official record.
The organisation now recognises 17 official events and requires an official WCA delegate to sanction a competition. As of August 2026 more than 290,000 competitors had taken part in over 17,500 official competitions worldwide, which makes the 2011 world title a result won at the top of a genuinely mass sport.
How fast the sport moved afterwards
The best measure of Pleskowicz's era is what came next. At the 2019 World Championship in Melbourne, Philipp Weyer of Germany won with an average of 6.74 seconds, almost two seconds faster than the mark that had taken the title eight years earlier.
Two seconds is an enormous margin in an event decided in single digits. The improvement reflects better methods, better hardware and a far larger field of competitors, and it puts a 2011 championship in its proper context: a winning time at the front of the sport as it then stood.
The championship itself
The World Championship has been held every two years since 2003, with one exception: the 2021 edition was cancelled because of COVID-19. The most recent was staged in Seattle in 2025, and the next is scheduled for Uppsala, Sweden, from 22 to 25 July 2027.
Between those editions, records are set at ordinary competitions rather than at the championship, so a world title and a world record are separate achievements in this sport. Pleskowicz's name is recorded for the first of them.
What is documented - and what is not
This page relies on secondary encyclopaedia entries that cite the World Cube Association's own results, not on the WCA profile itself, which could not be read here. That is a real limitation and is stated rather than hidden.
No birth year, age, home city, occupation or later competitive record for Pleskowicz appears in the sources used here. The championship result is firm; everything about the person who achieved it is undocumented in these pages, and this site does not fill such a gap by guessing. His name is also written without the Polish diacritic, as Michal Pleskowicz, in English-language listings; it is the same competitor.
Watch: Michał Pleskowicz on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Knights | United States | Winning the 2003 World Rubik's Games Championship in Toronto | Age 20 |
| Michał Pleskowicz | Poland | Winning the 2011 Rubik's Cube World Championship | — |
| Breandan Vallance | United Kingdom | Winning the 2009 Rubik's Cube World Championship | — |
| Philipp Weyer | Germany | Winning the 2019 Rubik's Cube World Championship | — |
| Ziyu Ye | China | 2x2x2 world record single | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Won the 2011 Rubik's Cube World Championship with an 8.65-second average, Bangkok, 14-16 October (Wikipedia, citing WCA)
- The World Cube Association was founded in 2004 and ratifies all official results
- The 2019 championship was won with a 6.74-second average, nearly two seconds faster
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- The WCA competitor profile itself could not be read here; both sources are secondary
- No published age, birth year, home city or occupation
- No documented results before or after the 2011 championship
Questions people ask about Michał Pleskowicz
What is Michal Pleskowicz known for?
Winning the 2011 Rubik's Cube World Championship in Bangkok with an average of 8.65 seconds.
How is a speedcubing average calculated?
Competitors do five solves. The fastest and slowest are discarded and the remaining three are averaged, which is why titles reward consistency.
How old is Michal Pleskowicz?
No source used here gives an age or birth year.
Is an 8.65-second average still competitive?
Not at world-championship level. The 2019 championship was won with a 6.74-second average.
Who governs speedcubing?
The World Cube Association, founded on 18 October 2004 by Ron van Bruchem and Tyson Mao. It recognises 17 official events and ratifies all records.
How often is the World Championship held?
Every two years since 2003. The 2021 edition was cancelled because of COVID-19; the most recent was Seattle in 2025.
Is Michal Pleskowicz on Wikipedia?
He has no article of his own. He is listed as the 2011 champion in Wikipedia's speedcubing article, which cites World Cube Association results.
Where is Michal Pleskowicz now?
Nothing after the 2011 championship appears in the sources used here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Michał’s story?
What average won Michal Pleskowicz the 2011 world title?
Where was the 2011 World Championship held?
How many of five solves count towards an average?
Sources
- Speedcubing (citing World Cube Association results) — Wikipedia, n.d.
- World Cube Association — Wikipedia, n.d.
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
Discover More Child Prodigies
50+ stories of contemporary young geniuses changing chess, music, science, and art.
Explore All Prodigies →Related Child Prodigy Profiles
Dan Knights🇺🇸 United States — Dan Knights won the cube's first world title in 21 years…
Breandan Vallance🇬🇧 United Kingdom — A Scottish teenager averaged 10.74 seconds to win the 2009…
Philipp Weyer🇩🇪 Germany — Five solves, three that counted…
Patrick Ponce🇺🇸 United States — One hand, 5.62 seconds: faster than the two-handed average…
Graham Siggins🇺🇸 United States — Sixty-five cubes memorised, the blindfold on…
Stanley Chapel🇺🇸 United States — He memorised a scrambled 4x4x4….jpg)
