The Spin Doctor

(Photo: worldcubeassociation.org)

Jerry Yao ’26 is one of the best in the world at solving the iconic pop culture puzzle Rubik’s Cube.

Yao attended the Pittsburgh Fall 2022 Rubik’s Cube Competition in December and, at just 14 years old, won first place in the main 3×3 event. His 5.83-second average solve in the finals (including a 4.90-second best) placed him sixth in North America and twelfth in the world, according to the World Cube Association, which governs the competition.

Throughout the competition, Yao wore a Peddie sweater, which generated many inquiries about the school. Yao’s father, Rao, said his son is proud to be a Peddie Falcon.

Yao competes in eight to 10 tournaments a year.

“In the beginning, I was super stressed, and the first time I ever competed, I did horrible, in my opinion,” Yao said. “I realized that if I cooled down and hung out with more friends and had a good time there, it’s just a better experience, and I’ll probably do better.”

His strategy paid off. “After I got to know more people and calmed myself down, I did better. That’s transferred over to life as well.”

Rao was introduced to the Rubik’s Cube several years ago by his sister, Lucy ’20. He was immediately intrigued. When he first started competing, Yao said he didn’t think he could even crack the Top 100.

Yao will be attending the U.S. Championships (CubingUSA Nationals 2023) this summer in Pittsburgh. His goal is to someday finish that competition in the top three.