Tyson Mao (born May 8, 1984) is an American Rubik's Cube speedsolver. He is a co-founder and a former board member of the World Cube Association, the organization responsible for overseeing competitive Rubik's Cube events. In 2005, he set the world record for the 3×3×3 blindfolded event. In 2006, he appeared as a contestant on the

CW Television Network The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial terrestrial television, broadcast television television network, network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. Th ...

's ''

Beauty and the Geek ''Beauty and the Geek'' is a reality television franchise that first aired in the United States. The show follows groups of "Beauties" (people — almost always women — who rely on their attractiveness and outgoing personalities but typicall ...

''.

Personal life

Mao was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

to a

Taiwanese American Taiwanese Americans (traditional Chinese, Chinese: 臺灣裔美國人; pinyin: ''Táiwān yì měiguó rén''; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ''Tâi-Bí-jîn'') are Americans of Taiwanese people, Taiwanese ancestry, including American-born descendants of migrant ...

family; his parents were immigrants from

Tainan, Taiwan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

. He lives in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

and previously used to work as a Poker Product Manager for

Zynga Zynga Inc. () is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher known for its social video game services. It was founded in April 2007, with headquarters in San Mateo, California. The company primarily focuses on mobile an ...

. He graduated from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 2006 with a degree in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

. In 2017, Mao opened the Wursthall Restaurant & Bierhaus in

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ) is the most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan region, and is located about south of San Francisco. San Mateo border ...

with partners Adam Simpson and J. Kenji López-Alt.

Rubik's Cube career

Mao began solving the Rubik’s Cube during its second surge in popularity in 2003. Initially using a beginner’s method, he later advanced to techniques such as the Petrus and CFOP methods. He is credited with popularizing the “Caltech move,” a technique that solves the three diagonal corner permutations in blindfolded solving. In addition to his competitive achievements, he has been a key organizer of major Rubik’s Cube competitions in the United States, including the US Nationals (through 2013) and various events at Caltech.

Tyson Mao's beginner method

Mao developed a method aimed for beginners presented as an eight-part video series, which was formerly available on Rubiks.com. This instructional method gained additional attention after it was featured in the 2006 film ''

The Pursuit of Happyness ''The Pursuit of '' is a 2006 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino and starring Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman. Smith's son Jaden Smith co-stars, making his film debut as Gardner's son, Christopher Jr. ...

''. His approach uses a simplified layer-by-layer method, incorporating elements designed to reduce the complexity of by reducing the amount of algorithm memorization needed.

Media appearances

Mao has appeared on various television programs and media outlets, including: *''

'' Season 2 *CNN's ''

Anderson Cooper 360° ''Anderson Cooper 360°'' (commonly shortened to either ''AC-360'' or ''360'') is an American television news show on CNN and CNN International, hosted by CNN journalist and news anchor Anderson Cooper. Current segments include ‘Reality Check ...

'' (Air date: December 15, 2006) *''

Identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

'' *''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'' (Air date: January 27, 2006) *''

Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...

'' *

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

: Show Us Your Character *''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' (Air date: February 4, 2008)

References

External links

*
Brothers square off in cubing contest, San Francisco Chronicle
*
Tyson's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mao, Tyson 1984 births American people of Chinese descent American people of Taiwanese descent American speedcubers California Institute of Technology alumni Living people Participants in American reality television series People from San Francisco