Yusnier Viera Romero

Yusnier Viera, who on October 31, 2015 became the first human capable of calculating 111 calendar dates in one minute, a world record that has inscribed his name once again in the Guinness Book of Records. Considered one of the best calculators of all time.

He is recognized for breaking the world record in calendar dates on multiple occasions. Furthermore, he has participated in World Memory Championships being the only human with relevant results in both Mental Calculation and Mental Memorization. He possesses extraordinary talent for mathematics.

He was a professor of Numerical Analysis at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing of the University of Havana from 2005 until the end of 2007 when he emigrated to the United States.

At the world championship of Mental Calculation, held in June 2010 in the city of Magdeburg, he obtained the gold medal and the trophy for World Champion of Calendar Dates.

He is president and founder of Spicy Math. He has taught mathematics for more than ten years. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's in Mathematics. He currently develops interesting mental calculation courses, where he aims to teach all his calculation techniques in order to develop mental skills.

As if it were not enough to exceed for the first time in history the hundred-date mark in that category—established for the period from 1600 to 2100—, on the appointed day at Miami Dade College Viera also surpassed another of his international records: that of calculating all 365 dates of 2015 in the shortest time possible, achieving it in 2 minutes and 41.47 seconds.

Likewise, he has maintained since 2010 the record of 20 dates of the current century in 8.05 seconds. In that whimsical game of his with numbers, the "Human Calendar" has established these two new world records exactly 10 years after his first result, another October 31, like that of 2005 when in less than an hour he broke two mental calculation records for calendar dates, that of 20 dates of this century, first in 23.2 and then in 19.8 seconds.

That day was one of the most important dates in his life as a calculator. It is said that the beginning is half of everything and certainly it is. Without a victorious beginning like that, he never would have gone far. That feeling of victory had a special taste, which he recognizes he has never felt again. Nowadays when he breaks a record it feels like he accomplished what was expected. But that time nobody expected anything from him. Having the record makes him feel more complete. He is aware that someday he will not have it anymore, but he will always be able to say proudly that he was the first to reach and surpass 100; to break that human barrier that existed.

Obtaining 111 dates is opening the way to human limits. He would like his record to last a long time. The calculation of calendar dates is one of the categories of mental calculation that attracts the most attention for its beauty. Being able to tell someone in a matter of seconds the day of the week of any date can seem very impressive. And it truly is, because it is not an ability acquired in one day. It takes days, months, perhaps more, to master this art. Currently there are thousands of people capable of doing it, as they have followed the steps of others like those who began doing it more than 10 years ago.

In 2005, it was much easier to break a record than it is today, because with less competition the path was clearer. Now, to remain at the top with a world record there is nothing left but to practice and be the one who practices the most. Athletes of the mind also have to practice to stay in shape and that day-to-day is the greatest challenge they face. With Yusnier Viera's first two world records, international attention turned to Cuba, because for the first time a Latin American was breaking records of this type, which allowed him to participate in the II World Mental Calculation Cup held in November 2006 in Germany, and later settle in the United States in search of greater opportunities.

Since he arrived in the United States he has been living in Miami. He has participated in competitions and presentations in Costa Rica, Italy, England, Panama, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, Mexico, among other countries. He has had the luck to be on Discovery Channel, National Geographic and very soon he will be on Fox in a show called Superhumans, where he was one of the 12 selected among thousands of people from all over the United States who auditioned. Spicy Math or Matematica Picante is a company created by Viera in 2011 in order to help everyone in the study of mathematics. In Miami this work is essential. The rates of results in mathematics are very low and affect even the entire country. The problem comes from systems that are implemented with good intentions but that have bad results. There is a large number of teachers in this area who are not well trained, which causes the mathematical underdevelopment that exists. Class questions often lack meaning and are multiple choice, where the teacher only looks at the final result and the process is not taken into account in grading. When you mix all those things, you realize that Spicy Math is much needed in Miami and fortunately they have done well. In this teaching they include methods of mental calculation and memorization.

Hectoc is another tool that he has designed and functions as a game. What is it for and how much acceptance has it been having? Hectoc (HECTO which means 100 + C which also represents 100 in Roman numerals) is the name of this mathematical game, which he has studied in detail to confirm that there are infinite combinations. It consists of given six digits from 1 to 9, find an expression that contains those digits in the same given order and that obtains 100 as a result. This expression may only contain, in addition to the digits, the operators + – * / and power. In addition, the use of parentheses is allowed. Following these rules, Hectoc problems can be solved such as:

123456 → 1 + (2+3+4)*(5+6) = 100 987654 → 98 + 7 – 6 + 5 – 4 = 100

Now he is working on the phone application that should be ready before the end of 2015. The benefits with Hectoc are countless. People can improve the basic mental calculations that we so much need in daily life. Being able to solve Hectoc problems means mastering the world of numbers, which is the equivalent of knowing how to read in mathematics. We have faith that we will achieve it. The interest is tremendous and has been demonstrated from the beginning. In the first month of its creation there were more than 500,000 visits to the page.

Returning to calendar dates, there is an algorithm for that calculation and the skill of the exercise resides in the mental agility to perform those mathematical operations. Basically the calculation consists of applying a formula. What makes it different and have records is the speed at which he performs the calculations. To achieve a record, one inevitably has to have talent, but what makes him different from others who also calculate fast—perhaps faster than Viera—is that he trains more than anyone this modality. It is estimated that he has calculated tens of millions of dates in his life. There is a theory known as "The 10,000-hour theory" which says that one can become an expert if he manages to practice for more than 10,000 hours the same task. 10,000 hours can be equivalent to working part-time (about 20 hours a week) for about 10 years. He practices so much, so that, according to the 10,000-hour theory, today he has officially become an expert. Viera has achieved many of his dreams. He was born on an island without economic possibilities but learned that with knowledge everything is achieved. The correct question is not: Can I be the best in the world? The real question is: Can I be a better version of myself?

RECORDS:

• On October 31, 2015 he calculates 111 calendar dates in one minute, a world record that has inscribed his name once again in the Guinness Book of Records.
• On October 31, 2005 he breaks in less than 1 hour two world records of Mental Calculation in the calendar dates category. The competition consists of recognizing the day of the week of any date. For example: Question: April 26, 1982. Answer: Monday.
• Recognize 20 dates of the current century (2000-2099): Old Record: 24.94 s (Matthias Kesselchlager from Germany). First New Record: 23.2 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Second New Record: 19.8 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba).
• Recognize the greatest number of dates in the range 1600-2100 in 1 minute: Old Record: 33 dates (Matthias Kesselchlager from Germany) New Record: 42 dates (Yusnier Viera from Cuba)
• On December 18, 2006 he breaks the record again for the greatest number of dates (1600-2100) in 1 minute, this time the record was broadcast live on television on Canal Habana. Old Record: 45 dates (Matthias Kesselchlager from Germany). First New Record: 53 dates (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Second New Record: 56 dates (Yusnier Viera from Cuba).
• On December 5, 2009 he breaks his own world record again in the city of Miami. Old Record: 56 dates (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). New Record: 59 dates (Yusnier Viera from Cuba).
• In one of the greatest feats ever seen in mental calculation on December 4, 2010, Yusnier Viera breaks 3 world records, once again in the city of Miami.
• Recognize the greatest number of dates in the range 1600-2100 in 1 minute: Old Record: 78 dates (Jan van Koningsveld from Germany). New Record: 93 dates (Yusnier Viera from Cuba).
• Recognize 20 dates of the current century (2000-2099): Old Record: 12.72 seconds (Freddis Reyes from Cuba). First New Record: 10.76 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Second New Record: 10.44 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Third New Record: 9.37 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Fourth New Record: 9.04 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Fifth New Record: 8.05 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba).
• Recognize all the dates of the current year in the shortest time possible: Old Record: 214 s (Matthias Kesselchlager from Germany). New Record: 191.44 s (Yusnier Viera from Cuba). Participation in Events
• He won the I, II, III Cuban National Olympiads of Mental Calculation and Memorization establishing countless national records. He currently holds the 6 current national records in each of the 6 competitive modalities.
• Participation in the II World Mental Calculation Cup (November 2006) held in the city of Giessen, Germany, where he obtains 4th place overall among 37 invited participants; the best place achieved by a representative of the American continent in the history of these competitions.
• Invited to participate in the I World Quick Memory Championship (April 2007) held in Murcia, Spain, where he achieves 3rd place in the Memorizing Decimals in 1 Second modality, reaching 9th place overall in the competition.
• Invited as a Speaker to the Third Grand National Week of Mathematics, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico, September 17-21, 2007.
• Invited as a Speaker to "Exact Science Conference 2010" held at Miami-Dade Collegue, InterAmerican Campus, Miami, FL, USA, on April 6, 2010.
• Participation in the IV World Mental Calculation Cup (June 2010) held in the city of Magdeburg, Germany, where he obtains the gold medal in the Calendar Dates category becoming the New World Champion. He also achieves 6th place overall among 40 invited participants; once again the best place achieved by a Latin American representative in this competition.
• Invited as a Speaker to "Exact Science Conference 2011" held at Miami-Dade Collegue, InterAmerican Campus, Miami, FL, USA, on April 7, 2011.
• Invited to participate in the II Mental Olympiad, to be held in the city of Antalya, Turkey in November 2012, after qualifying by winning the World Champion title in Magdeburg 2010.