Jigsaw puzzle solvers can be found everywhere. The slow solver always has a puzzle “in work” on the family room table. The medium solver might toss through a puzzle daily or every few days for tough ones. And then there are jigsaw competition-class puzzlers who can speed through a puzzle in minutes. At the USA Jigsaw National Finals, the latter category was prevalent.
The jigsaw competition happens over a three-day weekend beginning on Friday. Puzzle solvers can compete in three categories: individuals, pairs, and teams. The rules, size of the puzzles, and time limits vary slightly within the categories. Individuals and two-member pairs must successfully solve preliminary puzzles to advance to the jigsaw finals. Teams only compete in the finals, which is limited to 50 teams.
These folks are incredibly fast at solving complex, colorful puzzles. The individual winner, Alice Rowe, completed a 500-piece puzzle in just 39 minutes and 12 seconds!
The pairs jigsaw competition included a 1,000-piece puzzle. Andrea Peng and Kelly Walter worked together to solve the jigsaw puzzle. The pair only took one hour, one minute, and 31 seconds to place all 1,000 pieces.
The results are on the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation website. They are in order from the preliminary rounds through the finals. You can compare your times in the individual and pair rounds to see how you stack up.
I will be in the losers bracket as puzzles tend to reside on my dining room table for some time before placing the final piece. While I do enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles, I would never win any speed awards. Congratulations to the winners in this display of exemplary skill! Good luck in next year’s jigsaw finals.
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