Speed puzzling is pretty popular. In a speed puzzling competition, each person or team has a copy of the same jigsaw puzzle. They are then timed, and the first person or team to complete the puzzle wins.
Strategies
There are a few strategies for speed puzzling. If you are in a group, communication is key. You need to assign roles and sections and have plenty of space. Another strategy is to sort the pieces by color, as well as by their knobs and holes. It’s easy to learn, but hard to master.
History
This type of puzzle competition has been around since the 1980s, but it got really popular during COVID-19. There was a lot about puzzles online and on social media, and the national championships resumed in 2022. In 2022, Yvonne Feucht won the national speed puzzling competition.
Where
These competitions are held all over the world. The state competitions are held in places like Utah, Texas, and California. Nationals are held in major U.S. cities, such as Atlanta, Georgia. The world competitions are held internationally, usually in Spain. For more information, click this link: https://www.speedpuzzling.com/in_person.html#/
The puzzles for the competitions are usually 500-1,000 pieces.
Age Groups
There is a junior division for kids under 15. The adult division includes people ages 16-59, and the senior division is for people ages 60 and older.
My Experience
I haven’t been to or competed in an official speed puzzling competition, but I did one with my friends. One of my friends has done competitions before, so he taught us how to do it. He also provided the puzzles. It was tricky, but I learned that you could assign each team member a part of the puzzle. Then we helped each other if we got stuck. My team didn’t finish the puzzle first, but it was fun anyway.
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