I had so much fun at the speed puzzling competition last Saturday. It was really enjoyable to watch the competitors and see how quickly they finished the puzzles. Everyone was very nice, and the puzzle swap was a big success.
For the competition, the solo winner completed a 300-piece puzzle in 30 minutes. The pairs winners finished a 300-piece puzzle in 16 minutes, and the team winners did their 500-piece puzzle in 30 minutes. Those times are all so impressive; I could never puzzle that fast!
The puzzle swap table was filled with a variety of piece counts and images. I brought 14 puzzles to swap and ended up coming home with 10 new puzzles. I am very happy with the ones I got. I could have taken more but didn’t want to bring anything home that I wasn’t in love with.
These are the puzzles I got in the swap:
- Pumpkins & Gourds, Ceaco, 300 pieces
- Sugar & Spice by Charles Wysocki, Buffalo Games, 1000 pieces
- Birch Point Cove by Charles Wysocki, Buffalo Games, 1000 pieces
- Chickenology by Camilla Pintonato, Princeton Architectural Press, 1000 pieces
- All Cool Things Are Wild & Free by Valesca van Waveren, Workman Puzzles, 1000 pieces
- Bon Appetit by Lucia Heffernan, Eurographics, 300 pieces
- Home Sweet Home by Demelsa Haughton, Ravensburger, 500 pieces
- Art Studio by Jen DellaGrottaglia, Ravensburger, 500 pieces
- Disney & Pixar Color Pallette, Ravensburger, 500 pieces
- Potted Posies, Page Publications, 1000 pieces
The Bon Appetit puzzle that I got in the swap was the one used in the pairs competition, so I decided to time myself doing it to see how I would compare. I did it in 53:46. I am really happy with that time, but I don’t plan to continue timing my puzzles. I didn’t like the pressure and wasn’t able to enjoy the image because I was just looking for patterns and details.
This was a fun event to attend, and I’m really glad I went.
In So Many Words 
Those are impressive times – both for the competitors and for yourself Trish! Well done.
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Thank you! It was fun to time myself at least once.
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My sister competes with her three daughters (aged 17-22) as a team in similar competitions in Canberra, Australia. They’ve never won, but it’s a great bonding experience for them that they really enjoy. I think the pressure of doing the puzzle so fast would take the contemplative pleasure out of it (as you say at the end) – I like to linger over the pieces… and I really love the fluffy dinner pup of the last image! Linda xox
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That’s so cool that your sister and her daughters do that together! Puzzling with a team sounds a little less stressful than doing it solo. But I do enjoy taking my time and enjoying the process.
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I’m a solo puzzler too (I get thingy when my kids move pieces around that I had sorted out 😂)
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I can understand that. I puzzle with friends occasionally and have to put myself in the right frame of mind beforehand so that I enjoy myself.
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🌞
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Nice selection of puzzles. I’ve been doing speed puzzling. I’m still not fast enough. Also, as you mentioned it becomes challenging, because it’s hard to enjoy puzzling anymore if we are speeding through them. It is stressful… Well, unless we are FAST, then I think it would be fun!
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Yes, if I were naturally fast I would enjoy it more. Maybe if I had taken it up when I was younger!
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Well, we can still practice and get faster. It’s fun to challenge ourselves. I’ll keep trying.
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Speed puzzling is a new concept for me. I wouldn’t like that at all because I don’t like being timed on anything. That puzzle you featured is adorable!
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That’s understandable. I did find it stressful even though I was doing it when I was alone. And it is a super cute puzzle, I agree!
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I work a lot of puzzles online and they have a timer going. I have learned to ignore it.
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