So it’s that time of year again, the time where puzzlers descend on Valladolid, Spain and the sound of the air conditioning battles with the satisfying click of puzzle pieces. The air was so dense you could only imagine there was a palpable taste in the air. There was also all sorts of weather drama this year, heatwaves one second and the next a storm so fierce talking was impossible to make out and the large screen outside The Dome came crashing down! And we may first think of the competitors trapped in the suffocating grip of miasma, but I beg you spare a thought for the commentators that have to sit in it the entire day. Honestly unsung heroes. But enough of the weather report, on to the details! (Imagine me on a horse shouting ‘tally ho’).
Let’s get to the dessert first: the unreleased puzzles. Below you’ll see the jigsaw puzzles that at the time of the competition were unreleased. The semi-finalists and finalists got the first look as Ravensburger are the partner in the competition. Honestly I think this is a great way to do it, everyone on an even level with no chance to practice. But oh wait. There’s drama. (Dun dun duuuun). One of the unreleased puzzles was actually leaked before the competition! Apparently a shop received the puzzle ahead of time, didn’t know about the competition and posted images of it. Seeing as it was too late to change the puzzle for the event the competition body released the image officially, thus giving everyone a fair and fighting chance.
And the puzzlers? Can we talk about skill? I blinked and I’m pretty sure I missed a round. It was like watching the scene in Bruce Almighty when he’s typing his prayer emails! I’m fairly certain at least a few of them are in no way human. The absolute capacity for speed that these competitors have has been honed over years of practice, travelling for international competitions, and hoping for a coveted top 10 spot in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. Some of the puzzlers just aim to finish within the time but you can always pick out the faces of those that are hungry for it.
In the Individual Final first place went to Veronika Huptas with a time of 39:44 for a 500 piece puzzle. (See previous comment about inhuman folks). Second place went to Viktor Kacprzak with a time of 40:20 and third place was Katharina Reiner with 40:25. Comparing the times you can see just how close the competition was. In fact there was excitement for those of us watching, and the commentators too, when we thought Viktor was finished but pieces were hiding on the top of the puzzle letting Veronika swoop in for the top spot!
On to the pairs. Yeehaw! (If you’re curious I do not in fact know what’s wrong with me just roll with it). First place with a time of 54:45 for a 1000 piece puzzle was Veronika Huptas and Anna Kazana. And yes that is the same Veronika that came first in the Individual category. She’s a busy bee. Second place was secured by Katharina Reiner and Chiara Dellantonio at 55:22. Again that’s the same Katharina that came in third in Individuals. Third place went to Ellen Sinot and Inge Sinot with a time of 57:42.
Teams time. To me Teams just looks like chaos incarnate. Hands and trays being flung everywhere with little to no verbal communication? You need to be a special kind of person to choose Teams. Now in teams you’re given two 1000 piece puzzles and 3 hours. The MC shouts go and all hell breaks loose. The teams need to make a snap decision about the order they’ll do the puzzles in, this will be different for every team, and if you make the wrong decision you can end up dragging your heels at the back of the pack. Keep in mind, as I said, this needs to be a lightning fast choice because you don’t even have seconds to spare and soon enough you find yourself wincing in sympathy for the ones that got it wrong. So when I tell you that first place went to ‘Euro Jigsaw Jacks (Ejj) Squad’ (Chiara Dellantonio / Katharina Reiner / Hanna Lehikoinen / Wiktor Kacprzak) standing at 1:16:04 you’ll understand just how amazing that is. They were like one cohesive being constantly flowing around each other and communicating, I can only assume, through a collective hivemind. Second place was ‘Czech Puzzlequeens’ (Jana Ondroušková / Kateřina Klinková / Tereza Koptíková / Markéta Freislerová) finished with a time of 1:17:40 showing that it’s the seconds that count. Third place was snagged by ‘O’S And A’s’ (Ellen Sinot / Inge Sinot / Sien Braat / Teun Braat) with 1:20:30. We have a second showing of the Sinots this time for a bit of variety!
Another aspect of the competition that I loved was the fact there was such an invested audience on site. Most of them would stay for the entire time of the round and a genuinely lovely moment was when the end was ticking down and there were only a few people/teams left and the audience would go wild, cheering them on as if they were coming in first right up until the end. The comradery and support of the community is so real and it makes me proud to be even a small part of it.
So this is a call to arms, pick up a puzzle for fun, maybe even time yourself for a laugh! Figure out what way of puzzling works for you (my technique probably requires an exorcism) and just go buck wild and enjoy yourself. Just don’t blame me when you end up with shelves of puzzles and no idea where to start. (Totally not speaking from experience).
