Jigsaws get a piece of the action as ‘speed puzzling fever’ grips UK
Jigsaws get a piece of the action as ‘speed puzzling fever’ grips UK
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Entries selling fast for inaugural UK Nationals in Bradford in April, when contestants will race against clock. Jigsaw puzzling is traditionally considered a relaxing activity associated with mindfulness benefits, but the gentle hobby has gone all Squid Game as competitive “speed puzzling fever” grips the UK.
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Entries are selling fast for the inaugural UK Nationals event in Bradford on 5 April, when hundreds of contestants will race against the clock to solve never-seen-before puzzles. It will be the UK’s first speed puzzling tournament affiliated with the “puzzle Olympics”, the prestigious world championship, with finishers awarded a ranking. “Like any competition, we take rules seriously,” said the organiser, Anneka Thompson, who is also the founder of the UK Jigsaw Puzzle Association.
There is growing “buzz” about speed puzzling, with the hobby’s profile raised by puzzlers with their own YouTube channels and Instagram feeds. As a result, events around the country were drawing ever larger numbers, she said. “Puzzling is generally seen as quite a relaxing pastime; you might do some one day, some the next … It’s kind of a slow-moving thing,” Thompson said. “But speed puzzling, for me personally, is a way to shut my brain off. You can’t think about the shopping or what’s happening with work. It’s hyper-focused, go, go, go. It’s also that competition draw. You’re competing against all the people around you.”.
