In 1966, The New York Times published an article about the puzzle boom sweeping the United States, quoting a professor who said, “The reason people do puzzles is simply compulsion.”
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Nearly 60 years later, puzzle culture has exploded beyond simple compulsion: it’s a thriving community with online stars and an international tournament that attracts thousands of nimble-fingered competitors.
That tournament, the World Puzzle Championship, will hold its fourth edition in September in Valladolid, Spain. Participants from more than 75 countries will race against the clock to complete multiple puzzles for a modest cash prize.
One of the best-known competitors will be Karen Kavett, 33, of Los Angeles, who has been doing her part to fuel the speed puzzle craze. Kavett has built up a sizable following on social media since she began creating content in 2018 — including more than 290,000 subscribers on YouTube — where she is known as Karen Puzzles.
For Kavett, puzzle making isn’t just a hobby — it’s her way of making a living. “When I’m here doing speed puzzles, alone in my apartment, it makes me feel connected to a broader community, in a way I never felt before with puzzles,” she said. “For a long time it was a solitary activity. But with this you have a benchmark or a statistic, something in common that you can compare yourself to other people around the world.”
To prepare for the world championship, he recreates the competition environment in his apartment, right down to the dimensions of the workspace. His practice technique consists of completing puzzles, including some made by his competitors, in order to compare times.
The World Puzzle Championship was founded in 2019 by Alfonso Álvarez-Ossorio of Spain. Each edition has been held in Valladolid (it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic). “It was also the first time in the world that someone did a live broadcast of a puzzle championship, with commentators and production,” Álvarez-Ossorio said.
Álvarez-Ossorio has helped countries create their own chapters to boost the popularity of the competition. More than 3,000 participants are expected this year, compared with 1,800 in 2023 and 500 in 2019. The competition has three classifications: individual, pairs and teams.
What does it take to be able to do a puzzle at high speed? According to Alvarez-Ossorio, you need great visual acuity, fast hands, concentration, organization and intuition. “Of course you also have to have technique,” he said. “But in my opinion, what sets a true champion apart is the ability to control yourself, to make sure that you don’t feel pressure or that you barely notice it.”
Alejandro Clemente Leon, 28, the reigning two-time individual world champion, claimed last year’s title by solving a 500-piece puzzle in just under 38 minutes. Like Kavett, he starts by flipping the pieces over, but avoids doing the edges first.
“There’s a psychological element to it,” said Anne Williams, a retired professor and puzzle historian. “When your world is in chaos, you can solve the puzzle. You can put some order into something.”
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