How I Prepared for Worlds
Here’s my step by step tips to get you ready for World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships in Valladolid
Written by Elizabeth “Turtle” McElveen / October 30, 2024 / Main Photo: Turtle with Round 1 puzzle at Worlds 2024
Attending the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships in Spain has been on my bucket list since I first joined USAJPA back in 2020.
So after watching the live footage last September, I was determined to make this happen in ‘24. My first question… how does one prepare for a competition like this?
1. Set goals
I had to begin by setting realistic goals. Last fall, I was averaging 1 hr 26 min for a 500 piece puzzle. So I set a personal goal: I had to get my time consistently under an hour for a 500 piece OR I would not let myself attend Worlds.
2. Competition practice
I had been doing competitions with Jonathan Cluff (speedpuzzling.com) since he launched in 2020 but I never really took it very seriously. Now it was time to dig in deep so I signed up for his “Max Groupie” membership. This membership meant I would participate in the 300, the solo 500, the pairs 500 and the 1000 piece competitions each month. (This is a big investment so make sure you are very serious about training before you spend that.) You can always find inexpensive local competitions or join speedpuzzling.com for just one competition a month. Or find a speed puzzling friend and compete with them over Zoom. Thanks to Zoom speed battles, I was able to have one on one practice sessions with Gail (@jiggies_and_gems) in Pennsylvania and my teammate Min (@mincorgnito) in California.
Top Photo: Gail & Turtle in front of the dome / Bottom photo: Turtle & Min at Worlds
3. Know my strengths and weaknesses
Based on prior competitions, I knew I was faster on gradients, collages and busy puzzles. (Another reason I adore all of SOONNESS puzzles.) I did well with shape sorting / identifying shapes but I struggled with any shapes containing fur, flowers or leaves. And I most definitely struggled with any type of landscape and any photo puzzles - especially ones of nature or buildings.
4. Start small
Get really fast on 300 piece puzzles before moving on the larger piece counts. I borrowed or thrifted as many 300 piece puzzles as I could find and began timing myself. Alyssa (@puzzlesatoz) shipped me an enormous box of 300s that I practiced then passed to the next puzzler on the list. I’d get a baseline time and then continue until I got it under 30 min. I did this on each 300 puzzle I tried - which meant sometimes I would do the same puzzle 4-5 times before I could get under that 30 min mark.
5. Move to 500s
Once I consistently had my time under 30 min, I moved onto the 500 piece size. I began by timing myself on any 500 piece puzzles I had on my shelves. I would get a baseline, then work to beat it. Next I started practicing exclusively Ravensburger 500s since they are the brand used at Worlds. Michaela (@puzzleproblem) shipped me a box of ones used in Worlds 2023 and some of her most challenging Ravensburgers from her own library. Most of the puzzles I used were borrowed or thrifted, but I did purchase some from eBay or other puzzlers. When I started training in October 2023, my average time for a 500 piece Ravensburger was 1 hr 26 min. I knew I had to get that under an hour, at a minimum.
6. Practice prior competition puzzles
On the World Jigsaw Championship website, you can find a list of all the results from prior competitions; both from prior nationals and prior Worlds. (Thankfully I already owned a large number of these so it made it that much easier.) I would get a baseline time on each puzzle and compare it to the results page for that exact puzzle. I knew I wasn’t going to be the fastest but I wanted my time to be average.
7. Speed challenges
Once I had my times consistently under an hour, I had to think of other ways to increase my speed. I did speed challenges where I would time myself dumping the pieces out and flipping them over. I knew the fast puzzlers usually flipped a 500 piece in 3 minutes or less. My goal was to get to 3.5 minutes. Once I mastered that, I tried dumping, flipping and sorting.
8. Create a Speed Puzzling mix
I get easily distracted by background noise so I found that listening to a Spotify mix while puzzling was a perfect way to stay focused. I created a mix of songs with fast beats and began practicing with this every time. I found a song that lasted 3 min and 38 seconds and I put it as the first song of the mix. If I started my mix right when our competition began, I needed to have my flip completed by the end of the song. Once I started practicing with my music, I increased my fastest time by 7 minutes!
9. Study the competition
I watched videos from other competitions and began following other speed puzzlers for even more tips. Instagram makes this so easy! I started following both American and international speed puzzlers and making notes. I would find a video of one of them doing a puzzle I had, then watch to see how they puzzled it. Example - did they start with the sky or the busier area; did they start with edges or a certain area inside the puzzle; how long did it take them to flip it? (One of my favorite puzzlers to watch for tips was Wiktor from Poland. You should definitely be following him: @wiktord.puzzler on Instagram).
10. Increase my UK / EU inventory
Ravensburger releases different puzzles in different countries. (Ex: Aimee Stewart art is prevalent in the US on puzzles - but not on any North American Ravensburgers. She has contracts with other US puzzle companies so all of the Ravensburgers featuring her art are sold in Europe.) In all of the prior World competitions, the puzzles had come exclusively from overseas. Thankfully I already had a pretty large collection of the Ravensburger puzzles released in the UK but I needed to get the 2024 releases. I started with sites like Puzzles Galore, who are based in the UK. They usually have a wide selection of Ravensburger presales and by ordering 4-5 puzzles at a time, you can lower the shipping cost per puzzle. Another great source is Amazon DE or Amazon UK. And now Puzzles Canada & Rose Willie also carry a large amount of Ravensburger imports.
11. Build your team
Decide which competitions you want to compete in. I knew I wanted to do all three: individual, pairs and teams. I reached out to other puzzlers over instagram, I contacted USAJPA and I talked with puzzlers at other competitions to help form a team. My pairs’ partner was Jamie (@puzzle_pun) and we formed a team with Faith (@faith_the_puzzler) and Min (@mincorgnito). As soon as we made our team official, we began scheduling practice weekends and sharing practice puzzles. (I highly recommend finding a group of friends you can trade and swap practice puzzles with to save costs.)
Top Photo: The Odd Birds team / Bottom photo: Jamie & Turtle in the Pairs Round
12. Compare times
There are numerous free resources available for comparing your time to other speed puzzlers. To compare yourself to US puzzlers, Speedpuzzling.com has all the prior results posted on their website. You can browse the results pages and find puzzles you already own, then compare your times. Another great website is myspeedpuzzling.com. This site is open to any puzzler and you can input your times and compare yourself to puzzlers from around the world. It shows leaderboards with numerous statistics and lets you search by puzzle, puzzler names or prior competitions such as WJPC 2022 / 2023 / 2024. And if you have times for a puzzle not contained in their library, you have the ability to add any new puzzles! At last check, the site had times for over 7000 puzzles so chances are - the puzzle you are looking for will be easy to find. (I’ll be doing a follow up blog on that website and its creators in the next few months so stay tuned…)
13. Find a coach
There are a number of speed puzzlers who offer coaching advice and techniques. I chose to do the SpeedUp program with Emilia Liberman, a speed puzzler from Finland (@puzzlewithemilia). Emilia uses her YouTube platform to train and coach other speed puzzlers. The cost is very reasonable and she posts step by step videos, tips and tricks, speed Q&A, etc. And for an additional fee, she will review your personal speed puzzling video and give feedback / personalized tips. I highly recommend utilizing a coach if you really want to do your best. I’m so grateful to her!
In addition to Emilia’s help - in the week prior to Worlds, I traveled to Leon, Spain for a few days with Lindsay S from “Golden State Puzzlers”. I asked if she would watch me practice & give feedback. And she helped a TON! She taught me a great technique for overcoming puzzle fatigue during competitions & I use that all of the time! Her feedback was so valuable! (Linds needs to start coaching…)
Along with the actual training, there are other things to consider.
Here is a list of items I used when training:
Digital timer: I prefer a rechargeable one and at a minimum, it needs to show hour:minute:second. Many competitions are decided by only 1 or 2 seconds so make sure your timer shows as much detail as possible. Keep in mind, if you’ll use the timer for teams competitions it needs to show the hour. And your timer needs the ability to count up like a stopwatch.
Trays: In teams’ competitions, most people will use puzzle trays. It’s a tight fit with four people around a table so the trays make sharing pieces much easier. There are a number of options you can choose from, with varying costs. For example, you can use plastic food trays (as long as they are within the measurements) or something custom made from Zakco Puzzleboards.
Practice area: In competitions, you typically have an area measuring 36” x 31” to assemble your puzzle. (Or half the size of a standard long card table 6’ long by 30” wide.) Practice in this size area so you will be accustomed to maneuvering pieces and assembling your puzzle in a confined space. I usually use blue painters tape to mark off the area on my puzzle table.
Tripod or phone stand: It is a huge help to record yourself while practicing or competing. You can review the video to see what areas you did best in and where you were the slowest.
Box top holder: Because you won’t have a ton of space to puzzle, you need the most effective way to prop your box top up without taking up much room. I use a single wooden box top holder from Zakco Puzzleboards but you can find a number of different box top holders on the market.
And finally - remember to have fun! The puzzle community is filled with incredible individuals! I had so many prior World competitors reach out with puzzles I could borrow or speed tips. PuzzleGram continues to be one of the most caring environments. You’d be amazed at all the tips and tricks other puzzlers will want to share with you.
Be sure to connect with other speed puzzlers on instagram and YouTube.
Make friends with people from your country and around the world. My very favorite part of Worlds was hanging out with my US puzzle friends and meeting some of my International puzzle friends in person! We traded puzzles, treats from our home countries, gifts, etc. The memories I made at Worlds are ones I will cherish for a lifetime.
Photos above:
1 - Team Teams Odd Birds & Busy Birdies (USA)2 - Turtle (USA), Hanna (Finland) & Min (USA)
3 - Turtle, Mariandrea (Colombia) & Andrea (USA)
4 - Turtle & Alma Belle (Gibraltar)
5 - Jamie (USA), Turtle & Chiara (Germany)
6 - Jamie (USA), Wiktor (Poland) & Turtle (USA)
7 - Turtle (USA) & Daniela (The Netherlands)
8 - Alejandro (Spain) & Turtle (USA)
9 - Checking into the hotel with Lindsay & Sarah (USA)
Get to know the Author: Elizabeth “Turtle” McElveen
“Turtle” is an avid puzzler and a member of the USAJPA. Her favorite puzzles are ones with original artwork, specifically cartoon style drawings or collages. She lives in South Carolina with her two rescue pups: Stella and Charlie.