Competitive puzzling problems sometimes happen. As a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast, I can admit that sometimes I run into issues when I play at jigsaw puzzle competitions. It happens to everyone and what I find fascinating is that you never expect the unique challenges players face.
On occasion I’ve had puzzle box malfunctions, pain in my body (it was the start of appendicitis and I was in the hospital only hours later but that’s a story for another time), another player was hassling me over the table spot or the worse one: I just wasn’t feeling up to playing that day. These challenges test various skills, including logic, teamwork, and adaptability. What I have noticed (and I am sure you will too) is these are competitive puzzling problems that you don’t even really think about until they are staring you in the face.
Ready for Anything Coming Your Way
Of course, there are the typical issues you have as a competitive puzzle player around playing the puzzles, which is to be expected. And those issues you need to be ready for. Then there are other competitive puzzling problems to be aware of. So you might be wondering, what are are other problems players face in competitive puzzling? Well, These are a few of the puzzle competition problems I’ve seen when I go to the events. And most of them you could avoid or at least resolve at some point.
Table of Contents
Time Pressures: Be Ready to Move
If you think slow and steady wins the race, you aren’t playing at a puzzle competition. The most important element is time (or the lack thereof when assembling) as you try to complete the puzzle. The days and months of practice help you focus, but you still have other problems.
Limited Time. Most competitive puzzles are time-bound, which adds pressure and can lead to rushed decisions and mistakes. Practice can block any additional pressure, but I’ve found in all of my games that pressure is there, you just need to be ready for it.
Pacing. Balancing speed and accuracy is critical so if you have found your pace, you will succeed. This too is part of being comfortable in your skill set and knowing what you can do when practicing. Rushing can lead to errors, while being too slow can result in incomplete puzzles.
Communication is Key in Teams
When you are playing a puzzle competition yourself, you basically are comfortable on what your next move is because you know yourself. When it comes to teams and speed puzzling or puzzle competitions, you need to be part of a communication channel.
Coordination. Effective communication within a team is essential. Miscommunication can lead to duplicated efforts or missed steps. So talking is absolutely the key. How you talk either directly or in code is up to you.
Role Distribution. Assigning roles and ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities can be challenging, especially in larger teams. It’s not impossible and playing to everyone’s strengths can be a substantial benefit to the time.
Practice With Puzzle Variety and Brand Engagement
When I talk speed puzzling or any other puzzle competition for that matter, I preach practicing. It’s absolutely essential to making your best times. Stepping back from that stance, you need to be able to assemble all different types and sizes of puzzles. Sticking with just one brand (or just one size of puzzle i.e. 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle) is not a wise move. It will limit your focus and skill set.
Diverse Skills. Puzzles often require a range of skills (e.g., math, language, logic, spatial reasoning), and not all players may be adept at every type.
Unknown Formats. Encountering unfamiliar puzzle formats can be daunting and slow down progress. Unless you have already accomplished one of the jigsaw puzzles and know your strengths. Puzzle with every format and see where your strengths and weaknesses can be adjusted to fit the next puzzle event.
Don’t Overdo it: Think About Your Cognitive Load
I see players all the time who are so burned out over puzzle competitions that they quit. When there is a time that playing jigsaw puzzles are not fun, you need to stop. Maybe a short break, a long break or even a few hours will help you mentally recover. If you overdo it, the fun of puzzles will always be a chore!
Mental Fatigue. Prolonged puzzle-solving can be mentally exhausting, leading to decreased performance and increased errors over time. Be kind to yourself and give some room to play and rest.
Multitasking. Handling multiple puzzles or tasks simultaneously requires effective multitasking and prioritization. This does require extra brain cells so be gentle as you acquire this skillset.
Stress and Frustration Take Away the Joy
Emotional Management: High-stress situations can lead to frustration, which can affect performance and team dynamics.
Failure Handling. I always tell people when you play at a jigsaw puzzle competition, you need to compete with yourself first (and then everyone else). You are looking to get your best time and that is how you get on the board. Dealing with failures or setbacks without losing morale is a key aspect of competitive puzzling. You do your best and keep playing.
Physical Challenges. Lately I’ve noticed more and more physical challenges puzzle enthusiasts are facing. Things like people getting injured hovering over a table or sitting in a bad way. Make sure you address your posture so it’s not part of the competitive puzzling problems.
Competitive Puzzling Problems Can be Solved
For as long as I’ve played jigsaw puzzles I’ve seen many people with issues around their puzzle play. Of course, not everyone has massive problems or concerns around playing jigsaw puzzles. Yet, for those who do, take time to troubleshoot and resolve the challenges so you can have fun.
A. Successful competitive puzzlers often practice regularly, develop strong communication strategies, and learn to manage stress and time effectively. And most importantly, every time they crack open a jigsaw puzzle box, they are expecting to have fun!
