Valladolid, Spain
My Method for a 500-Piece Jigsaw, in Stages
Speed puzzlers race to finish 500 pieces before the clock runs out. I have a method too. It takes a little longer.
Speed puzzlers came to Valladolid, Spain, for the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship, and the final was won by a biology student from the Netherlands. In the solo event, everyone gets the same 500 pieces and a clock. I got a puzzle of my own.
My Method
Stage one: the box. Study the picture on the lid. Mine is a lighthouse at sunset. Very inspiring.
Stage two: the edges. Find every piece with a flat side. Admire them. Build the frame. Admire that.
Stage three: the lighthouse. Red and white stripes. Easy. Done before lunch.
Stage four: lunch.
Stage five: the sky. About 200 pieces of orange and pink, all exactly the same. I’ve made a pile called “sky, probably.”
Stage six: the sea. About 150 pieces of blue, all exactly the same. A second pile, called “not sky.”
Stage seven: the last piece. One hole left. One piece missing. I looked under the table, under the chair and in the box. The whole family joined the search. It was under my elbow.
My Time
Four days and six hours, including lunch, dinner, three naps and the search for the last piece.
The champions would have finished before my first lunch. But none of them can say they found the winning piece under their own elbow, after a search involving four people and a cat. I’ve glued the puzzle together and hung it in the hallway, elbow side down.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you don't finish in time?
You're ranked by how many pieces you placed. I'd have done very well on edges.
Do you sort the pieces by color or by shape?
By how much I like them. The corners are my favorites. There are only four, so they feel special.