‘They're gonna make me cry’: I competed at a speed puzzling championship ^3.1%

The Guardian - By Leila Jordan, visuals by Kendrick Brinson - 4/9/2026, 4:00 PM

Anecdotal 12.7% - Appeal to Authority 11.9% - Halo Effect 11.3%

A PhD student in Berkeley. A 12-year-old in Texas. A content creator in Washington. An undergrad at Stanford. A former math teacher turned homeschool mom in Texas. After a three-day competition in Atlanta, Georgia, these people became national champions for a burgeoning hobby: speed jigsaw puzzling. I have been a lifelong jigsaw puzzle... more