February wins
Cottage Country
Brand: Villager
Artist: Nicolle Lalonde
Solve time: 1:06:49
Once Upon a Dragon
Brand: IndigoxHobbry
Artist: Rachel Jarvis
Solve time: 1:12:07
D20 Dragons
Brand: Cobble Hill
Artist: Jacob Walker
Solve time: 1:26:29
Coffeeology
Brand: Gibson
Artist: Marisol Ortega
Solve time: 1:21:39
On the Road - CSP Virtual Competition
Brand: Hobbry
Artist:
Solve time: 1:14:51
Spring isn’t quite here yet, but the days are getting longer, the sun is shining brighter, and my puzzling skills are on fire! Well, relatively speaking, but February was full of success and even saw me achieve one of the goals I had set for 2026 - being part of a live competition!
Competitions are, I think, one of the corner stones of speed puzzling. There are live and virtual competitions, and although both work roughly the same, the environment can vary dramatically. Live environments are more distracting, but being in the same room as your competitors can really push you to do your best. Virtual environments on the other hand can be fully customized to your needs, and perhaps the biggest advantage is having all the puzzling space you could want (or that you have access to). Puzzling surfaces are often shared in live competitions, and it was the case for the event I was at, but at home you can take up a whole dining room table if you like, and there’s no one to tell you otherwise.
A few days before my competition (hosted by Ottawa Puzzles), I decided to complete a puzzle every day after work, choosing a variety of puzzles from different brands and mixing some first tries with second or third attempts. Lighting and space management were definitely the biggest challenges, and space was notably difficult for the Cobble Hill puzzle, which somehow feels twice as big as a Ravensburger. Overall though, I was very pleased with my practice runs and the day before the competition I completed a 200-piece puzzle at my fastest time yet (shaving a whole 7 minutes off my first attempt! Although, to be fair, I did complete it casually a handful of times in between). On the left you can see the different puzzles I practiced during the week.
The actual competition was set up in a small conference room at a hotel and there were two puzzlers (or pairs) per table. Our still-unidentified puzzles were face-down in a semi-opaque bag and we weren’t allowed to peek until the starting countdown was completed. I expected the puzzle would be one I had never done before, given that I haven’t been practicing for that long, but to my surprise I recognized the image instantly. In hindsight, I definitely should have practiced this one in advance since it’s a puzzle I own but have only completed as a pair, never on my own. Well, there’s a first time for everything! I knew it would be plenty challenging though, so I was able to push myself but also knew not to expect any miracles. There’s a lot going on in this puzzle and the fur (but also the flowers, and the leaves) is no joke.
The winning time was 52 minutes and 57 seconds, and I finished in 9th place with a solve time of 1 hour, 35 minutes and 56 seconds. I still can’t quite believe I finished in the top 10!! I was definitely surprised when I heard the winner finish so quickly. I probably had about half the puzzle left to assemble but it certainly gave me a boost to keep going and step on the gas. Overall the event was a fantastic experience and I’m so glad I went.
Success!
Somehow this was my first time doing a puzzle pick-up - and it went perfectly! As you can perhaps tell I’m on a bit of an energy rush after over 90 minutes of intense puzzling.
But the competitions don’t stop there! The day after my live competition I took part in a virtual competition, the very first one organized by the Canadian Speed Puzzlers (CSP). This time I had a lot more space but my evening lighting isn’t ideal so distinguishing colours was a bit more of a challenge. But it was so much fun!! It was my first time working on a Holiyay puzzle and it was an absolute blast. The picture is beautiful and just the right amount of tricky, and the quality of the puzzle is fantastic. Somehow, I also finished in 9th place for this competition as well! The top finishing time was 51 minutes and 6 seconds, and mine was 1 hour, 14 minutes and 51 seconds. Before we started puzzling there was a quick round of trivia for another chance to win a prize, and I got the top score!
And the success continues! After the live competition on Sunday and the virtual competition on Monday, Tuesday was a Bring Your Own Puzzle event with CSP themed around a redemption puzzle. I knew well in advance that this would be a perfect opportunity to tackle the Loving Longhorns puzzle, which was one of the first puzzles my partner bought me to practice with. It’s a little intimidating, but I knew that I’d learned a lot since my first try and it was about time I gave it another shot. The first time I tried this puzzle I gave myself a 90 minute time limit and had over 60 pieces left at the end. This time, I finished the puzzle in 1 hour, 11 minutes and 49 seconds. Talk about an improvement!
With all this success in February, my sights now turn to the CJPA Nationals at the end of May. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to take part, but the spring and summer plans are taking shape and I am now officially registered for the individual competitions. It remains to be seen if I’ll find a partner and/or team over the next couple of months, but either way, Nationals here I come!
