Puzzle enthusiasts gathered in Valladolid, Spain, to compete against the clock in the final of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. The competitors faced a fresh, unseen jigsaw puzzle, and a Dutch biology student emerged as the fastest solver.
Approximately 1,700 participants from 70 countries attended the event, each racing against time. Organizers keep the championship puzzle secret until the day of the final and release it for sale afterward.
The victorious solver described the experience as a burst of adrenaline amid chaotic concentration, recounting shaking hands and the surge of applause that followed her win.
According to event officials, puzzle solving remains an amateur pursuit; competitors cover their own travel and accommodation costs, with some traveling from as far as Japan and Australia year after year.
