Thoughts on our puzzle competitions, and competing in general

I wanted to shar some personal reflections on our puzzle competitions and speed puzzling more broadly.

Puzzles you want to assemble again

Lately, I’ve been struggling especially with the “one time use” culture that’s connected to speed puzzling. In competitions, novelty is often emphasised: unpublished puzzles are preferred so that everyone starts on equal footing and results are directly comparable. This is understandable, but sometimes it feels like novelty becomes the only thing that matters. After the competition, the puzzle almost loses its value, it’s been assembled once, and that’s it. The lifespan of many puzzles is very short, from an hour to just a few hours, after which they sit on a shelf, get passed on, or in the worst case, end up in the trash.

I’ve tried to look at puzzles more holistically, which is why I’ve selected a wide variety of puzzles from different manufacturers for Palasina Studio competitions. The idea is that each season offers opportunities to practise diverse skills: experimenting with different images, getting to know different piece cuts and qualities. At the same time, I hope that the competition puzzles are ones people would want to return to even after the event, either for the joy of reassembling them or as a learning experience.

The same puzzle can offer insights across multiple builds: the next time, you might try a different starting approach, test a new strategy, or simply notice things you missed the first time. At best, a competition puzzle is something you want to keep and assemble again without the clock and the results list. That’s why I’ve aimed to choose puzzles so that everyone can find some they genuinely enjoy and experience a real sense of success with. Of course, everyone has their own tastes and strengths, and it’s not always possible to pick the perfect puzzle or achieve a top time, but often those moments turn out to be the most valuable learning experiences. And if someone wants to part with their competition puzzle, I’ve tried to choose puzzles and brands that could be desirable outside a competitive context.

Competing doesn’t have to be serious performance

Another thing that has been on my mind is how competition is intensifying and speed puzzling is gradually becoming more results-driven, and in a way, more serious. It can be difficult to assess your own skill level, since puzzle difficulty varies from person to person, and personal strengths and circumstances have a big impact on performance. Competing against the world’s top puzzlers can also feel discouraging and easily distort our sense of what counts as a “good” result. It’s important to remember that rankings on platforms like My Speed Puzzling don’t tell the whole story, and not all times are necessarily recorded there.

Comparing yourself to others is perhaps the worst thing you can do in this hobby, especially if you’re prone to comparison or motivated by strong results, as I myself am. If you end up near the bottom of the results list, it can be hard to celebrate a personal best. That’s why it’s so important to remember that in speed puzzling, you’re primarily competing against yourself. I constantly have to remind myself of this too. Even though we talk about “sport,” I believe puzzle competitions can be approached in a relaxed way, so that they are, above all, fun. I also believe it’s possible to improve in speed puzzling without grinding away with clenched teeth.

I often come across questions about whether you can participate in puzzle competitions if you don’t feel fast enough or aren’t entirely sure you’ll finish the puzzle within the allotted time. I’d like to encourage everyone to take part bravely: even if the assembly doesn’t go optimally, the competition experience can still be wonderful. It’s very important to me that Palasina Studio competitions have a low threshold for participation, and I’ve aimed to create an encouraging and community-oriented atmosphere in our events.

One especially important moment is the post-competition discussion: we pause with the puzzle and reflect together on how the assembly went. What worked well? What felt difficult? Could something be done differently next time? Tips from others are often invaluable. I think our competitions have a kind of “coaching approach,” even though we function more as facilitators, helping participants make their own insights and learn from one another.

Finally

I’ve personally missed more relaxed competition formats alongside official, high-level elite series. Since such events have been rare in Finland, I eventually decided to organise them myself. Even though I now take part as an organiser rather than a competitor, following the competitions has given me enormous inspiration and ideas for my own puzzling. Sometimes it even feels more exciting to watch than to compete myself.

I sincerely hope you’ll feel encouraged to take part in puzzle speed puzzle events, if they spark your interest at all, and I warmly invite you to join Palasina Studio competitions, hoping you’ll find them as rewarding as I do.

🧡: Rosa / Palasina Studio