{"id":785327,"date":"2026-05-09T23:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/785327\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T23:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:37:14","slug":"chicago-speed-puzzlers-battle-for-a-spot-at-the-jigsaw-nationals-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/785327\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago speed puzzlers battle for a spot at the Jigsaw Nationals competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a first-time spectator at a speed puzzle competition, Cody Busic did not have high expectations.<\/p>\n

But when the contest started at Clarendon Fieldhouse in Uptown on Saturday morning, he was on the edge of his seat, breathlessly recounting the event like a seasoned announcer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, this was actually thrilling,\u201d said Busic, 33, of Lincoln Park, who was there to support one of the competitors. \u201cThe clock starts, everyone\u2019s silent. They\u2019re all racing fast as hell, moving their little hands trying to flip over the pieces. There\u2019s focus, there\u2019s strategy and there\u2019s a lot of movement, oddly enough, for people who look like they\u2019re standing still.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was an accurate description of the two-hour USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association solo competition, hosted by the Chicago Puzzle Club<\/a>. Fifty participants opened their drawstring bags to reveal identical 500-piece puzzles depicting a San Francisco cable car traversing a sunlit California Street. Some sat and some stood, hovering over white tables littered with drinks, puzzle trays and plush animal toys for good luck. The \u201cedge-first\u201d contingent started by constructing borders, while others built large sections based on color. Many donned headphones that played everything from Broadway tunes to classical music.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"PUZZLECOMPETITION_260510_21.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Andrew Paul reacts after finishing a puzzle during a solo speed puzzle competition at the Clarendon Fieldhouse in Uptown, Saturday, May 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

The first-place winner earned a trophy, puzzle, $50 gift card to a game store, and a spot in the 2027 USA Jigsaw Nationals competition. Later in the day, two more people were qualified for nationals at a second competition featuring duos. It was an intense few hours, but many puzzlers described it as a period of self-improvement, fun and community-building.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Rae Paul, of Forest Park, was victorious in the solo contest, completing her puzzle in 53 minutes and 15 seconds. Anna Pogharian, of Edgewater, trailed by a hair, finishing at 53 minutes and 22 seconds. Third place went to Melissa Germait, of Burlington, Wisconsin, who placed her last piece at 56 minutes and 20 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is still kind of a new world for me,\u201d said Paul, 34, who has only competed in a few other contests, but never took the top spot. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"PUZZLECOMPETITION_260510_6.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Rae Paul, who finished building a 500-piece puzzle in 53 minutes and 15 seconds, reacts as she finds out she won first place during a solo speed puzzle competition at the Clarendon Fieldhouse in Uptown, Saturday, May 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Pat Nabong\/Pat Nabong\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Paul began her puzzle by tackling huge blocks of color, such as the sky, while listening to the soundtrack to \u201cHamilton.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually start with the rap battles and then I\u2019m keyed up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A director of operations at a nonprofit by day, Paul said she has loved puzzles since she was a kid, and enjoys sharing her interest with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is really delightful to be around people who just love what they love without reservation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That social component is a highlight for participants in the Chicago Puzzle Club, which was formed in 2024 by Frank Lieu, his brother, Eric Lieu, and his wife, Shirley Jiang.<\/p>\n

Jiang said she and her husband were especially inspired to form the group after participating in the USA Jigsaw Nationals competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to bring a little bit of that to Chicago because we didn\u2019t really see that kind of caliber of competition,\u201d said Jiang, 39, of Lake View. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to build the community and see the growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"PUZZLECOMPETITION_260510_10.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Chicago Puzzle Club co-founder Shirley Jiang observes contestants as they build puzzles during a solo speed puzzle competition at the Clarendon Fieldhouse in Uptown, Saturday, May 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Pat Nabong\/Pat Nabong\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The group regularly hosts speed competitions, puzzle swaps and workshops to help people improve their skills. Their events typically draw well over 100 attendees, Jiang said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great group of people that come together to do a singular goal, and you don\u2019t need screens or a lot of equipment,\u201d said Eric Lieu, 39, of Lake View.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just focus for about one or two hours and it doesn\u2019t matter how fast you are. I always tell people it\u2019s like doing a 5K. You don\u2019t sign up to do a 5k thinking you\u2019re going to be the first one, but you do it to try to beat your best time, to improve and just see how well you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

For 16-year-old competitor Chloe Athanasiou, puzzling is a welcome escape.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great departure from everyday homework and school stuff,\u201d said the Lake View sophomore, who wants to start a puzzle club at her school, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School. \u201cIt\u2019s relaxing in a weird way.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"PUZZLECOMPETITION_260510_14.jpg\"<\/p>\n

A contestant builds a puzzle during a solo speed puzzle competition at the Clarendon Fieldhouse in Uptown, Saturday, May 9, 2026. Some participants displayed plush animal toys for good luck.<\/p>\n

Athanasiou made a respectable showing during the solo contest, placing 10th with a time of one hour and six seconds. She said she not only enjoyed competing, but watching others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a visual of the different ways in which people\u2019s brains work,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really interesting to see how different people approach the same puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"PUZZLECOMPETITION_260510_20.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Kristi Lam competes in a solo speed puzzle competition at the Clarendon Fieldhouse in Uptown, Saturday, May 9, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a first-time spectator at a speed puzzle competition, Cody Busic did not have high expectations. But when…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":785328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,5386,1818],"class_list":{"0":"post-785327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-illinois"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116547253160636054","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}