A big shoutout to the hundreds of puzzle enthusiasts from all over the country who pushed their limits in our 5th annual speed puzzling contest.
And our congratulations to the winners – you crushed it!
A special shoutout to our First Place Pairs – your teamwork and speed were truly impressive!
The secret puzzle for the Individual Speed Contest was the new Emily Woodard Coffee and Snacks, with 230 pieces:
- 1st place Kait MacKenzie stunned everyone with 26 minutes and 50 seconds!
- 2nd place Becca Taylor impressed at 27 minutes and 49 seconds!
- 3rd place Kayla Berkowitz wowed the crowd with 28 minutes and 28 seconds!
- 4th place Sammy Brownlow amazed at 29 minutes and 35 seconds!
- 5th place Roy Briana pulled off an impressive 30 minutes and 23 seconds!
- 6th place Virginia Cleveland soared to 31 minutes and 32 seconds!
- 7th place Margaret Long thumped with 32 minutes and 18 seconds!
- 8th place Josh Trauger raced to finish to 32 minutes and 55 seconds!
- 9th place Katie Wren finished strong at 33 minutes and 26 seconds!
- 10th place Elizabeth McElveen wrapped up the top 10 with 34 minutes and 29 seconds!
- The median time by the speed puzzlers competing was 47 minutes
For the Pairs Speed Contest, participants faced the never-before-seen Roch Urbaniak puzzle Key Master, consisting of 386 pieces, which tested both their teamwork and individual abilities.
- Becca Taylor and Susanne Riehemann – 00:40:11 (These two took the top spot with an amazing finish. They clearly had a strategy and executed it flawlessly!)
- Sammy Brownlow and Karen Brownlow – 00:49:09 (A great showing from this duo, securing second place with solid teamwork and quick thinking.)
- Kait MacKenzie and Melissa McCarthy – 00:53:04 (Another strong performance, finishing in third place with a great time!)
- Claire Rojstaczer and Diane Heaton – 00:56:01 (These two were on fire, working together to land in the fourth spot.)
- Elizabeth McVittie and Rachel McVittie – 00:56:31 (Another great team effort here, just seconds away from breaking into the top 4.)
- Jamie Ambabo and Faith Taylor – 01:00:18 (They kept up the momentum and finished under an hour, making it into the top 10!)
- Melynda Owens and Jessica Musser – 01:00:42 (A solid performance from this team, working together to snag 7th place.)
- Rachel Cato and Aaron Cato – 01:04:53 (This pair stayed focused and finished strong with a fantastic time.)
- Kari Loftesness and James Powers – 01:07:39 (Kari and James kept up the pace and finished with a time that earned them 9th place.)
- Ann Marie Greenleaf and Chris Parsons – 01:08:40 (Rounding out the top 10, this team pushed through to finish with a great time.)
Want to time yourself with Coffee and Snacks or Key Master?
We’ve included the first-place and median times for both the Coffee and Snacks and Key Master puzzles, so you can challenge yourself and track your progress.
Coffee and Snacks:
- First Place Time: 26 minutes and 50 seconds
- Median Time: 47 minutes
Key Master:
- First Place Time: 40 minutes and 11 seconds
- Median Time: 1 hour and 8 minutes
Note: Casual puzzlers might easily take anywhere 2x or even 4x times longer than the median speed puzzler time, depending on experience and puzzle-solving skill level. If you're not into speed puzzling, then hey, don’t rush—enjoy the journey :).