Racing the Clock

Hands flew, timers ticked, and tensions ran high. But team Piece Out found success by sticking to a classic strategy: starting its 500-piece jigsaw puzzle with the borders and sorting pieces by color. In the end, the team was the first to complete the puzzle—an illustration of a fantasy library—in 33 minutes and 23 seconds.

It was the winning moment of the inaugural speed puzzling tournament at Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) in southeastern Washington last January. Piece Out triumphed over 46 other teams—with names like The Misfits, Separation Anxiety, and Planet Fit This—in the competition, which coincided with National Puzzle Day, January 29.

“People really liked to take [a victory] away from it,” says Programs Specialist Dawn Brooks. “But I think they would have been just as happy if all they took away was a good time.”

Speed puzzling, or the practice of assembling a jigsaw puzzle as fast as possible, has become an unlikely hit at public libraries. What began as a social media curiosity and niche hobby has turned into a low-cost way to engage patrons of all ages—especially during colder months.

“[Winter] lends itself to cozy puzzling,” Brooks says. By October, she says, patrons had started asking when they could sign up for the 2026 tournament.

MCL’s event was open to teens, adults, and families with tweens—up to five people per team—and conditions were standardized, down to table size. Over a period of four weeks, 10 of the library’s locations held competitions. Organizers compared the top times across the system to determine the winner. Brooks says some participants even traveled to other branches to compete again.

Across the country, libraries are finding that puzzle tournaments are bringing excitement and camaraderie to their communities.

Getting the pieces to fit

Angela Morris, assistant branch manager and senior librarian for teen services at DeKalb County (Ga.) Public Library (DCPL), decided to host her own speed puzzling competition after seeing videos of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship online. She started small, with a few introductory sessions where people could practice strategies for speedy solving.

“We had one or two people who were very serious about it, who actually do puzzling, and a lot of people came out just for the fun of it,” Morris says. “Some people just got the edges together in two hours, and some would have it done in less than 40 minutes.”

DCPL’s January 2025 event was open to tweens and older, and included two divisions: an individual competition, where participants worked on a 350-piece puzzle, and a team round, in which groups tackled a 500-piece version. Both puzzles featured the same design—kittens nestled inside a shoe—and competitors had just two hours to complete them. Winners took home puzzle mats, and the DeKalb Library Foundation sponsored the materials.

Morris says she wanted the program to attract a younger crowd and create a space where people could get away from screens.

“I’m big into introducing kids to stuff that they’re not used to, and we’re in such a technological age now,” she says. “Puzzling is a STEM activity, and the kids have fun.”

At Madison (Wis.) Public Library (MPL), staff members found similar interest in speed puzzling when the system launched Puzzlepalooza last January. The event maxed out at 13 teams, with a handful of competitors left on the waitlist. A local game store donated gift certificates for prizes and a DJ spun tunes between rounds.

Participants at MPL’s event could register as individuals and be placed on teams, a format that encouraged new connections. After the competition, several teams—including some made up of people who’d just met each other that day—stayed to complete another puzzle together.

Puzzling is a STEM activity.—Angela Morris, assistant branch manager and senior librarian for teen services at DeKalb County (Ga.) Public Library

MPL Community Engagement Librarian Michelle Herbrand recalls one particularly joyful moment: “I saw one of the guys on an individuals team call his wife to tell her he did really well.”

Staffers at MPL wanted to create something that emphasized connection over competition, with door prizes from the library and a local radio station and refreshments from a local café. There were even tables for noncompetitive puzzling, where people could piece together a puzzle that interested them at their own pace, individually or in a group.

“The library is one of the few places where people can come and be together in community and not have to pay any money to attend an event,” says Community Engagement Librarian Neeyati Shah. “We hope that when they walk through the door, they’re also looking at our books and materials, but it’s just a way to bring people together.”

Completing the picture

DCPL, MCL, and MPL all plan to host future speed puzzling competitions. Staffers say the event is easy to replicate for its simplicity and affordability.

At MCL, for example, each branch used identical $18 puzzles, totaling just under $300 for the entire system. After the event, puzzles were added to the collection for checkout. The only other associated costs were small door prizes already on hand, like mugs and T-shirts.

In addition to DCPL’s foundation covering the cost of puzzles and mats, snacks were donated by the library’s Friends group. Because libraries already have tables, chairs, and space for programs, staffers agree that setup was minimal.

“Once you can give somebody any type of library-sponsored event that helps people use their brain more and think outside the box, it’s useful,” Morris says. “I feel like that’s part of what we’re here to do.”

At MCL, the final moments of the tournament were as tense as any sports final, Brooks says—but the outcomes were what stuck with organizers. One winning team was invited to cut the ribbon at a branch library’s grand reopening.

Brooks says one participant wasn’t a regular library user, but the puzzle tournament caught her attention because it offered something different from what she normally associates with the library.

“She’s going to remember what the library is doing for the community,” Brooks says. “And she’s going to vote ‘yes’ if we need something. So, that was one good thing that came out of it.”