Dunedin resident Julie Eyles claimed gold at the New Zealand Masters Games in a fiercely competitive jigsaw puzzle racing event held this week. Eyles completed a 500-piece puzzle in 39 minutes and 38 seconds, just seven seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.
Jigsaw puzzle racing, a relatively new addition to the Masters Games – first appearing in 2024 – has quickly gained popularity, selling out within a day of registration opening this year. Competitors can spend up to six hours tackling the puzzles, but the fastest times are typically between two and three hours.
The atmosphere inside the competition hall at the University of Otago was described as intense and quiet, punctuated by the clicking of puzzle pieces and hushed whispers. Games manager Vicki Kestila noted the palpable tension and the focused concentration of the competitors, some of whom used headphones and snacks to aid their concentration.
Eyles, competing for the first time approximately two years ago, was unaware of how close the competition was until after she finished. “The good thing is I had no idea it was eight seconds until second place. I was just focused on what I was doing, I had an audiobook going and … I had no idea where anyone else was at,” she reportedly said.
Eyles revealed her strategy involves completing the edges of the puzzle first. “I always do the edges first… I have to do the edge, I can’t go to the middle until I’ve done the edge so I just turn them all up the right way, pull the edge out. Make the edge and then decide where I am going next.” She is now setting her sights on an international competition in Spain in 2028.
Karen Easterbrook, traveling from Whangārei to compete, secured the silver medal with a time of 39 minutes and 45 seconds. She attributes her success to consistent practice, completing a 500-piece puzzle nearly every evening for the past couple of months. Easterbrook favors a podcast to help her focus, concentrating on matching colors and patterns rather than shapes.
Bronze went to Sonja Dobson, who finished in 50 minutes and 31 seconds. Dobson, who only began puzzling after moving to New Zealand just over three years ago, found the hobby as a way to relax during her PhD studies. She prefers puzzles featuring animals and finds landscapes and abstract art more challenging.
Donnalouise Watts finished in fourth place with a time of 54 minutes and 28 seconds, her best competition time yet. A seasoned competitor, Watts travels internationally and enjoys the social aspect of the sport, which is often a solitary pursuit. She also maintains a YouTube channel dedicated to jigsaw puzzles, a hobby that began after filling her walls with completed puzzles.
Recent changes to the competition rules now align with official racing standards, displaying competitor times and recording partial progress for those who don’t finish within the allotted time. Watts welcomed these changes, stating, “Imagine they’re nearly done and they have 20 pieces left, you don’t want to give them a ‘do not finish’.”
The puzzling community is described as welcoming, with the Jigsaw Puzzle Association website offering resources for those interested in participating. Dobson recommends checking op shops for affordable puzzles to get started. Watts recently completed a massive 54,000-piece puzzle, which she described as “like walking through a gallery.”
The team jigsaw puzzle racing event is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
