2019 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship facts for kids

The 2019 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship was the very first time this exciting competition happened! It was put together by the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation (WJPF). Puzzle fans from all over the world gathered in Valladolid, Spain, on September 28 and 29, 2019, to see who was the best at solving jigsaw puzzles.

About the Championship

This big event took place at the Cúpula del Milenio in Valladolid, Spain. It was a huge space perfect for all the puzzle action! The championship had three main types of contests:

• Team event
• Pairs event
• Individual event

Each event tested different skills and speeds in putting together jigsaw puzzles.

How the Competition Worked

Let's look at how each part of the championship worked. Everyone had to be super fast and smart to win!

Team Challenge

In the Team event, groups of four people worked together. They could also have one extra person as a reserve. Each team had to complete four big jigsaw puzzles. Two of these puzzles had 1000 pieces, and the other two had 1500 pieces. They had a maximum of 8 hours to finish all of them. The team that finished all four puzzles the fastest became the champions! The rules said that team members had to finish one puzzle completely before starting the next one.

Pairs Challenge

The Pairs event was for two people working together. They had to complete one jigsaw puzzle with 500 pieces. They had 90 minutes (1 hour and 30 minutes) to finish it. The pair who completed their puzzle the quickest won this competition.

Solo Challenge

The Individual event was for single players. Each person had to complete one 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. They had a maximum of 2 hours to finish it. The person who solved their puzzle the fastest was crowned the champion!

Who Won?

Here are the amazing winners from each part of the 2019 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship:

Event	Gold		Silver		Bronze
Team	Siberian Team	04h 11' 17"	Czech Dragons	04h 20' 42"	Russia Stella-Puzzler.su	04h 29' 45"
Pairs	Demelza Becerra Ángel Heras	34' 34"	Jana Hanzelková Kateřina Novotná	35' 13"	Irina Batalova Natalia Komarova	36' 40"
Individual	Jana Hanzelková	46' 35"	Mariusz Ślizewski	52' 25"	Kateřina Novotná	52' 50"

Medal Winners by Country

This table shows which countries won the most gold, silver, and bronze medals at the championship.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Czech Republic	1	2	1	4
2	Russia	1	0	2	3
3	Spain	1	0	0	1
4	Poland	0	1	0	1
Totals (4 entries)		3	3	3	9

Countries That Competed

A total of 40 different countries sent their best puzzle solvers to the first World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship! It was a truly global event.