An idea that changed competitive puzzling
The story of modern speedpuzzling is rooted in a vision of jigsaw puzzles as a shared passion that could become an exciting, rigorously organised competition open to the world. Drawing on our experience organising the Spanish Championship, which began in 2009, we devised and developed the rules, formats and resources that would shape the sport as it is practised and recognised internationally today.
There was no established path to follow. Each edition brought new challenges and gave us the opportunity to create solutions that no one had used before. This was how a competition model born in Spain grew to reach the world.
In 2010, we took a fundamental step: we introduced results sheets to record solving times and produce complete rankings, with numbered tables and participants identified by name. We also established rules for counting pieces and penalties for missing pieces. These developments laid the foundations for a competition with verifiable results and consistent standards.
In 2011, we created the individual category, opening up a new arena where each participant could test their skills and push their limits. In 2012, we standardised the use of vinyl as a surface for assembling puzzles, and in 2016, we introduced bags to keep puzzles hidden until the start of the event, ensuring that everyone began on equal terms.
The competition continued to evolve. In 2017, the team category was born, adding coordination, task sharing and teamwork to the challenge of solving a puzzle against the clock. In 2018, we streamed the closing stages of an event live for the first time, offering a first glimpse of the excitement of competition to viewers beyond the venue.
2019: taking the world stage
The first World Championship, held in 2019, brought together a decade of experience and innovation. Everything we had learned since 2009 became the foundation for an international competition and a new way to bring speedpuzzling to audiences.
For the first time, we provided full live coverage, with a commentary set and two cameras in the competition area. We also used previously unreleased puzzles in the finals for the first time, making the discovery of the image part of the competitive challenge itself.
The World Championship turned that journey into a shared endeavour with participants and spectators from around the globe. And it opened a new chapter of innovation.
A story still unfolding
In 2022, we introduced qualifying rounds for the first time. In 2023, we added English-language coverage and brought a strategic decision into the team qualifying round: choosing two puzzles from a selection of four. That same year, the individual category gained an additional round.
In 2024, we launched newcomer subcategories. In 2025, we introduced age-group subcategories and the puzzle box stand, responding both to the diversity of participants and to the details of their experience at the table.
In 2026, we take another step forward: we make the nations event official and double the number of competition tables.
Each of these milestones was a pioneering contribution. Together, they tell the story of how we conceived and developed the foundations of modern speedpuzzling. We are proud to have opened that path and to see how that initiative has become a passion that brings the world together around a table, a puzzle and a stopwatch.