Puzzle Mania Hits Redwood City

Contestants are traveling from Vermont, Colorado, and yes, Redwood City, to participate in the hosted by .

On Saturday at 10 a.m., Oddfellows Hall on Main Street will be filled with frenzied teams of puzzle lovers racing to complete a 1000-piece puzzle for a $500 cash prize.

But this isn’t just a simple past time. Puzzles are a serious business and these teams have come prepared.  

Check out a of last year’s competition.

"We spent years looking for a puzzle competition," said Vermont resident Patrick Brown. And after he came for last year's competition, he's back for Round 2.

The life-long puzzle lover and his wife are making a week-long vacation out of the trek. But it's not all sight-seeing and touring in the Golden State. Last night, the Browns put together a 500-piece puzzle for practice and plan to assemble a 750-piece puzzle tonight.

Other teams are also trying different startegies as well.

“We’re pretty intense,” said mechanical engineer Lesley Marincola of Redwood City. “We joke about our strategy, but we have thought one through.”

This is Marincola’s first time competing, but she and her housemates have already purchased a 1000-piece puzzle from Jigsaw Java for practice. She’s a self-proclaimed puzzle fan and enjoys scavenger hunts around the Bay Area as well.

Most teams have assigned each of the four members “roles,” such as the unwrapper, and the “flipper” and the “sorter.”

Rules are intense: no substitutions, props (such as extra sorting bins) are allowed, no lunch break.

Greg Parker of Los Gatos, a member on the winning team for the past three years, has decided to level the playing field by switching up his team.

He has signed up two teams with a “Boys vs. Girls” theme for a bit of friendly, or not-so-friendly, competition.

But for those who are assuming a more casual approach can also enjoy the festivities throughout the day, such as a wooden jigsaw puzzle cutting demonstration at 11 a.m., an hour into the competition start time.

Spectators are welcome to view the competition.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” said Jigsaw Java owner, Mary Albitz of last year’s competition. “So we hope a lot of people will come.”

Visit the Jigsaw Java site if you'd like to participate. 

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