EB Caron joins me once again to talk about some puzzlers you might want to watch for at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship this year.
--------
1:49:56
--------
1:49:56
#23 - Alejandro Clemente León
Alejandro Clemente León was just a regular boy who liked playing sports and using puzzles to relax his mind, never suspecting the extraordinary destiny that awaited him. Until the fateful day stumbled upon a hidden world of competitive jigsaw puzzlers, and determined that he would join them. That bold step would propel him into the stratospheric heights of puzzle wizardry, where he would master arcane techniques and forge bonds with fellow puzzle wizards. But his greatest challenge would be defending the treasure he had unknowingly carried within him all along: The Joy of Puzzling
In this episode we talk to the two-time world champion about his journey from being told he had a special gift at his first competition, to his feelings about the 2024 worlds, and his outlook on the upcoming 2025 world championship.
--------
1:38:13
--------
1:38:13
#22 - Polish Powerhouse
Leading up to Worlds 2024, there were quiet rumors about Poland being a secret puzzling powerhouse. As the competition drew to a close, it was clear that the rumors were true. In this episode, I talk with Polish puzzlers Wiktor Kacprzak and Weronika Huptas live, and weave in parts of a text conversation that I had with Krystian Niedziela to find out what makes them tick.
You can find the transcript of my conversation with Krystian here: http://bit.ly/3H8sS7M
I highly encourage checking it out as there was much that I didn’t get a chance to include in this episode, like how he would have done the Individuals Final puzzle differently at last year’s Worlds.
--------
1:19:02
--------
1:19:02
#21 - Aussie All Stars
In this episode, I talk to the Aussie All Stars: Hannah Farthing, Katrina Coleman, Melissa Townsend, and Rhianna Eriksen.
Formed on January 1st, 2024, their explicit intention was to bring Australia onto the World Championships podium; a feat their country had never achieved.
We discuss how this elite team, spread across Australia's vast continent (with distances comparable to New York to Dallas), managed to train and build chemistry, often huddling in back rooms at state competitions. The episode also touches on the distinctive green-and-gold Australian team jersey, which has become the official uniform for all Australian puzzlers at Worlds, fostering a powerful sense of national unity and pride.
--------
1:44:14
--------
1:44:14
#20 - Michelle Kasper
Michelle Kasper launched the Euro Jigsaw Jam virtual competition series within four months of having her passion for speed puzzling ignited by a YouTube video, despite never seeing an online competition herself.
In this episode, we talk about what it took to bring the idea together, the vibrant community that makes it happen, and what led her to creating her own puzzles.
Discussions with competitors, organizers, and puzzle makers in the competitive jigsaw puzzle world.
We cover speed puzzling, puzzle chess, and pretty much any other way that people are using jigsaw puzzles to compete.
USA