Bringing Speed Puzzling to Marblehead
- megperlow
- Dec 22, 2025
- 1 min read
by Meghan Perlow, Vice President, MFoA
As a long time puzzler, when the discussion came up about rotating in additional events to bring year-round involvement to the festival, I knew exactly what to start with.
Speed puzzling has grown in popularity internationally, including national and international championships popping up with incredible record breaking times from the fastest puzzlers in the world. New England remains fairly limited in speed puzzling opportunities, so it's with great excitement we introduce a local, friendly competition for Marbleheaders to experience for themselves.
So what is 'Speed Puzzling' exactly? The competitions take several forms, from individual, to pairs, to teams of 4. Typically individual and pairs competitions will be done with 500 piece puzzles, and teams of 4 will receive 1,000 pieces. The concept is simple enough - everyone starts with the same puzzle hidden in an opaque bag, and the starting time, puzzles are pulled out, pieces are dumped, and the competition begins!
This January 10th, starting at 10 am, marks the first Speed Puzzling competition for Marblehead, taking place in our beautiful Abbot Hall. We're lucky enough to even have spectator viewing above! If you're too nervous to compete, come check out the fun, and watch from above as each team either keeps their cool, or panics into puzzle oblivion.
Spots for teams of 2 are limited, so be sure to grab your tickets for our inaugural event!
Special thanks to Mud Puddle Toys for sponsoring our first place prize and continuing to fuel our puzzle obsession with great options for all ages.
