Portland Jigsaw Masters Is Three Days of Puzzling Under Pressure

For most people, putting together a puzzle is a rare rainy day activity. But for some, it’s a sport. Enter the first annual Portland Jigsaw Masters, Aug. 2-4, where about 400 teams will assemble puzzles as fast as they can.

How fast? Lane Weatherly of Portland Puzzle Company says that 45 minutes is a solid time for an individual to put together a 500-piece puzzle, though he’s seen even faster.

The competition is open to individuals, duos and teams of four. Participants are flying in from New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Toronto and elsewhere. Participants compete in multiheat preliminary rounds and then a final, akin to the track trials for the Olympic Games but with less Spandex and more puzzle dust.

“It’s gonna be phenomenal,” Weatherly says.

The event is hosted by Portland Puzzle Company and Pomegranate, which are both based in the Rose City. Portland Jigsaw Masters is poised to instantly be one of the country’s top three largest speed puzzling competitions when it kicks off at The Avenue on Northeast Grand Avenue.

“We’re trying our best to put Portland on the map as the jigsaw capital of America,” Weatherly says.

Weatherly’s business has been hosting weekly league puzzling nights since 2023. Speed jigsaw competitions have gained popularity post-COVID lockdown, when many started puzzling again for the first time since childhood.

As of July 23, there were only a few registration slots remaining for puzzlers. Portland Jigsaw Masters will have food, drinks, music and vendors and will be open to spectators for $10.

GO: Portland Jigsaw Masters at The Avenue, 631 NE Grand Ave. 503-239-4443, portlandjigsawmasters.org. Friday-Sunday, Aug. 2-4. $10 a day for spectators.