A full room with no less than 42 fanatical teams of four: it was very busy this afternoon at the preliminary round of the NK Jigsaw Puzzles in De Brink in Obdam. The assignment: complete a Jan van Haasteren puzzle as quickly as possible. There are sixteen such preliminary rounds and only the best three of each round advance to the grand final. And that made it very exciting.
René came up with the event and does the presentation. He stands enthusiastically at the door and welcomes all teams. When all teams are ready – one with a glass of wine, the other with only the wrapped puzzle on the table – Rene announces the national anthem.
After that everything really starts. There is a countdown and at zero the teams get to tear the wrapping paper off the puzzle to see which puzzle they have to put together today. “Oh, it’s The Big Leak” says Saskia van Haasteren, Jan’s daughter. “Yeah, that’s not an easy one.”
When we ask what makes a puzzle difficult or easier, Saskia explains that a puzzle with many different colors is less difficult because sorting is easier. And that’s one of the tactics.
The right tactics
A lot revolves around tactics when quickly solving a puzzle you don’t know. If you have a good tactic, you have a good chance. A team that has won a previous edition certainly does not want to reveal its tactics.
Saskia says she sees many tactics. The tactic in which it is clearly visible what the division of tasks is within the team and where there is good communication, has the best chance of reaching the final.
Tension, but also fun
There is a lot of puzzling going on in the background. Very serious, but there is also a lot of room for socializing. There is a good atmosphere and the ‘social puzzlers’ blare along to the Dutch hits. But that will be different in the final. “That is really a step further,” says Saskia. “Then you really see that everyone is going for the win, today there are also teams that just like to participate for the fun.”
The grand final will take a while, because it is only at the beginning of May. The puzzle is then a completely new one. “I already know the subject, but I won’t spoil anything”, grins Saskia. The great Jan van Haasteren himself will also be there that day. And the winner? He gets a challenge cup and eternal fame. On behalf of this North Holland preliminary round, The Puzzling Sisters are participating anyway, because they turned out to be the winner today.