#11 - Valerie Coit

Chances are that you’ve heard of Valerie Coit. A competitive puzzler since 1999, she is a member of the iconic puzzling team Wicker Kittens (and a standout personality in the movie of the same name), was a founding member of the USA JPA, and is currently Vice President of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation. And if none of that seems familiar, she announces the live streams at both the US Nationals and Worlds competitions.

She did it! Kristin Thuv is the 2024 World Jigsaw Puzzle Champion! After coming in second place in both 2022 and 2023, Kristin was determined to take home the gold this year. In this episode of Piece Talks, Kristin shares how she transformed her approach from casual to performance-driven. She talks about what was going on in her head during pivotal moments, how her family is an active component of her success, and how sometimes even world champions make mistakes (and learn from them).

In this episode, Jessa Douglas talks about her journey into the world of speed puzzling, and takes me on a journey into the world of puzzle chess!

Kathi Reiner joins host Rob Shields and and returning guest EB Caron about Kathi's journey from the 2023 World Jigsaw Championship to the 2024 Worlds, including how she practiced for Worlds, and the self doubt that she battled along the way. Kathi also brings some analysis she did on this year's worlds, and EB and Rob decide who won their prediction contest (spoiler: it was EB).

Sarah Schuler is a force of nature both in and out of competition, with multiple podium finishes in the US Nationals and World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships. We cover a lot of ground, from her childhood spent competing at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, to her string of second place finishes in major competitions, to her current project to bring competitive puzzling to the masses at breweries across the Twin Cities.

EB Caron joins me for the second of two episodes on who to watch at worlds. This time around: Everyone else! BONUS: Predictions!

EB Caron, world-class puzzler in her own right, joins me in the first of two episodes exploring who to watch at worlds. First up: the Americans!

Yvonne Feucht was the Individual’s champion of the 2022 US Nationals competition, is the current overall leader on speedpuzzling.com and the second member of the Golden State Puzzlers team to appear on the show. We talk about everything from what it’s like to compete on the national and world stage, to the best way to spend your 40th birthday.

Lane Weatherly is the cofounder of Portland Puzzle Company, which, beyond just making great puzzles, hosts a weekly jigsaw puzzling league in Portland Oregon, and is the founding sponsor of the Portland Jigsaw Masters competition. We talk about everything from how puzzles are cut, to how to make the best spectator experience possible for a puzzle competition.

Aly Krasny is one of the cofounders of the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association And a member of the titanic team known as the Golden State Puzzlers. We talked about how a local puzzling competition got started in her house, how the USAJPA got started, and her experiences as part of the USA Nationals competitions. Fair warning though, about halfway through the conversation we dive deep into her efforts to speed run a puzzle and the lessons she learned along the way. Prepare to get nerdy!