Andrew’s Puzzle Story: 

Andrew (he/him) lives in California, where he works as a Film Archivist. He has been casually puzzling for more than 60 years, and has been competitively speed puzzling for 42 years (he jokes, with a 30-year gap between competition opportunities). Andrew shares that puzzling puts him into the flow state since it can be quite relaxing. He cites the puzzling community itself as one of the things he enjoys most about puzzling. 

Andrew is an active member of that community, attending competitions throughout the state. He has also competed at the St. Paul Winter Carnival four times, participated in and volunteered at the USA Jigsaw Nationals, and attended the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship once. He is also a regular at local puzzle swaps. 

Members of the puzzling community talk about Andrew with admiration, as he was most notably a 3rd Place winner of a national competition in Athens, Ohio in the 1980s. Participating in those competitions gave him a strong foundation as he competes alongside up and coming puzzlers. Now, he takes the opportunity to be a pairs and teams puzzle buddy with many different puzzlers.

Andrew shares that he will be competing in a few upcoming competitions with Orange County Speed Puzzlers, and of course looks forward to going to Atlanta for the 2026 USA Jigsaw Nationals.

Q&A Time:

What is your best advice for someone who wants to improve their speed puzzling abilities?

“Practice a lot, especially types of puzzles that are not easy for you. Watch videos of fast puzzlers, see what works for them, then try it out.”

Do you have a favorite brand, type, or style of puzzle?

“Vintage Springboks made in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s were extremely high quality, including the box. The pieces had heft, exquisite backing and the random cut was very unique. Most of the puzzles I grew up doing were either images of fine art, or groups of similar things like flowers or birds or cats. There was even an educational spin with one made up of swirling Shakespeare quotes!”

Do you have a cherished or unforgettable puzzle-related memory?

“I have too many to name, but here are some of my favorites:

• Finishing 3rd place in my only trip to the national competition in Athens, Ohio in the 1980s.

• Winning the St. Paul Winter Carnival with Tammy M., Aly K., and Lindsay S. the first time we went as Pacific Puzzlers.

• A few minutes after the memory above, I witnessed the genesis of the USAJPA, as Tammy M. and Aly K. met Val C. for the first time. This was an historic moment!

• When Ravensburritos teammate Yuewen C. handed out foil blankets just before our team event at the 2025 USA Jigsaw Nationals, so we could walk in as life-sized (Ravens-) burritos!”

Have the worlds of puzzling and film ever overlapped for you?

“I once worked on a small film a friend of mine was making, where he wanted to shoot someone knocking a jigsaw puzzle off a table. As there needed to be more than one take, I had to have a way of quickly reassembling the puzzle for the next take. So I wrote lightly in pencil on the bottom of the pieces, the numbers in order from 1 to 500. Very simple to reassemble when you know the piece that fits next to each one! The film is called “Mad Song”, from 2004, but good luck finding it, I think it only played for about a week.”

Your job, like many others in the community, shows how unique we are outside of puzzling. What is something special that you have experienced in your job?

“For about fifteen years working for the Academy, I did get to attend the Oscars with one guest, until the number of members and staff grew too large to accommodate us. The last time I was there was memorable, as it was the year that the wrong Best Picture was announced due to an envelope mix up by PricewaterhouseCooper personnel!”

Tell us a bit about your puzzling teammates.

“I figure I have been in at least 15 teams-of-four competitions of one kind or another, with over 25 different people! I hope that number can keep growing. My earliest teammate was Tammy M., who recruited me in 2016 for a one-off event. Shout-outs to: Aly K., Lindsay S., Yvonne F., Kara C., Alyssa Z., Grey R., Simmie B., Min D., Mike H., Kevin S., Jessica H., Colleen D., Susanne R., Doug E., Linnea S., Devon D., Alexx C., Melissa C., Lisa S., Kim K., Tammy N., Sam D., Yuewen C., Darya L., Elizabeth T., Karen C., and Andrea H. If I left anyone out, I apologize!”

Connect:

Although Andrew doesn’t have a social media presence, he can be seen in other people’s event photos, and on various competition live streams.