Hannah’s Puzzle Story: 

Hannah (she/her) lives in California where she is a PhD Student in Electrical Engineering. Though previously she had puzzled sporadically, she did a puzzle on a whim on New Year’s Eve in 2023. She then puzzled casually through August of 2024, when she saw Ravensburger’s “New York Postcard” at a store that she remembered seeing in a Karen Puzzles video. Hannah decided to time herself on this puzzle, and then consequently signed up to participate in the speedpuzzling.com California State Championship the same day. WIth almost 100 competitors, she came in 2nd place at her first competition and has been speed puzzling ever since!

Hannah is active in the online puzzle community as a Twitch streamer. She started streaming her speed puzzling practice sessions in February 2025. Within a few months, Gma (ijustlovepuzzles) and Kyle K. (KylKo) had found her channel and introduced her to the rest of the Twitch puzzle community. Now Hannah streams 2-3 puzzles regularly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. During her streams, the audience helps her choose which puzzles to assemble, and they set a goal time to see if she can beat it. Most evenings, Hannah would most likely be puzzling anyways, so she says that streaming these practice sessions has given her a way to share the experience with others. She feels the great support of the community and is very grateful for everyone who watches and cheers her on!

Hannah had an impressive showing at the 2025 USA Jigsaw Nationals, where she placed 6th in Teams, 8th in Pairs, and 2nd in Individuals! The last seconds of the Individuals competition were a nail-biter! Watch the final moments here. She additionally was a strong representative for Team USA at the 2025 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship where her team placed 9th, and she was the fastest American in Individuals, ranking 13th. Keep an eye on Hannah at the 2026 USA Jigsaw Nationals to see if she makes it back on the podium!

Q&A Time:

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

“My speed puzzling performance is heavily intertwined with my emotional state, and I usually puzzle at my best when I am having fun. My advice would be to try and create conditions for yourself that make you feel comfortable and happy. For me, this means listening to upbeat, lighthearted music and practicing positive self-talk. I try to focus my thinking toward my enjoyment of the act of puzzling, and remind myself that even if I start feeling stuck, it's never too late to get back in the zone.”

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

“I enjoy puzzles that have a lot of different colors and textures to discover. I love seeing new pieces stand out in the pile as I make more progress through a puzzle.”

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

“This isn't one specific memory, but I really cherish all the time I get to spend puzzling with my team Girls in STEMP. Every few weeks, we meet up at Chloe G. and Skye V.'s place and spend the whole day puzzling, occasionally taking breaks to grab some lunch or a coffee. Somehow, I always end up leaving their place with triple the amount of puzzles that I showed up with. I can't imagine a better way to spend the day!”

What is the puzzle community like in your area?

“The Bay Area puzzle community is very active and very generous. There are a ton of puzzlers and no shortage of local races and swaps. Some puzzlers have set up self-serve puzzle libraries in their front yards. There is a puzzle library near me that single-handedly sustained my puzzle habit before I had puzzle friends to swap with. I probably would never have gotten into speed puzzling if it weren’t for the constant stream of puzzles that came from it.”

What do you enjoy most about the puzzle community?

“I love that this community is able to maintain a welcoming and positive atmosphere even at competitions that could otherwise become tense and stressful. I was very nervous to compete at Nationals for the first time, but the support I got from other puzzlers relieved so much of the pressure of the competition because I knew that the community would welcome me no matter how I performed.”

Tell us a bit about your puzzling teammates.

“I’m on a team called Girls in STEMP with Chloe G., Skye V., and Kaitlyn M. We first formed the team in January 2025, then competed in the 2024 USA Jigsaw Nationals and at Portland Jigsaw Masters. I also got to pair with fellow streamer Kyle K. at the 2025 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship as the Stream Team. We approach puzzles in a very similar way and it makes for a very smooth collaboration. We teamed up with Jasmine L. and Emma W. as When in Dome. They are awesome to puzzle with and I am so proud that we took home some dome-shaped trophies for 9th place!”

Connect:

Hannah can be found on Instagram: @hannahkaypuzzle and be sure to watch her Twitch stream hannahkaypuzzle