Icelandic speed puzzler returns to world championship

Steinunn Rós Guðsteinsdóttir will compete in the World Speed Puzzling Championship for the second time, with this year’s event taking place in Valladolid, Spain, mbl.is reports.

Steinunn has enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles since childhood, but only realised a few years ago that she was considerably faster than others. While puzzling with her cousin, she completed 10 or more puzzles as her cousin finished two.

Her interest in speed puzzling grew after she began watching the Karen Puzzles YouTube channel and videos from the world championship. In 2024, she followed Icelandic competitors Hrefna Guðlaugardóttir and Ágústa Dan Árnadóttir, the first Icelanders to take part in the event.

Steinunn then made a New Year’s resolution to attend the championship in 2025 and kept it. She found the experience overwhelming at first after having only watched the community through livestreams and videos.

She reached the finals in both the pairs and team competitions last year, but not in the individual event. The fastest competitors completed their puzzles in 22 minutes.

This year, Steinunn will compete in the individual and team events and hopes to find a partner for the pairs competition. Her teammates are from Denmark, Lithuania and the United States. Her preparation includes training her left hand, which she says she tends to neglect because she is right-handed.

Her main goal is to enjoy the event, which she describes as a kind of puzzle harvest festival.

Steinunn also runs the Icelandic Puzzle Association, founded in November 2024. The association holds weekly gatherings at the Úlfarsárdalur branch of the City Library, which she describes as a sewing circle for puzzle enthusiasts.

Interest in puzzling is growing in Iceland, she says, and she dreams of organising a proper speed puzzling competition in the country. This year, three Icelanders will attend the world championship. Alongside Steinunn, mother and son Signý and Gunnar will compete together in the pairs event.

Steinunn says the puzzling community is friendly and encourages competitors even when they are still working after everyone else has finished.