Mother and son miss speed-puzzling final by four places

Signý Gunnarsdóttir and her son, university student Gunnar Hrafn Sveinsson, came four places short of qualifying for the final at the world speed-puzzling championships in Spain, mbl.is reports.

The pair competed in September in Valladolid, among about 2,500 participants from more than 70 countries. They completed a 500-piece puzzle in 40 minutes and placed 99th in their group. The top 95 advanced to the final.

Their goal was to finish in under an hour and avoid last place. They practised for two to three months before the event, assembling two or three puzzles a day. Signý, a speech therapist, said she turned 50 the day before they travelled. Gunnar’s girlfriend joined them on the trip.

Speed puzzling is a shared hobby for the mother and son. They recently attended their first weekly practice with the Icelandic Puzzle Association. Signý said a rule of thumb was not to hold on to a piece for more than five seconds if you could not find where it fit.