Hundreds of puzzlers traveled to Rothschild this weekend for the second annual Wisconsin State Jigsaw Puzzle Championships.
The competition drew 80 solo puzzlers, 80 pairs and 40 teams. In each division, every competitor worked on the same previously unreleased puzzle, racing to finish first.
Melissa Lehman of Milwaukee won the solo division, completing her puzzle in 51 minutes and 58 seconds. The second-place finisher came in almost six minutes later.
Wisconsin Jigsaw Puzzle Association president Dakota Scully told WSAW the state's puzzling community is deep, helped by the many libraries and community centers that host puzzling locally.
In the pairs competition, Wisconsin duos champions Hannah Wensing and Courtney Bednarczyk finished in just over 33 minutes, saying the contests sharpen their pattern recognition and attention to detail.
Lehman said puzzling has been part of her life since childhood, when her family kept a puzzle going during holidays like Christmas.
