Good luck! Here's a tip that may help. In Teams, get everyone to paint their nails a different, distinct colour. You'll never have to look up to know where a given team-mate is, and can hand over pieces from the sections they're working on instantly. Being able to recognise everyone by their hands alone is an advantage when every second counts.
@KarenPuzzles Also, if you listen to music, create and learn your playlist so you know what songs denote the 5-minute, 10-minute mark etc. Saves looking at the timer.
NEW RULE! If you're going to World's and didn't watch all the way to the end, make sure you know about the updated cutting tool rule: “Only letter openers, keys or other blunt objects may be used to open the plastic that covers the puzzles. Nothing sharp like scissors or box cutters as that could be dangerous to handle during a speed competition.” Personally, as somebody who once stabbed myself in the hand with a letter opener trying to open a calculator's plastic packaging in middle school, I'm a little wary about if they're actually less dangerous. But that's what the organizers have decided, so it's another thing to add to your puzzle bag!
Ok, here's one for those who aren't that familiar with getting over jet lags. You can start adjusting to the local time in Spain way before the trip. Starting one week ahead should get you comfortable enough during the event. Change your clock, change the time you eat, sleep, and shower. Use lighting and curtains to trick your body. Melatonin is also pretty useful. Better yet, practice your puzzle guesses at the exact time of those qualifying rounds, Spain time of course. Good luck!!
Oh, that's an interesting idea. Also, we spaniards have very different times for... Well, everything. Lunch breaks for us are usually 2-3 PM, dinner is more like 9-10 PM. It's probably worth taking it into account and getting used to it, because the competition may happen straight through what other countries consider lunch time. You wouldn't want to be competing while very hungry
You'll have many hours of time change to deal with, where competitors from within Europe won't have as much of a change. Make sure you're doing all of the tricks to avoid jet lag and make sure you get good sleep beforehand. Maybe consider adjusting your sleep schedule before you go if you feel like it will be a major hurdle for you.
I solved your 1027 piece gradient puzzle and it was one the most fun puzzles I ever pieced together! The 3000 one is still to be assembled! Thank you Karen! 🥰
Just bought it! I had so much fun with the 3000 piece one and it was on my coffee table for so long that all of my friends had some part in assembling it when they were over ✨♥️
Hi Karen! I'm a new sub, I found you through a reel on ig about the 9000 piece astrology puzzle, but it wasn't the final one and I wanted to see that behemoth solved, so I came over to RUclips and just.... Started binging your channel. All day. Within two days I ordered my very first Ravensburger 500 piece puzzle (after.... 15? 17? years of not solving a jigsaw puzzle and not even thinking about them 😅). I found myself looking at all of them, thinking which would be more challenging, the different textures, how hard it would be to sort and so on. I felt like a pro (that is, until I actually had to put it together and took me almost 4 hours)! Good luck in finals, and I hope you enjoy Spain, which is where I'm from. I'll be rooting for you
hey, 4 hours isn't bad for casual puzzle enjoyment!! karen's just on a different level xD I had a similar experience of binging this channel and going 'huh.... puzzle sounds pretty fun right now'. Luckily my local library has a puzzle collection so I check one out from them about monthly to enjoy!
@@amberbydreamsart5467 thank you! Indeed, trying for yourself and seeing how long it takes a regular person just highlights how incredible Karen (and competitive puzzlers in general) are. I may need to check of there are similar programs around me, now I kinda want to do more puzzles... 😂
Good luck, Karen! You'll do great! Don't forget a backup pair of glasses! As a glasses wearer myself, that's one of the first things that goes with me whenever I travel.
Absolutely! I once had my glasses break in the middle of a house move! I had to fix them together with a twist tie off my bag of sandwiches until I could go through myoving boxes to track down my spare pair!
I had a lot of fun watching last years world puzzle competition as well as the US competition. Really looking forward to watching it again this year. Good luck Karen!
I think guessing the puzzles before worlds every year would be a really fun segment to watch! I'd love a recap to see if any of your guesses were correct! Good Luck!
I have never been so pleased for and proud of a total stranger before, especially one with the sometimes unfortunate name of Karen! Go get ‘em and have a great time!❤
Great video! This reminds me of when I do competition simulations for Rubik's Cube speed solving. Something you can do to get used to distractions and noise around you is putting on ambient noise or crowd noise in the background. Good luck!
I travel and play in a lot of card game tournaments and all those tips are spot on for what I do to prepare. Staying hydrated and energetic is key to doing anything all day. During the down times try to eat a real meal. Even if the food is cold and your sitting on the floor in the hall, real food is the best for keeping up. Also I know there is going to be many people that would like even just a few minutes of your time, please take as much time as you can alone and in a quiet place.
I feel like someone with a platform as big as you developing meta strategies will really drive innovation and bring down the world records a lot. Good luck at the competition.
I agree that Kristen with her slow (looking) style was so impressive. One thing I noticed she did was combined two actions into one--flipping all pieces and organizing by color. Not to mention saving time by not pulling them all out of the box. Also I noticed you reverting back to your ingrained habit of building the border. Maybe trying to find other ways to combine different tasks might help improve your times.
This was such a good video for people that may have been curious about the different methods of preparing for an event like Worlds. While you say you may be objectively slower than most of the competitors, I think you're going to do great! Good luck at Worlds!
This video is brilliant and hilarious. I'm so happy that you highlighted the Kristen technique. She is easily my fav from Worlds last year. Lovely to see that Ravensburger is finally sponsoring you!
Thank you for all your tips and tricks! About Kristen's style (and others as well for that matter) I think it's also a matter of how used you are to doing it. It was your first time, but Kristen has probably done it (a lot) before the World Championship last year. Good Luck!❤
Good luck!!! You forgot one prep tip - have confidence in yourself!!! No amount of preparation can substitute positivity and confidence. I know you will do great and can’t wait to see the recap.
Good luck at worlds! Recently I got back into puzzles and I came across your channel, and now everytime I puzzle I have to put you on too! Thank you for being such a wonderful person and encouraging others to be puzzle maniacs too, i know Im becoming one 💖
I found myself sitting like "Bored" Kristin last week while I was doing a puzzle and remembered your video of her in last years competition. I hope you win this year!
I'm so glad there will be English commentary at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships this year ! Karen, I think you will do better than you think at the competition. You've thought through things carefully and you certainly have a lot of experience with jigsaw puzzles.
I'm so thrilled to hear that Ravensburger sponsored your trip to Spain!! This is AWESOME, I'm so so happy for you. You and your team will rock🎉 I wish you a safe flight and Good luck on the competition🤗
my wonderment about such apps is how hard they would be on your eyes. I know you can adjust the brightness on your screen but still something like this can't be the best for the eyes.
I've been watching this channel for a while, and its even inspired me to buy and solve my first few puzzles! It's amazing to see Karen grow so fast, and now hearing she's sponsored to go to 'Worlds'! I'm just so happy for her! Can't wait to see the awesome content!
Good luck with the competition! Looking forward to the recap videos 🍀 also that video was a genius advertising move: I found so many new beautiful Ravensburger Puzzles that I desperately want now 😅
Canadian fan here - love your videos, and will be at Worlds! Thanks so much for the tips - finding your own puzzle strategies is a must!! (and hope to take a "thumbnail face" photo with you if I see you!) :)
I am beyond excited for you!!! I couldn't imagine going to the world puzzling event! I have been puzzling since I was little, so watching you has been a huge inspiration. Good luck!!! You've got this!!! All of us viewers are rooting for you!
Good luck! I've been following you for years, and I have both your puzzles. The 3000 piece is on my dining room table, and I'm trying to do it in sections so I don't take up the entire space, but it has sat idle for several weeks. Sad to say, my mom is now in hospice, and I'm cleaning out her apartment. Thankfully, she's in a retirement community, so the apartment is just upstairs from the healthcare facility. I took the day off today, and I'm so glad I did. You get tired leaning over a puzzle, but I'm not just physically tired, but emotionally. And my mom is the last of my daughter's grandparents. So puzzling is not on my radar, but watching YOU is.
Good luck!!!!! I adore the puzzle exercises montage (the first one, though exercising while puzzling was also cute). I would say the biggest exercise I could see being helpful from a fitness PoV would be core strength.
GOOD LUCK!! Inspiring! You'll be great!! This was a fun video but shows how serious you take this event and sponsorship and puzzling in general! Love your passion!
Oh my god! The puzzle you showed when speaking about opening boxes shows the "Elphi", the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany! ☺ Greetings from Hamburg! 🙋 and best of luck to you in Spain! I will definitely watch your videos covering the Championship! Go, Karen!
Good luck, Karen! It's so awesome to see how far you've come and that you will be there this year! I'm totally rooting for you and your team and I'm excited for the recap videos as well as all the championship content! That sweater vest is just so adorable too!!! 🧩
Good luck at the competition! I love this channel ... I got my dad interested in it too, and he really wanted your 1,000+ piece puzzle, so I bought it for him for Christmas. He also liked a few other Ravensburger ones you did during other competitions, so I am surprising him with one of those too. Looking forward to those videos after the competition!
Something I notice is that you rip the bag in the middle rather than the end. That makes pouring puzzle pieces out hard because they get stuck in the four corners. Try ripping the bag at one end. That will let you pour them in one motion. Good luck! We’ll be rooting for you!
I recently bought two Ravensburger puzzles thanks to your influence… and it was literally the first time I ever bought and solved a puzzle! I think you have awakened a monster in me, because it’s so addictive!
When I first found out that you were going to the competition, I thought that autumn 2023 was too far away. And now the competition is soo soon! Good luck!!!🍀 We will be waiting for your videos
Good Luck!! This was such a CUTE video, I absolutely loved it and how you broke everything down as to "how to prepare"...you are really creative with your videos!! My tip: Get plenty of sleep, have fun and ENJOY YOURSELF!! 🎉
I loved following your World Jigsaw Championship this year (from home) as well as that of everyone else. I've been glued to my screens all week, haha. You could totally make an updated version of this video for next year's WJPC with everything you've picked up along the way. I learned a lot from this one back when you made it and I'm so curious what advice you'd give today.
The thumbnails funny lol. And Karen wearing a "detective hat" trying to predict whats puzzle will be used for the world championship got me. This mixed with the amazing video editing skills is just perfect. Thank you for the comedy
Good luck, Karen! I’m attending this year’s event for the first time with a couple friends and one of their puzzle-crazy moms. And it’s all because I came across your awesome videos from last year’s event! So I just wanted to say THANK YOU for inspiring this adventure for us, and I’m so glad you’ll be up for photos! See you on the court 🧩
Good luck! Can't wait to watch. Definitely take trays with white on one side and black on the other so you can use whichever side suits the puzzle better
Good luck! I’m so excited to watch the competition and see your recap! Ill try to watch some live but it’s so early for being on the west coast of the US… hopefully the live streams will be saved to be watched later.
First of all, good luck in the competition. I am not a speed puzzler by any means. I was taught that using the box picture is cheating (but in the competition it isn't considered cheating, so I guess I just like more of a challenge). You mentioned clothing and having a team style. However, as a professional photographer, I have to be conscious of the color of my clothing because when the light bounces off me, brightly colored clothing could project a color cast onto my photography subject that I don't want. So when I go to any of my photo assignments, I make sure to wear a completely neutral grey shirt to avoid a color cast on my subject. At the puzzle competitions, as you've shown in past videos, sometimes the camera crews will have their own lights to illuminate the puzzles and puzzlers that are in their videos. It seems to me that you would want the same kind of neutral grey colored shirt to avoid another color cast and more quickly find the color differences in the pieces.
I've never noticed any kind of color cast from my clothing onto pieces, but I also don't tend to wear bright or neon colors. I think as long as the color is reasonably muted, we have a few more options than just gray 😅
I'm so excited for you to come to Spain!! My country is beautiful and I feel like you will experience something unique in your life. I hope it goes amazing for you and your team. Much luck!
Good tips! I made couple videos for those like me who haven’t done puzzles for years (yet) but maybe just started lately. I talked with Alfonso that many top puzzles who have done puzzles since their childhood have many skills that are almost required to practise separately if you have only started some time ago as an adult. At least if you want to beat these crazy puzzle people like Alejandro and Kristin. I have improved my time from 2h average to less than hour within few months with those tips but oh boys I still need a miracle in two weeks 😅
I'm soo excited! I've heard a tip to practice on small Puzzles - to practice act of putting puzzles together, without thinking about the difficult picture.
GOOD LUUUUUCK!! btw I live in Madrid so if you're staying longer after the competition I would be more than happy to show you around the city!! either way cat wait to watch you compete!!!
Lmao sometimes when I do a 1000 piece puzzle my dad and I will stare at the last 10 pieces for an entire hour trying to figure out where they go. Not to mention it takes me weeks to finish a puzzle completely. No idea how these talented people finish the whole thing that fast. Astounding!
Good luck! I know I'm late to the party. Doesn't matter. I discovered your channel a week ago. I've watched like 4 hours of your content per day since. You're such a kind girl, positive attitude, lovely soundtrack (also good if you sleep on it, no hard sounds or noise during the video to wake you up in an stressful manner). What I love the most is the time lapse . I've learn about strategies, about piece quality, about gradients, different type of piece sorting. I even bought a Van Gogh 2000 pieces recently and I'm anxious to start. I just need to find a good spot and a table. Keep up, keep inspiring everyone. Big kiss from a new fan. Congrats for your achievement in Spain. It was really nice to watch the coverage you did. Tip: be more patient with your sorting ;) Bye and thanks!
i just found your channel recently and your vids have been so entertaining to binge the past two weeks!! i feel like i know sm more about puzzles now that i didnt realize there was to know?? im so excited that you get to go to worlds aaaa good luck!!
Good Luck Karen. As soon as you said the tip about the plastic wrap I "literally" immediately envisioned Karen being escorted from a store for removing all the puzzles shrink-wrap. I actually don't expect you to be a fast puzzler on the world stage just because you love puzzles and have made a successful RUclips channel from it. From your normally high standard I think this video stepped it up a notch. Very enjoyable video this one.
Good luck! This is quickly becoming a favorite channel of mine, since i only found out about it a few days ago lol. Youve really got me wanting to go solve some puzzles now!
Good luck karen! I am excited to watch all of the footage and recap videos when they are posted online! I am sure you girls will kick butt! I will be rooting for the misfits!
Good luck! I reckon you'll ace the comp! I feel like you could have narrowed the potential puzzles down by comparing puzzles that are available in both Europe and the US, given that the comp is in Spain, I don't think they would want a puzzle that is just available for the US puzzlers but not the Europeans (and hopefully us in Oceania & elsewhere where people are traveling to the comp!). I mean I know it was done a bit tongue-in-cheek, but just saying, haha :-D
Good luck! I hope you have a lot of fun and I hope your team does well! It'll be so cool for you to get to meet all the best speed puzzlers of the world! And thanks for giving tips and covering the competition for us! I won't be able to tune in live so I'm excited for your recap!
Good luck! Some general travel tips for Spain for people going and have time over maybe once the competition is over. From a swede who have vacationed pretty often in Spain. Many restaurants have nice ice cream like a lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out lemon. And there are different variations like, oranges, half a coconut, pineapple, etc. Depending on what you like. For adults who might have a drink, there is obviously Spanish wines, cava, sangria. But I also found Tinto de verano very fun, it’s red wine and lemon soda, reminds me a bit of Sangeria but a bit lighter and quite refreshing, I thought it was fun and good in the sun.
Good luck! Here's a tip that may help. In Teams, get everyone to paint their nails a different, distinct colour. You'll never have to look up to know where a given team-mate is, and can hand over pieces from the sections they're working on instantly. Being able to recognise everyone by their hands alone is an advantage when every second counts.
Interesting idea!
@KarenPuzzles Also, if you listen to music, create and learn your playlist so you know what songs denote the 5-minute, 10-minute mark etc. Saves looking at the timer.
What a clever idea!!
@@KarenPuzzles- both of these tips are great.
I imagine it would also help with editing if personal footage is focused on the table.
Ravensburger could never dream of having a better endorser. Karen is totally inspiring and passionate.
Seriously, had never heard of them before watching this channel. Bought one of their puzzles!
Not to say absolutely professional.
NEW RULE! If you're going to World's and didn't watch all the way to the end, make sure you know about the updated cutting tool rule: “Only letter openers, keys or other blunt objects may be used to open the plastic that covers the puzzles. Nothing sharp like scissors or box cutters as that could be dangerous to handle during a speed competition.”
Personally, as somebody who once stabbed myself in the hand with a letter opener trying to open a calculator's plastic packaging in middle school, I'm a little wary about if they're actually less dangerous. But that's what the organizers have decided, so it's another thing to add to your puzzle bag!
A calculator has more ridged packaging then the puzzle you should be fine opening it with one.
You can get plastic box / shrink wrap openers that look a bit like a guitar pick.
Good luck!!
How about fake nails ? 😂
hairpins or bobby pins - You can pull the tips off to make it sharp. They are cheap and easy to find!
Have a look at Slice mini safety box cutter or similar - this type has a tiny retractable ceramic blade which will cut foil but not skin.
Ok, here's one for those who aren't that familiar with getting over jet lags. You can start adjusting to the local time in Spain way before the trip. Starting one week ahead should get you comfortable enough during the event. Change your clock, change the time you eat, sleep, and shower. Use lighting and curtains to trick your body. Melatonin is also pretty useful.
Better yet, practice your puzzle guesses at the exact time of those qualifying rounds, Spain time of course.
Good luck!!
@@NoThankUBeQuiet Yeah 😅 Just the travelling alone is exhausting for some reason
Oh, that's an interesting idea. Also, we spaniards have very different times for... Well, everything. Lunch breaks for us are usually 2-3 PM, dinner is more like 9-10 PM. It's probably worth taking it into account and getting used to it, because the competition may happen straight through what other countries consider lunch time. You wouldn't want to be competing while very hungry
This is a great idea!
Arriving at the location a few days early to acclimate is always wise.
You'll have many hours of time change to deal with, where competitors from within Europe won't have as much of a change. Make sure you're doing all of the tricks to avoid jet lag and make sure you get good sleep beforehand. Maybe consider adjusting your sleep schedule before you go if you feel like it will be a major hurdle for you.
I solved your 1027 piece gradient puzzle and it was one the most fun puzzles I ever pieced together! The 3000 one is still to be assembled! Thank you Karen! 🥰
I love to hear that!
THIS ! !
Just bought it! I had so much fun with the 3000 piece one and it was on my coffee table for so long that all of my friends had some part in assembling it when they were over ✨♥️
Good luck !
@@TheYoyo147& @KarenPuzzles WHERE can I purchase the 1027 piece❓I bought the 3000 last year., but have yet to find the newest.🤷♀️
I love that the predictions were so good! 36th for individual, 10th for pairs and 2nd for teams! Congrats!!!
Hi Karen! I'm a new sub, I found you through a reel on ig about the 9000 piece astrology puzzle, but it wasn't the final one and I wanted to see that behemoth solved, so I came over to RUclips and just.... Started binging your channel. All day. Within two days I ordered my very first Ravensburger 500 piece puzzle (after.... 15? 17? years of not solving a jigsaw puzzle and not even thinking about them 😅). I found myself looking at all of them, thinking which would be more challenging, the different textures, how hard it would be to sort and so on. I felt like a pro (that is, until I actually had to put it together and took me almost 4 hours)!
Good luck in finals, and I hope you enjoy Spain, which is where I'm from. I'll be rooting for you
hey, 4 hours isn't bad for casual puzzle enjoyment!! karen's just on a different level xD I had a similar experience of binging this channel and going 'huh.... puzzle sounds pretty fun right now'. Luckily my local library has a puzzle collection so I check one out from them about monthly to enjoy!
@@amberbydreamsart5467 thank you! Indeed, trying for yourself and seeing how long it takes a regular person just highlights how incredible Karen (and competitive puzzlers in general) are.
I may need to check of there are similar programs around me, now I kinda want to do more puzzles... 😂
@@amberbydreamsart5467 i never know library got puzzle collection to borrow. Our library don't have i guess.
Good luck! I can’t wait for the recap videos and to see how much fun you had! You’re going to do an awesome job! Go Misfits!!!
Good luck, Karen! You'll do great! Don't forget a backup pair of glasses! As a glasses wearer myself, that's one of the first things that goes with me whenever I travel.
Absolutely! I once had my glasses break in the middle of a house move! I had to fix them together with a twist tie off my bag of sandwiches until I could go through myoving boxes to track down my spare pair!
I had a lot of fun watching last years world puzzle competition as well as the US competition. Really looking forward to watching it again this year. Good luck Karen!
I think guessing the puzzles before worlds every year would be a really fun segment to watch! I'd love a recap to see if any of your guesses were correct! Good Luck!
I feel like it’ll be easier next year when we have a little more Worlds data to go on.
I have never been so pleased for and proud of a total stranger before, especially one with the sometimes unfortunate name of Karen! Go get ‘em and have a great time!❤
Great video! This reminds me of when I do competition simulations for Rubik's Cube speed solving. Something you can do to get used to distractions and noise around you is putting on ambient noise or crowd noise in the background. Good luck!
True, and you can find video with any kind of noise right here on RUclips!
I travel and play in a lot of card game tournaments and all those tips are spot on for what I do to prepare. Staying hydrated and energetic is key to doing anything all day. During the down times try to eat a real meal. Even if the food is cold and your sitting on the floor in the hall, real food is the best for keeping up. Also I know there is going to be many people that would like even just a few minutes of your time, please take as much time as you can alone and in a quiet place.
I feel like someone with a platform as big as you developing meta strategies will really drive innovation and bring down the world records a lot. Good luck at the competition.
I agree that Kristen with her slow (looking) style was so impressive. One thing I noticed she did was combined two actions into one--flipping all pieces and organizing by color. Not to mention saving time by not pulling them all out of the box. Also I noticed you reverting back to your ingrained habit of building the border. Maybe trying to find other ways to combine different tasks might help improve your times.
This was such a good video for people that may have been curious about the different methods of preparing for an event like Worlds. While you say you may be objectively slower than most of the competitors, I think you're going to do great! Good luck at Worlds!
Looking forward to your recap videos again! They were so interesting last year!!!
I feel like Ravensburger is watching and giggling like a cartoon villain right now. Your videos are fun, good luck in Spain! ❤
Good luck Karen!!! I’m excited to see how it all goes during the event! 😊
This video is brilliant and hilarious. I'm so happy that you highlighted the Kristen technique. She is easily my fav from Worlds last year. Lovely to see that Ravensburger is finally sponsoring you!
Thank you for all your tips and tricks! About Kristen's style (and others as well for that matter) I think it's also a matter of how used you are to doing it. It was your first time, but Kristen has probably done it (a lot) before the World Championship last year. Good Luck!❤
Good luck!!! You forgot one prep tip - have confidence in yourself!!! No amount of preparation can substitute positivity and confidence. I know you will do great and can’t wait to see the recap.
On the topic of back strain, some lumbar and thoracic stretches would be very valuable to practice between rounds.
Good luck at worlds! Recently I got back into puzzles and I came across your channel, and now everytime I puzzle I have to put you on too! Thank you for being such a wonderful person and encouraging others to be puzzle maniacs too, i know Im becoming one 💖
I found myself sitting like "Bored" Kristin last week while I was doing a puzzle and remembered your video of her in last years competition. I hope you win this year!
I'm so glad there will be English commentary at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships this year ! Karen, I think you will do better than you think at the competition. You've thought through things carefully and you certainly have a lot of experience with jigsaw puzzles.
Good Luck Karen! You are well prepared.
I'm so thrilled to hear that Ravensburger sponsored your trip to Spain!! This is AWESOME, I'm so so happy for you. You and your team will rock🎉 I wish you a safe flight and Good luck on the competition🤗
Using hue apps is such a good idea! I never would have thought of that.
my wonderment about such apps is how hard they would be on your eyes. I know you can adjust the brightness on your screen but still something like this can't be the best for the eyes.
I've been watching this channel for a while, and its even inspired me to buy and solve my first few puzzles! It's amazing to see Karen grow so fast, and now hearing she's sponsored to go to 'Worlds'! I'm just so happy for her! Can't wait to see the awesome content!
Good luck with the competition! Looking forward to the recap videos 🍀 also that video was a genius advertising move: I found so many new beautiful Ravensburger Puzzles that I desperately want now 😅
Canadian fan here - love your videos, and will be at Worlds! Thanks so much for the tips - finding your own puzzle strategies is a must!! (and hope to take a "thumbnail face" photo with you if I see you!) :)
I am beyond excited for you!!! I couldn't imagine going to the world puzzling event! I have been puzzling since I was little, so watching you has been a huge inspiration. Good luck!!! You've got this!!! All of us viewers are rooting for you!
Good luck! I've been following you for years, and I have both your puzzles. The 3000 piece is on my dining room table, and I'm trying to do it in sections so I don't take up the entire space, but it has sat idle for several weeks. Sad to say, my mom is now in hospice, and I'm cleaning out her apartment. Thankfully, she's in a retirement community, so the apartment is just upstairs from the healthcare facility. I took the day off today, and I'm so glad I did. You get tired leaning over a puzzle, but I'm not just physically tired, but emotionally. And my mom is the last of my daughter's grandparents. So puzzling is not on my radar, but watching YOU is.
Good luck!!!!!
I adore the puzzle exercises montage (the first one, though exercising while puzzling was also cute). I would say the biggest exercise I could see being helpful from a fitness PoV would be core strength.
GOOD LUCK!! Inspiring! You'll be great!! This was a fun video but shows how serious you take this event and sponsorship and puzzling in general! Love your passion!
While I am going to root for you at worlds… GO FINNISHERS!! 🇫🇮 First Finnish team ever to participate, I think!
Oh my god! The puzzle you showed when speaking about opening boxes shows the "Elphi", the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany! ☺ Greetings from Hamburg! 🙋 and best of luck to you in Spain! I will definitely watch your videos covering the Championship! Go, Karen!
Ravensburg is a town in Germany after all.
Good luck, Karen! It's so awesome to see how far you've come and that you will be there this year! I'm totally rooting for you and your team and I'm excited for the recap videos as well as all the championship content! That sweater vest is just so adorable too!!! 🧩
Good luck at the competition! I love this channel ... I got my dad interested in it too, and he really wanted your 1,000+ piece puzzle, so I bought it for him for Christmas. He also liked a few other Ravensburger ones you did during other competitions, so I am surprising him with one of those too.
Looking forward to those videos after the competition!
Something I notice is that you rip the bag in the middle rather than the end. That makes pouring puzzle pieces out hard because they get stuck in the four corners. Try ripping the bag at one end. That will let you pour them in one motion. Good luck! We’ll be rooting for you!
I recently bought two Ravensburger puzzles thanks to your influence… and it was literally the first time I ever bought and solved a puzzle! I think you have awakened a monster in me, because it’s so addictive!
Good luck! I finally found a sport I love to watch! Can't wait to see the lives!
When I first found out that you were going to the competition, I thought that autumn 2023 was too far away. And now the competition is soo soon! Good luck!!!🍀 We will be waiting for your videos
Good Luck!! This was such a CUTE video, I absolutely loved it and how you broke everything down as to "how to prepare"...you are really creative with your videos!! My tip: Get plenty of sleep, have fun and ENJOY YOURSELF!! 🎉
You got me back into puzzles ( a childhood favourite) and since I’ve shared it with family and friends. Thank you! Puzzles are connecting
I loved following your World Jigsaw Championship this year (from home) as well as that of everyone else. I've been glued to my screens all week, haha.
You could totally make an updated version of this video for next year's WJPC with everything you've picked up along the way. I learned a lot from this one back when you made it and I'm so curious what advice you'd give today.
The thumbnails funny lol. And Karen wearing a "detective hat" trying to predict whats puzzle will be used for the world championship got me. This mixed with the amazing video editing skills is just perfect. Thank you for the comedy
Good luck, Karen! I’m attending this year’s event for the first time with a couple friends and one of their puzzle-crazy moms. And it’s all because I came across your awesome videos from last year’s event! So I just wanted to say THANK YOU for inspiring this adventure for us, and I’m so glad you’ll be up for photos! See you on the court 🧩
GOOD LUCK! Have fun and enjoy yourself. My kids and I will be cheering you on from the UK x
Good luck!! I am way to excited for this competition.
Good luck! Can't wait to watch.
Definitely take trays with white on one side and black on the other so you can use whichever side suits the puzzle better
I wish you great success at the World Championship, Karen. We will all be rooting for you of course. So "GOOD LUCK" to you!!
Good luck! I’m so excited to watch the competition and see your recap! Ill try to watch some live but it’s so early for being on the west coast of the US… hopefully the live streams will be saved to be watched later.
that puzzle sweater vest is sooo cute, kinda Puzzle Barbie-core. good luck to all the Misfits!!
Good luck! I like your idea of pulling a piece and finding it on the cover. What a great little game when you don’t have time to do a whole puzzle!
First of all, good luck in the competition. I am not a speed puzzler by any means. I was taught that using the box picture is cheating (but in the competition it isn't considered cheating, so I guess I just like more of a challenge).
You mentioned clothing and having a team style. However, as a professional photographer, I have to be conscious of the color of my clothing because when the light bounces off me, brightly colored clothing could project a color cast onto my photography subject that I don't want. So when I go to any of my photo assignments, I make sure to wear a completely neutral grey shirt to avoid a color cast on my subject. At the puzzle competitions, as you've shown in past videos, sometimes the camera crews will have their own lights to illuminate the puzzles and puzzlers that are in their videos. It seems to me that you would want the same kind of neutral grey colored shirt to avoid another color cast and more quickly find the color differences in the pieces.
I've never noticed any kind of color cast from my clothing onto pieces, but I also don't tend to wear bright or neon colors. I think as long as the color is reasonably muted, we have a few more options than just gray 😅
Good luck!! Congratulations on the sponsorship, see you there :)
I'm so excited for you to come to Spain!! My country is beautiful and I feel like you will experience something unique in your life. I hope it goes amazing for you and your team. Much luck!
Sense of humor on par with your editing and puzzling skills 💪🏻✨
Good tips! I made couple videos for those like me who haven’t done puzzles for years (yet) but maybe just started lately. I talked with Alfonso that many top puzzles who have done puzzles since their childhood have many skills that are almost required to practise separately if you have only started some time ago as an adult. At least if you want to beat these crazy puzzle people like Alejandro and Kristin. I have improved my time from 2h average to less than hour within few months with those tips but oh boys I still need a miracle in two weeks 😅
Greetings from France ! See you in Spain, this will be my first speed puzzling competitions so I'm excited. Cheers 💜
I'm soo excited!
I've heard a tip to practice on small Puzzles - to practice act of putting puzzles together, without thinking about the difficult picture.
Good Luck!! 🎉🎉🎉 So excited for you and your team! This is a wonderful experience at the minimum. 💗💗💗
GOOD LUUUUUCK!! btw I live in Madrid so if you're staying longer after the competition I would be more than happy to show you around the city!! either way cat wait to watch you compete!!!
I'm so looking forward to seeing you in the competition! Best regards from Norway.
Yes! Good luck to you and the team! I'll be watching the live stream (well, maybe not at 4am) and cheering everyone on!
😂 your so silly Karen and I love it! I can't wait to see you in the competition! 🎉GL!
You’ve got this! Good luck and have a blast!! Can’t wait for the recaps!
Good luck Karen and see you there! Thank to your videos me and my daugter are competing this year.
Lmao sometimes when I do a 1000 piece puzzle my dad and I will stare at the last 10 pieces for an entire hour trying to figure out where they go. Not to mention it takes me weeks to finish a puzzle completely. No idea how these talented people finish the whole thing that fast. Astounding!
Good luck Karen - looking forward to watching you and your team x
You're brilliant Karen - I wish you all the luck in the world at the championship - I'll be rooting for you!! 🥰
As an artist, I've always loved I Love Hue Too as having a good color vision really helps when coloring a drawing or painting!
Its incredibly impressive how fast you sort out gradient puzzles ToT. Also the puzzle sweater was very cute heck yeah fashion
Are we really sponsored by Ravensburger now?? 😭 congrats Karen, this is simply amazing and very well deserved!
Good luck! I know I'm late to the party. Doesn't matter. I discovered your channel a week ago. I've watched like 4 hours of your content per day since. You're such a kind girl, positive attitude, lovely soundtrack (also good if you sleep on it, no hard sounds or noise during the video to wake you up in an stressful manner). What I love the most is the time lapse . I've learn about strategies, about piece quality, about gradients, different type of piece sorting. I even bought a Van Gogh 2000 pieces recently and I'm anxious to start. I just need to find a good spot and a table. Keep up, keep inspiring everyone. Big kiss from a new fan. Congrats for your achievement in Spain. It was really nice to watch the coverage you did. Tip: be more patient with your sorting ;) Bye and thanks!
i just found your channel recently and your vids have been so entertaining to binge the past two weeks!! i feel like i know sm more about puzzles now that i didnt realize there was to know?? im so excited that you get to go to worlds aaaa good luck!!
i'm so excited to watch your recaps! good luck and have fun! i do hope you'll be able to see a little of spain too :) cheers!
These are great tips ive never thought of!! Thanks Karen! 😊
Good Luck Karen. As soon as you said the tip about the plastic wrap I "literally" immediately envisioned Karen being escorted from a store for removing all the puzzles shrink-wrap.
I actually don't expect you to be a fast puzzler on the world stage just because you love puzzles and have made a successful RUclips channel from it. From your normally high standard I think this video stepped it up a notch. Very enjoyable video this one.
Good luck! I have a couple of 1930-40 Tuco puzzles that I wondered if you wanted. They are interesting shape pieces.
Good luck! This is quickly becoming a favorite channel of mine, since i only found out about it a few days ago lol. Youve really got me wanting to go solve some puzzles now!
Good luck, you’ll do great. There’s no better preparation than being able to admit to yourself that you are good at what you do. ❤
what a fun video Karen!!!! GOOD LUCK!
Good luck, Karen! I'm enjoying your new light-hearted video style.
Good luck Karen!!! Can't wait to see how you do! What fun!
Good luck! I'm so excited to see the competition! Just hearing about it makes me want to puzzle all day and all night!
Good luck Karen!! So pumped to watch you at worlds!
Good luck karen! I am excited to watch all of the footage and recap videos when they are posted online! I am sure you girls will kick butt! I will be rooting for the misfits!
Good luck! I hope you have the best time ever and enjoy the competition.
Good luck! I reckon you'll ace the comp!
I feel like you could have narrowed the potential puzzles down by comparing puzzles that are available in both Europe and the US, given that the comp is in Spain, I don't think they would want a puzzle that is just available for the US puzzlers but not the Europeans (and hopefully us in Oceania & elsewhere where people are traveling to the comp!). I mean I know it was done a bit tongue-in-cheek, but just saying, haha :-D
Does it get any better than when the head band comes out??? You go grrl!
Good luck! Can't wait to see how you and your sister do. Safe travels!!
Another fantastic video! I also love your puzzle fashion. I’ll be praying for your goal placings. Good luck! Sending so much love! ❤🎉🧩
Good luck! I hope you have a lot of fun and I hope your team does well! It'll be so cool for you to get to meet all the best speed puzzlers of the world! And thanks for giving tips and covering the competition for us! I won't be able to tune in live so I'm excited for your recap!
That will be a blast to watch! Good luck and much fun to you and the whole team 🍀
Good luck!
Some general travel tips for Spain for people going and have time over maybe once the competition is over. From a swede who have vacationed pretty often in Spain.
Many restaurants have nice ice cream like a lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out lemon. And there are different variations like, oranges, half a coconut, pineapple, etc. Depending on what you like.
For adults who might have a drink, there is obviously Spanish wines, cava, sangria.
But I also found Tinto de verano very fun, it’s red wine and lemon soda, reminds me a bit of Sangeria but a bit lighter and quite refreshing, I thought it was fun and good in the sun.