How to: Finish a jigsaw puzzle

When you get stuck on a jigsaw puzzle the first thing you do is move to another section. Don’t obsess over finding that one piece.

When you get stuck on a jigsaw puzzle the first thing you do is move to another section. Don’t obsess over finding that one piece. It will surface eventually. When you go back to your original section you may see it differently. If that doesn’t work, walk away. Make a cup of tea, go for a walk outside. If it’s getting late, you can sleep on it. You’ll be amazed at what you see with fresh eyes. If this doesn’t work, turn the puzzle upside down to get a new perspective on the picture. You start seeing the puzzle as colours, shades and patterns instead of the image on the box. Instead of looking at the side of a house you’re looking at a piece that is brown and green with a straight join in between. When I represented Australia at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championships in Spain last year [Healy is the only Australian with a world ranking!] some people held the box lid in one hand, bringing it up to their face to see the finer details of the picture, while doing the puzzle with their other hand. Refer to the image often. Looking for shades within colour groups is helpful. A big blue sky is very rarely all one shade of blue. Lay all the blue pieces out in a gradient order to figure out the sky. Green grass can also have many shades of green throughout. And the blades of grass change width in a field. Enjoy looking for the fine details. If all else fails, sort your pieces by shape — looks for the number of prongs and “ins” — and test every piece in every spot. I love the Zen feeling of getting lost in a puzzle. Even serious puzzlers have tossed in a puzzle they couldn’t finish but before you do so, remind yourself of the satisfaction you’ll have when you place that last piece.

For more information on competitive puzzling visit the Australian Jigsaw Puzzle Association on Facebook.

D’Arne Healy is the president-founder of the Australian Jigsaw Puzzle Association.

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