A resident from the Greater Toronto Area recently emerged victorious in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship within the over 60 category, marking the first Canadian to achieve this accomplishment.
Vicki Richardson’s passion for puzzles dates back to her childhood when she bonded with her father over solving them. Little did she know that years later, she would be representing Canada in a puzzle championship held in Spain.
Expressing her excitement, Richardson shared her pride in standing on the podium as a Canadian. After setting aside puzzles during her late teens to focus on education and starting a family, she rediscovered her love for them upon retiring in April 2023.
Participating in the Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association, Richardson, accompanied by her daughter, delved back into puzzling and passed on the tradition to her grandchildren.
The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship, which took place in Valladolid, Spain from September 15 to September 21, poses a challenging task for competitors, with hundreds of speed puzzlers vying for top rankings. Richardson completed a 500-piece puzzle crafted specifically for the event within just over an hour, garnering international recognition.
Despite her success, Richardson believes in continuous practice, emphasizing the importance of honing puzzle-solving skills through repetition and time tracking. Her usual completion time for a 500-piece puzzle is 40 minutes, a testament to her dedication to the craft.
Upon winning the championship, Richardson’s daughter Tracy Nonomura expressed immense pride in her mother’s achievement. Recalling fond memories of puzzling sessions during Super Bowl weekends, Nonomura highlighted her mother’s unwavering passion for puzzles over the years.
The duo’s last-minute decision to attend the championship proved rewarding, with Nonomura acknowledging her mother’s dedication and deserving victory. Engaging in puzzles not only serves as a recreational activity for Richardson but also contributes to maintaining cognitive abilities in later life, as affirmed by psychology professor Lixia Yang.
Emphasizing the importance of mental exercises like jigsaw puzzles for cognitive preservation, Yang advocates for an active mindset as individuals age, debunking stereotypes associated with aging and encouraging engagement in activities that promote mental agility.