Ameenah’s Puzzle Story: 

Ameenah (she/her) lives in Michigan, where she is a Senior Medical Director who creates educational materials for healthcare providers. She has been casually puzzling her whole life, and competitively puzzling since 2023.

She is active on Instagram and stays up-to-date on news across the world of speed puzzling. Ameenah regularly attends USAJPA’s Puzzle Club, takes part in the Traveling Puzzle program, and participates in most SpeedPuzzling.com competitions. She was also an active volunteer at the 2024 USA Jigsaw Nationals! 

Ameenah will be participating in the upcoming virtual Michigan State Championship, and hopes to participate in the 2025 World Jigsaw Championship.

Q&A Time:

(Editor’s note: Ameenah provided thoughtful answers to our normal list of questions, so please take time to read her detailed responses below!)

What is your best advice for someone who wants to improve their speed puzzling abilities?

“1. Practice regularly, as your schedule/life permits. 

2. Practice with different brands, with puzzles of different numbers of pieces (ie, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 [if you like torture]), with puzzles of different sized pieces (standard and large format), practice both standard and random cut puzzles, and importantly, practice with puzzles images you do and don't like. I find that I stretch myself most by practicing those things that are most challenging for me (nature/trees/flowers/animals), but I also let myself practice with the whimsical puzzles that I enjoy.

3. There are lots of puzzlers who will share their tips with you. It's super helpful to know from the start that what works for one puzzler may not be the thing that works best for you (ie, there are excellent speed puzzlers who swear by doing the border first and some who would never do the border first). So, you'll have to figure out what combination of practices works best for you. 

4. There are lots of free tips out there and people who are willing to share their best practices with you. Just ask and you shall receive!”

What is the puzzle community like in your area?

“The puzzling community in Michigan is growing. A Michigan Jigsaw Puzzle Association group was recently started. Due to it being such a large state, many of the events are not terribly close to where I live, but it is exciting to see the opportunities for our puzzling community. 

I was fortunate to get connected with Andrea Reynolds (an up-and-coming really great speed puzzler who is AWESOME). Andrea is my puzzle swapping sister as we live very near to each other. We've teamed up for pairs puzzling once as well and I thought we made a great team! 

I find that I'm more tapped into my social media puzzle community rather than the Michigan community specifically and I'm ok with that :-). If I want it to be more, I have to make it more!”

What do you enjoy most about the puzzle community?

“I have shared/swapped/been gifted/won loads of puzzles and so many people have helped provide guidance and advice along my speed puzzling journey. There is no gatekeeping in this sport (yes, it is a sport) and just about everyone freely shares their tips which I greatly appreciate.

I also love that the community is international. I chat with puzzle friends from all over the world and it's very interesting to see the different puzzles/brands that they have in their countries.”

What do you enjoy about puzzling?

“I think the thing I enjoy most is knowing that every puzzle is solvable, and I use this lesson in life. Each puzzle is a journey that may take a bit longer than you'd like, but if you keep working at it, eventually it will be finished. It gives me a daily sense of accomplishment!

But if I can sneak other things in here, here's the list:

• I love getting a puzzle border completed. I celebrate that feeling of getting something done (even though there's lots more fun to go.)

• I love discovering new puzzle brands and now knowing enough to really be able to judge the puzzle quality.

• I love watching other people puzzle. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but something about seeing every puzzle connection and hearing that puzzle click; puzzle ASMR is real. (Hmm, maybe that will be my new career.... making puzzle ASMR.)

• I just love the feeling of discovery. It's like a little present anytime you open a puzzle box. Each brand may have a different cut, finish, packaging, and extra goodies that makes it feel kind of like a new surprise each time you open a puzzle.

Do you have a favorite brand, type, or style of puzzle?

“Outside of the common big brands, my speed puzzling journey introduced me to Unified Pieces. I feel a real connection with the art and vibes from this company. The puzzles, the packaging, and great customer service makes this one brand that I love. 

I enjoy whimsical puzzles more so than realism/photography and I adore a random cut puzzle. But I've learned how to separate my puzzle categories. Some puzzles are meant to be speed puzzles, some to be slowly puzzled, and some are just meant to be beautiful art on my puzzle shelf.”

Tell us about your puzzle teammates. 

“I don't have an official pair or team, but I have had the great fortune of puzzling pairs with Andrea Reynold (10th place) and Teams with Andrea Peng, Charlotte Peng, and Julie Logsdon (2nd place) at the 2024 Origins Game Fair Tournament of Pieces in Columbus, OH.”

Do you have a cherished or unforgettable puzzle-related memory?

“My jig-nificant other and his son were working on a 100-piece Cleveland Browns puzzle (that was gifted to us by the very sweet Jamie A (aka @puzzle_pun on IG). Fifteen minutes into their puzzling, I was challenged to start and complete a 120-piece puzzle before they did. There's no speed puzzler out there who doesn't like a challenge, so what did I do? I completed not one but two 120-piece puzzles before they finished theirs and I still had to help them figure theirs out as they had a false fit placed that was messing up the whole thing. Listen, don't come for a speed puzzler unless they come for you lol. We do this in real life!!!!”

Connect:

Ameenah can be found on Instagram @ameenahspieces