I almost won the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championships. Here's what went wrong.

[@KarenPuzzles]

Yesss, it's here! I hope you all like my recap of the second day of the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, where I did a little bit better than the first day 👀 Make sure to open the description for links to everything I talked about. Would you ever take part in a puzzle competition?

[@Em4gdn1m]

How does one get involved with something like this? My sister is extremely good at jigsaw puzzles and I think could do well in something like this.

[@dibutler9151]

Girl, that was amazing but next time, grow out at least one index fingernail and give it a good sharp edge. :D

[@joeholloway4112]

Congratulations on how good you did. I know had to be lots of fun

[@wapaki]

Congratulations 🎉😊

[@Brianvazquez]

I would love to try it out! Shout out from San Diego!

[@anniedonnell6925]

Katie has such infectious energy! I love how they only ever called her ‘katie puzzles’ in the live stream - iconic

[@namefaceageirrelevant]

Seconded!

[@LeafTheEph]

I cried every time she smiled🥺🥺

[@mathsalot8099]

39:45 The lady next to Katie stopping her puzzle to cheer for Katie and then goes back to puzzling... so wholesome! ❤

[@kenfreeman8888]

I noticed that. It gave me such a good feeling to see her neighbor applaud.

[@swift1374a]

Can we talk for a second about how well Katie did?! She hardly ever does jigsaws and finished in a hour and a half!! I would wager that she has done less jigsaws in the last year than every other person competing. I mean I puzzle all the time and a 500 piece takes me 2 hours!

[@KarenPuzzles]

Yes, she did so well!

[@MrTheta78]

Exactly ! That's impressive indeed.

[@ceemay3981]

She did absolutely amazing in all 3 competitions especially the individual 👏

[@pvic6959]

... now imagine if she actually trained for this specifically. The rest would be left in the (puzzle) dust :p

[@geografia89]

Probably she has great iq that lead to do great in this kind of things . She was very good in this competition 😊

[@ameliarose47]

Karen: I don't know how that happened, how did that happen? Katie (with no hesitation): You're really good at puzzles The absolute sweetest sister moment. I love how much you two both love puzzles and how this was something you both got to experience together.

[@cypriennezed5640]

Made me cry, such a sweet moment after SECOND PLACE OMG!!

[@steveng2998]

I was crying. I’m really proud of them! ❤

[@pvic6959]

it was VERY well deserved. These two are awesome!

[@misshelvedMLIS]

Not only am I super proud and excited for you, but I gotta say, these videos are EXPERT-LEVEL summaries of the competition. The pacing, the order, the stats, and your narration... it's SO good and flows so smoothly that it's easy to not think about how well you pull all this together for us.

[@Soken50]

Karen should be a commentator for a competition, she'd do great as a host.

[@ArielBissett]

KAREN HOLY HELL YES YES YES WOWOWOW IM ON THE FREAKING EDGE OF MY SEAT TEAR IN MY EYE WOWOWOWOWOWO

[@KarenPuzzles]

I'm so happy you liked it so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@wesswingley7441]

Can I also say just how awesome of a human Grey was... To be empathetic and concerned when your pieces fell while in her own stress and concentration mode is just so cool. *claps for awesome humaning*

[@Tinselmistletoe]

I never knew I could be so interested in a puzzle competition

[@hopegold883]

I don’t understand how thrilled I am watching you so so well!! Can’t stop smiling. Great job!!

[@a-little-sunshine]

When I woke up this morning, I definitely wasn't expecting to be crying my eyes out with happiness for you, Karen! Second place is amazing oh my goodness I'm so proud of you and excited for you!!!

[@KarenPuzzles]

You're so sweet 😭

[@leighm]

I thought something was wrong with me for crying with happiness wayyyyy before Karen got 2nd place! The enthusiasm and pure joy is so apparent and highly infectious! It’s just so beautiful watching someone so truly invested in their love of puzzling. I never thought a puzzling competition could make me feel this way! Karen has sunshine exuding out of her pores 😊 seeing her with her sister in pairs was so special, thats when the happy tears started flowing for me☀️

[@misshelvedMLIS]

I am glad to see I am not the only one who teared up. 😭 I guess I won't be attending in person anytime soon -- Karen and Katie don't need me standing over their table sobbing. Lol

[@a-little-sunshine]

@@leighm I rarely cry at YT videos but this really was infectious for those happy tears! Nothing is wrong with you 🥰🥰

[@kaitiemarie9572]

I was tearing up too! Yay Karen!

[@asuwannabe2015]

I legitimately cried watching you accept your award! you aren't just "someone online who puzzles". you proved that you are good at what you like to do and that's so cool! congratulations!!!!

[@ragreen2]

Congrats to both Karen and Katie! For Katie to be more of a 3D puzzler, being on the 8th place pair is quite an accomplishment! Her solo effort was very respectable too! And for Karen to exceed her goals in pairs and solo has got to feel good. Hoping you got good feedback on your puzzle too. 😊

[@WallinGaming]

Congratulations, Karen and Katie!!! That is so amazing how well you did in both competitions! Don't take the disaster too roughly - the same logic of 'what if/how many seconds would I have saved' could apply to every other movement and thought over the entire duration, but that's not fair to yourself or realistic. The actual time you put in toward the results you got IS the best time you could've had, and that earned you an awesome trophy! Thank you for covering this competition, and I look forward to the next time you participate!

[@Nightenstaff]

The Jeanne and Cathy performance was quite dominating. That's a huge difference in time compared to any other event. I can understand why they wouldn't want to compete against each other, but one of them should have signed up for the singles event this year, then swap the next year.

[@camipco]

True, but a big part of their incredible time in the pairs is probably their communication, so they likely aren't quite as dominating individually.

[@ijlayugan4149]

Now that Karen has a taste of the National Jigsaw Puzzle Competitions, I know she's gonna come back stronger and experienced! Totally rooting for the future Karen to get that gold!

[@MarielaDavina]

Katie is such a supportive sister! It’s lovely to see you two puzzling together 👯‍♀️. Congrats Karen on second place, out of 99 people! Amazing! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@doomfever1]

This is just the beginning, ladies, you got 2nd place in yr first puzzle competition, you work as a professional puzzler and you got sponsored by one of the top puzzle brands, what the hell, u got your own puzzle design with Ravensburger, Karen u r just taking off, next years will be amazing for you and Katie, and we'll all be here with you, cheering u up and supporting you no matter what. GRATZ to u both ladies, u rock !!

[@SupremeM]

Girl, I’m crying! Seeing you grow over the years has been so inspiring. Congrats on second place 🎉

[@KarenPuzzles]

Aww thank you ❤️

[@amandak.5354]

I might be 7 months late for this, but you and your sister are adorable together. "You wanna do the high fives like they did at worlds?" 🥰 So wholesome

[@mayflyrose8195]

I love how the lady next to Katie took the time to clap for her when she finished ! Congratulations to both of you. You were phenomenal and even though it aired late here in France it was a pleasure to watch everything live !

[@Kanoog]

My first time having an adrenaline rush watching a Jigsaw Puzzle video. I know this was obviously pre-recorded but I was cheering for you all the same. 😀 Congratulations! I'm happy for you, keep up the great content.

[@kimertly]

Congrats! I did a puzzle competition once and got second place as well! The one I did was a little different. I was part of a team of three and we completed a 500 piece puzzle. The puzzle image was kept hidden until 30 minutes in. So instead of lots of "Yeah!" or "No!" at the start of the competition when people see the image there was a wave of "Ohhhhh, that's what that is!" at the 30 minute mark! It made for a really fun competition and everything came together very quickly after the puzzle image was revealed.

[@bluji1250]

You can actually see around 2:53 how that one sky piece from Grey and Melinda ended up on the floor next to you guys! There's a piece clearly flying out over to your direction, so that must've been it. Also, super huge congratulations on second place, that is so impressive!!

[@elianwolfert3879]

I noticed that too!

[@clberka]

You got... SECOND PLACE... and holy moly, you did amazing! I was literally yelling at my screen when you were finishing, haha. I really loved that puzzle, and I'd love to do it some time! Your sister did such a great job too! I love seeing you two together in videos :)

[@gryrabild]

So impressive!!! And with a slightly more refined puzzle-opening technique and making sure not to knock any pieces off the table, you could easily become a total killer at these competitions. I really hope to see you compete in more!

[@renville68]

Many congratulations Karen...am delighted for you!👏👏👏 You definitely need to practice taking the wrapping off the puzzle, as I know that it will help you to rank higher. I'm sure you have learned a lot of new strategies for future competitions. You are a wonderful ambassador for this. I'm not a puzzler myself, but I greatly appreciate the time, effort, enthusiasm, and humour you put into each and every video you put out. I wish you continued success.

[@cherylsyoutubies]

You girls are adorable!!! What an awesome experience to share with your sister in the pairs competition. And top 10...awesome!

[@fineweaver]

I cracked up when a commentator said he didn't think the individual puzzle was in "your wheelhouse" as you're known for gradients and they are more your thing. I knew you'd love that puzzle and would fly straight through it. I was literally out of my chair and yelling Go Karen, lol. I was so proud of you getting second place. My hubby also said congratulations! That was just so much fun!!

[@liminal-refridgerator]

Clearly they have not watched the Solid Color Puzzle playlist!

[@emilybannon1943]

I love Katie reaction at the end and because you’re good at puzzles. Such a good sister!

[@Silent-Lucidity]

We stood up and cheered when you took 2nd! That was so awesome and we're so happy for you! You and your sister did a great job on the teams event! I love that you and your sister are so close and puzzle together!

[@raynbow10]

Congratulations Karen! Thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of puzzles. I cant wait to receive my Karen Puzzle in the mail as I just ordered it as a Christmas gift to myself!!!

[@dennisdesormier6886]

What a fun recap video! I think you and Katie, as a pair, will jump up a bit next year after the learning experience this year! I love seeing siblings compete as teams, though, so it was fun to see those twin sisters win!

[@Annonymous5411]

Your happiness is so infectious. I really enjoy your joy

[@a-little-sunshine]

How sweet is the interviewer! I love how positive he is :D

[@KarenPuzzles]

He did a great job considering how many hours he had to fill talking about puzzling 😂

[@moniquevandermeer6567]

@@KarenPuzzles uhhhmmm... talking hours about puzzles? Isn't that your way of living? Congratulations again for your second place, your lovely sister and this great video!

[@sonjanaugler244]

I have been watching this channel for two years and seeing this was just amazing. Congratulations Karen you did so amazing. Its really inspiring to see someone get to do something they love so much.

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

Congratulations! Loved seeing you wade into the fray, and exceeding your goals made it that much sweeter.

[@GlaciesYin]

Ahhh gotta love good admin planning, but that's second place to that terrifying moment when the edge dropped O.o Congrats for doing so well! I'm sure with this experience, you'd be way less nervous and all-over-the-place next time.

[@KarenPuzzles]

I hope so! Although next time I'll have this result to live up to!

[@bruceleenstra6181]

When you first talked about being all-over-the-place and I saw that you were still making fast progress (not dithering) I thought - that's how Alejandro puzzles, this could be good. And it was!!

[@kenfreeman8888]

Congratulations! I found myself so invested watching a contest in a sport I didn't know existed two days ago. Now I'm binge watching your videos and timing my own puzzle solving. 😂

[@spicycandyapple]

This is so intence!

[@PepeHerreraH]

Out of all of them, I really, really, REALLY want that mushroom puzzle. I absolutely loved it when I saw it. Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS Karen 👏👏👏👏 I was getting so excited and screaming and jumping when you were so close with Yvonne. I truly was yelling at the screen, "OH MY GOD, KAREEEN, YOU ALMOST HAVE IT. HURRY UP GIRL!!!" 😅🤣 Second place is SUPERB. Also, congratulations to you and your sister for finishing 8th.

[@Kil7witch84]

Congratulations on second place! I also wanted to say, your videos are amazing. It kept me hooked the entire time, waiting to see where you finished! Well done!

[@createdbyJNGO]

Randomly watched this video, and lets say I will be coming back for more. I love doing puzzles, but I have not done one in a long time. I cant imagine the sore necks and back pain but SECOND PLACE! is such a feat. Awesome job :)

[@robertbrown380]

This is the most wholesome channel on the platform. ❤

[@shaunhartline4951]

Congratulations on the great showings in all the events. It is wonderful to see you getting to work with Ravensburger. I have already ordered your puzzle and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. Wish me luck the largest puzzle I have ever done was one 2000 piece puzzle. Keep up the great work!

[@aliceogorodny2914]

Congrats on your Second Place! Very impressive work and great comeback from your mini-disaster. I love your humility and the great relationship with Katie. Wonderful!

[@noizeemama3697]

Your puzzle partner here has the absolute cutest smile. Love seeing her on here because she makes me smile every time.

[@angartsnirex]

2nd place out of 99. You are the best karen ✨❤️ My daugjter and i loves yoy so much. My daughter is 7, She's starting her puzzling journey. By watching you she just finished sorting her first ever 1000pcs puzzle of the STARRY NIGHT Painting. From edges and through colors. I'm just happy seeing her in this journey😊😍

[@pieceful_puzzling]

Sarah and Yvonne are puzzle beasts! This was so fun to see!

[@Darknienna08]

I know I wasn't the only one cheering for you on the live stream. I just remember the commentators repeatedly saying how the solid color sections would trip everyone up and then switching to Yvonne and you. Given your love of solid color and graphic puzzles, I'm not at all surprised at how well you did. Great Job, Karen!

[@andreapatacchiola1184]

Honestly this is one of the few channels where I can sit down and watch a 50min video without even noticing!! I love the content and I love statistics 😍😍. I have a question: do you know the table game "dixit"? Its so great expecially because of the super cute illustrations and THEY ARE RELEASING PUZZLES WITH THOSE ILLUSTRATIONS!!! If you do know the game, have you thought about buying them? 😊

[@KarenPuzzles]

Thank you! I don’t know that game, but it sounds fun.

[@Jannyl13]

Omg that's so cool! Hope the quality is good because those illustrations are really beautiful!

[@Artsyfandom]

Hi. Your such an inspiration to me. Im unwell atm with a heart condition. Your videos keep me going. I love them. Thank you. ❤

[@KarenPuzzles]

Oh no, well I'm so glad my videos can help in a small way ❤️

[@tanyap2459]

OMG I'm so excited to watch this video! Thank you, Karen, for providing us with such a great content😍🥰

[@highwayman400]

So very entertaining and interesting as well. I find I have a smile on my face for whatever Karen does. "Karen, you are such an expert at what you do, from your explanations to your videos, your professionalism is impressive. Thanks for making jigsaw puzzles so compellingly enjoyable."

[@rock.paper.scissors]

Whoa! Congrats! I really love the last puzzle and then the Bali one. They looked really good. Crazy event, I love watching these 🥰🥰🥰

[@honestcitizen1983]

I do wonder. Do you really realize just how loved and appreciated you are. (At least I Do.) Just keep smiling.

[@blanchelong2252]

I'm so happy for you Karen... I am a beginner puzzler... I have fallen in love with the process... but I am slow.... it takes me days to finish. Yours is the only channel I watch... I have been following you for about 6 months... and I love your humility. CONTRATULATIONS.

[@bkackman]

Fun video. Congratulations on your second place performance. Besides the time lost dropping the edge, I think the real opportunity for time savings on every competition would be to hone you package opening skills. You said yourself that you were 10 to 20 seconds slower than many. Seems like an easy place to improve and it will help on every puzzle. Love your team effort with Katie, too.

[@mteson]

Congratulations on an amazing 2nd place finish! Also Tammy is just one of the most unbelievably impressive people I've ever met, everything she does she becomes one of the best in the world. No wonder the event was run so well.

[@The-Cutmaster]

Congratulations! I think it’s amazing how supportive you are of the other puzzlers, too!

[@katielaurilla3789]

Congratulations to you and Katie! Second place too!! So crazy how close you and Yvonne were in the individuals! Love your videos so much and makes me so happy that you got to go compete!

[@isamayoge8736]

You did amazing and the SECOND PLACE is absolutely stunning! Thank you for taking us with you and thanks to your sister as well.😊 So, if you want to participate the next time, you know now what works and what needs improvement. Like unwrapping the boxes from their plastic.

[@ame_zing4567]

OMG so exciting! Congrats on the 2nd place!!! I would love to see you do more competitions in the future. Thank you for all of your wonderful content and information about these puzzles and so excited and happy for you. Your sister did such a great job!!!!!

[@bennydreamly]

Congratulations, Karen! I think that for the individuals competition your experience with solid coloured puzzles might have helped in getting second place, and despite the edge catastrophe, you pulled out ahead! You did amazing out there!

[@allgirlreview433]

Karen, congratulations! That is amazing for your first time out. So glad you and Katie got to puzzle together.

[@SmileGioky98]

I already knew all the results but this video kept me on the edge of my seat! Seeing you and Katie working together, and then your own victory.. I was honestly moved. Thank you so much Karen for all the hours you put in for this video, I appreciated it so so much. And congratulations on your second place!! 🥳❤

[@josephpoole3942]

I love how dramatic these competition videos are! Great music choices throughout. I feel quite sure you would have gotten 1st in the individual round if not for the unfortunate floor drop, amazing work and congrats on 2nd place!!

[@ankithabhaskara3408]

I started puzzling because of Karen, though i do it just for fun. Im so proud to see her win Second Place at the USA Nationals! I could not stop myself from grinning at my laptop during the last few seconds when she finished her puzzle! Lots of love and good vibes to you Karen!! Coming to the question , which puzzle it'd like to solve...i would pick the Goldilocks Gets Caught puzzle :)

[@sisterstaketoo1981]

You are so amazing! It’s good to see you happy doing your puzzles. You seem to get so much joy from it!

[@feat.Lilyli]

Yayyyy, what a great performance Karen 🎉. Congratulations on your second place, not only are you such a lovely, fun and passionate puzzle influencer, you are also a freaking fast puzzler. Also congratulations to Katie for such a good showing as well!

[@auntieescreations4309]

So super proud of you Karen!!! What a great experience, and to see you get that validation made me so happy!!!

[@bettyjane6684]

Congratulations Karen on such an outstanding result! Happy to see you taking new strides and adventures (and taking us with you) in your love for puzzling! Congratulations to Katie as well!

[@taramiller-hunt3930]

You guys did amazing! So much fun watching and getting a breakdown of the competition. I have the Mushroom puzzle before I knew it was in the competition so now pretty excited to do it even more!

[@dale116dot7]

Congratulations! A combination of being a puzzle type you enjoy, being good at it, and being in the zone all add up to an impressive finish.

[@moonlight5050]

Been looking forward to part 2 😁 Also looking forward to getting your 3000 piece puzzle next year in the UK....it looks great 👍 👌 Congrats 👏

[@markpatoka]

Congrats on getting second place, great showing for your first competition. As you learned, practicing the small details like opening the boxes can help with a smooth start. That's just something that comes when you work longer as a team.

[@keladry12]

Second place in your first solo puzzling competition! 8th in your first pairs! AMAZING!!! Also, I think I would also love doing that San Diego puzzle, but I want the mushroom puzzle more!

[@miridium121]

Thanks for the summarised coverage of this event! I watched the majority of the single puzzler competition live, it was very fun! And congrats on the second place 🎉

[@juliewilburn2942]

Congratulations Karen !!! And to Katie as well !!!! You guys rock!!! So super proud and happy for you !!!! ❤

[@englishmuffinpizzas]

Ahhhh congrats!! This is so awesome. After the way you covered the world elite with such admiration it’s incredible to see you achieve success of your own :)

[@sambeawesome]

You both did amazing!! Congrats, I'm glad you both were able to go and have so much fun :D Getting second place is fantastic, wow! Even after dropping the pieces too, what a come back :) Thanks for sharing the experience with us, loved these videos ^^

[@junkoenoshima2444]

Great job Karen!! We are all so proud of you!! You did such a great job! I'm so glad you put in all of this hard work for these videos for us and we love watching them! Your such an amazing puzzler and i'm glad your hard work paid off! Great job getting second place! Love your videos and your content Karen!

[@SpongiousBird]

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!! That seemed fun but very stressful. The thing I would be scared of, is to actually shove pieces toward my competitor by mistake. Now THAT would be catastrophic! My favorite of those puzzles is the mushrooms one. The San Diego one is really nice too! I plan to buy my first Ravensburger puzzle soon as a Christmas gift to myself :)

[@unknownuser3000]

Another amazing video, and one of the best youtubers around with your dedication to your craft and excellent quality videos which are always fun to watch. What always makes me so happy is to see how having found your people and community means so much to you, as it reminds me there are good people out there who can treat people and friends with such kindness and respect.

[@theshenanikids5981]

You are so positive!!!! I love how you are not pondering on the “what ifs”! You are awesome!

[@Emmuzka]

a second place is a great win! Also this shows that you aren't "just a youtuber" or "just an influencer", but actually a really good puzzler and a part of the community :)

[@walterkrause]

I´m really happy for you Karen, I had been following your channel since pandemic hits, and I saw almost all of them, I love to see your videos and how good you look on them, but this time you make myslef emotional on those very last seconds of your indivivual competetion, great achivement, congratulations!!

[@irispostema]

In a few decades its going to be such a sweet memory to have done this with your sister ❤️

[@ximfloreyenaresna1462]

My heart was literally racing just watching you. When the fall happened I felt soooo frustrated. You did amazing and we love you.

[@pureorangeness]

Second place!. That’s amazing! Congratulations!

[@chileplease3474]

There's something about the way you tell stories that is so engaging. I don't even think I've built a puzzle in well over a decade and I'm so drawn in

[@CharismaSpring]

Wow you did so well congratulations and it's so lovely how humble and supportive you are for the other puzzlers.

[@trebletortuga8746]

Congrats on 2nd place! I loved the Beautiful Mushrooms puzzle so much that I went out and bought it the day that video aired! Planning on doing it this week!

[@unemilifleur]

Those two videos about the competition were so well edited. They kept me on the edge of my seat! Congratulations!

[@icantbeliveitisnot]

I am so excited for you both! What a cool bond you both have. Sisters are the best, way to go you two!

[@BloodyGir7]

Omg congratssss! This was so heartwarming to watch and very fun as well. So exciting to see you get that second place. You did amazing even after the little disaster there hehe you didn't lose focus and that's to admire

[@ranaawwad7677]

I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this video!! I watched you on live but I still got nervous watching it back. Thanks for making this video Karen

[@madaian369]

That suspenseful music for the race for first place was extremely appropriate, I was on the edge of my seat, even though I already knew how you placed! I've really enjoyed these videos about the competitions, I like that you bring up the community aspect of it all too. I'm not a competitive person myself, but I could see myself participating for the shared joy of puzzling 😊

[@LeLu1616]

This was so much fun to watch. You did an amazing job. So glad you were able to experience this. Thank you for sharing with all of us.

[@artycraftydabbles]

Who knew I would sit and watch a whole video on a puzzle competition to see who would get second place. Well done and congratulations. Love the puzzles.

[@malinf6654]

Congratulations 🎉to your second place. I think I most like the two first puzzles of the team competition and on third place the individual puzzle. Thank you for giving us all great puzzle content. ❤

[@thatianadornelas2552]

YAY! Congratulations, Karen 👏🏽 You are not only great with puzzles, but also have great editing skills. Amazing video. You deserve the success you have with your channel.