Tosh Show My Competitive Jigsaw Puzzler - Simmie Berman
Mar 17, 2026
Simmie Berman, a mechanical engineer at Johns Hopkins APL who works on NASA missions like Dragonfly and is a competitive speed jigsaw puzzler. She talks about how she discovered speed puzzling, the formats and strategies used in Nationals, and the teamwork and etiquette of live competitions. Also: big puzzles, practice habits, and a live race with playful banter.
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Engineer Juggles NASA Dragonfly Work And Speed Puzzling
- Simmie balances a career at Johns Hopkins APL with puzzle racing while leading Dragonfly's thermomechanical subsystem for Titan missions.
- Dragonfly is a 2,000 lb rotorcraft launching in 2028, flying on Titan with rotors spinning after parachute descent to sample 50 sites.
COVID Fueled The Rise Of Competitive Puzzling
- Competitive puzzling saw rapid growth after COVID and created a clear community at USA Nationals that made Simmie feel like she found "her people."
- Nationals draws hundreds: four heats of ~200 each, and USA Jigsaw Puzzle has over 3,000 members.
Nationals Uses Unreleased Puzzles To Level The Field
- Nationals uses unreleased puzzles in opaque bags so competitors can't pre-study the exact puzzle image.
- Individuals race 500-piece puzzles; team events combine 500 and 1,000 pieces, with finals often using two 1,000-piece puzzles.