Hi guys!

In the year 2012 I had an idea... I wanted to find some friends in different countries to do the same jigsaw puzzle at the same time. The same puzzle was not possible. But the same size(s) was possible. I hoped to find one or two dozens of puzzle players. I got 232 of 26 countries. It was an unexpected stitch in a wesp nest with temporarily 750 players. The rest of the story you know.

I started playing with puzzles at the age of 7-8 years. My sister got two puzzles of 280 pcs, but didn't pay them attention. I did! But they were not mine and they were too difficult for a young guy of 7 years. So I got my own puzzle, also of 280 pieces... 😄

I don't know how often I assembled this puzzle. Dozens of times! During the following years I got 500, 1000 and 1500 pcs puzzles on birthdays and X-Mas Eves from my parents. One day they brought me a 3000 pcs puzzle about the French alps from ski-holidays in France. But I never dared to start such a big puzzle...

I started smoking very early in my life. Yes, it was silly, I know. But my older sisters are ~9 years older than I am, and I tried what many kids try to do...to copy my brother. At the age of 18 I felt already pretty dependent on nicotine. I smoked ~1.5 packs of Marlboro a day. On June 28, 1988 I decided to stop smoking, due to bigger troubles spitting blood while coughing. But I was wondering how I could master this step. Even when I had flu I felt I would need my cigarettes every few hours. Then I remembered that while searching little jigsaw puzzle pieces I used to forget everything around me for hours and hours, and sometimes I forgot my cigarettes almost an entire afternoon. And I remembered the 3000 pcs puzzle from the French Alps, stored since many years in the cellar...

I started it. I needed an entire month for these 3000 pieces 😁 but when I finished it, I was non-smoker since one month... Today I am non-smoker since 32 years. And I am still a puzzle player. 😄

My stations to top myself were puzzles of 6000, 9000, 12000, 24000 and 33600 pieces.

Since the year 2014 I did no more top myself. The problem is the size of puzzles and the lack of wowing giant puzzles. Because if I do such a big puzzle, I want to put it later on my wall, like in the photo above. So I am still waiting for the perfect puzzle to top myself.

Meanwhile I dedicate my love for puzzles to organize for you World Puzzle Days. This is for me a way to support my childhood's hobby in our modern life of electronic games.

My prefered sizes of puzzles are much smaller. I love to do puzzles of 2000 and 3000 pcs.

So. Enough about me. Now it's your turn to tell something about you in your own profile, if you want to. 😊

Hugs for all from far Austria,

Günther