CA2026

California Speed Puzzling Championship, 11/14/26

See CA2025 info here.
See Rules here & FAQs here.

Bay Area: Bayview Dining Room

SoCal: Lincoln Hotel

Get your tickets today! Prices increase on September 1st. Space is limited.

CA2026--California Speed Puzzling Championship--is coming soon!
You'll be able to test out your puzzling skills--solo, with a partner, and
on a team of 4. We're adding our Pairs Relay and Puzzle Pyramid races again this year!
Come meet some amazing new puzzling friends!

Early Bird Special: Sign up before September 1st and get $5-$10 off each ticket! Also, get a FREE 2026 Championship T-shirt with your purchase of at least $100! To qualify for your free T-shirt, you must add at least $100 in contest tickets (in a single transaction) AND the T-shirt to your cart. Then use the coupon 26FREETEE.

What's in it for me?

Puzzle with the Pros
Score some FREE puzzles
Swap your puzzles at the swap table (FREE for registrants, $10 for guests)

Prizes

Top 3 winners in each division will get gift certificates or free puzzles
The top 3 winners in each division will get custom laser-etched wooden puzzle piece trophies

Details

Date: Saturday, November 14, 2025
Time: 8:45a - 6:00p
Venue # 1 (NorCal): Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402
Venue # 2 (SoCal): Lincoln Hotel, 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91755
Please review the Championship FAQ's here and Championship Rules here.
Registration is not complete until all payments have been received. Please add all desired events below to your cart and complete the checkout process.

Schedule
Solo

8:45 - 9:00 Check in
9:00 - 9:15 Kahoot instructions
9:15 - 11:00 Contest (1h 45m time limit)
11:00 Reset for next contest

Pair Relay

11:00 - 11:10 Check in
11:10 Brief instructions
11:15 - 12:00 Contest (45m time limit)
12:00 Reset for next contest

Pair

12:30 - 12:45 Check in
12:45 - 1:00 Kahoot instructions
1:00 - 2:15 Contest (1h 15m time limit)
2:15 Reset for next contest

Solo Puzzle Pyramid

2:15 - 2:25 Check in
2:25 Brief instructions
2:30 - 3:30 Contest (1h total time limit)
3:30 Reset for next contest

Team

3:30 - 3:45 Check in
3:45 - 4:00 Kahoot instructions
4:00 - 6:00 Contest (2h time limit)

*** Please note: All tickets reserve a single spot for each event (instead of covering all members of a Pair or Team). ***
Each adult must purchase their own ticket. (Limit 1 ticket per event per purchase, except when purchasing for juniors).

CA2026 ticket for SOLO race--11/14 @ 8:45a

$40.00 - $50.00

Only a few left!

$10 OFF if purchased before September 1st

Each adult must purchase their own ticket. (Limit 1 ticket per event per purchase, except when purchasing for juniors).

Our 2026 California Speed Puzzling Championship will be held on Saturday, November 14th in 2 locations. Select your location:

Northern California:

Venue: Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo
Address: 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo CA 94402

Southern California:

Venue: Lincoln Hotel
Address: 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park CA 91755

And select the appropriate division:

Adult Advanced (16-59), 500p puzzle
Adult Casual (16-59), 300p puzzle
Junior (15 & under), 300p puzzle
Senior (60+), 300p puzzle

The 300p puzzles will all be the same, but prizes will be awarded per division.

Please check in for the Solo race at 8:45 am. Instructions will be given at 9:00, and the contest will start immediately afterward.

You will have 1 hour + 45 minutes to finish your puzzle. If you do not finish the puzzle within the time limit, you will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces. Rankings will be established first by completion time, and then by the number of pieces placed.

For each event, the contest puzzle is yours to keep.

By participating in this event, you agree that you will hold harmless SpeedPuzzling.com and its agents and volunteers, and CSM and Lincoln Hotel and their agents, from any claims, liabilities, damages, or expenses arising out of your actions or inactions.

Add to Cart

CA2026 ticket for PAIRS RELAY race--11/14 @ 11a

$40.00 $35.00

$5 OFF if purchased before September 1st

Each adult must purchase their own ticket. (Limit 1 ticket per event per purchase, except when purchasing for juniors).

Our 2026 California Speed Puzzling Championship will be held on Saturday, November 14th in 2 locations. Select your location:

Northern California:

Venue: Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo
Address: 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo CA 94402

Southern California:

Venue: Lincoln Hotel
Address: 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park CA 91755

This ticket gives 1 person entry into the following special event:

Pairs Relay 2 x 200-300 piece: Check in at 11:30 a.m. (45m time limit)

Make sure your teammate also buys a ticket.

Please check in for the Pairs Relay race at 11:00 am. Brief instructions will be given at 11:10, and the contest will start immediately afterward.

The Pairs Relay consists of two people completing two different 200p to 300p puzzles simultaneously. When the timer starts, each partner opens up one puzzle and begins assembling it on his/her half of the table. (Each pair will get an entire table for just this event).

Every 5 minutes, we will announce "Switch!", and the partners must switch places to work on the opposite puzzle. This repeats until time expires. Once one of your puzzles is finished, you will continue switching every 5 minutes. (Only one person may work on the remaining puzzle at any given time. But the other person may coach and/or point to puzzle pieces, but not touch the puzzle until it is their turn again.)

Like the other events, each pair will keep the puzzles used in the contest.

You will have 45 minutes to finish both puzzles. If you do not finish the puzzles within the time limit, you will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces. Rankings will be established first by completion time, and then by the number of pieces placed.

Add to Cart

CA2026 ticket for PAIR race--11/14 @ 12:30p

$25.00 - $30.00

$5 OFF if purchased before September 1st

Each adult must purchase their own ticket. (Limit 1 ticket per event per purchase, except when purchasing for juniors).

Our 2026 California Speed Puzzling Championship will be held on Saturday, November 14th in 2 locations. Select your location:

Northern California:

Venue: Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo
Address: 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo CA 94402

Southern California:

Venue: Lincoln Hotel
Address: 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park CA 91755

And select the appropriate division:

Adult Advanced (16-59), 500p puzzle
Adult Casual (16-59), 300p puzzle
Junior (15 & under), 300p puzzle
Senior (60+), 300p puzzle

The 300p puzzles will all be the same, but prizes will be awarded per division.

This ticket gives 1 person entry into the Pair event. Make sure your teammate also buys a ticket.

If you know your teammate's name, please enter it in the Note/Comment field during checkout.

Please check in for the Pair race at 12:30 pm. Instructions will be given at 12:45, and the contest will start immediately afterward.

You will have 1 hour + 15 minutes to finish your puzzle. If you do not finish the puzzle within the time limit, you will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces. Rankings will be established first by completion time, and then by the number of pieces placed.

For each event, the contest puzzle is yours to keep.

Add to Cart

CA2026 ticket for SOLO PUZZLE PYRAMID race--11/14 @ 2:15p

$75.00 $65.00

$10 OFF if purchased before September 1st

Each adult must purchase their own ticket. (Limit 1 ticket per event per purchase, except when purchasing for juniors).

Our 2026 California Speed Puzzling Championship will be held on Saturday, November 14th in 2 locations. Select your location:

Northern California:

Venue: Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo
Address: 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo CA 94402

Southern California:

Venue: Lincoln Hotel
Address: 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park CA 91755

Please check in for the Solo Puzzle Pyramid race at 2:15 pm. Instructions will be given at 2:25, and the contest will start immediately afterward.

The Puzzle Pyramid is a multiple-round event, played for the very first time during Speed Puzzling Cruise 2025. Space is limited. 1/3 of the original participants will be eliminated after each round. The start of each round will be synchronized.

Round 1: Each person will be given the same 100 piece puzzle, concealed in a poly mailer. We will count down "3, 2, 1, GO!", and each person will open their puzzle and begin assembling it. As soon as the first 2/3 of racers finish their puzzle, round 1 will end, and they will advance to round 2. If 2/3 of the racers have not finished within 10 minutes, we will determine the remaining people who will advance, based on the # of pieces assembled in 10 minutes. (You will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces.)
Round 2: Each person will be given the same 200 piece puzzle, concealed in a poly mailer. We will count down "3, 2, 1, GO!", and each person will open their puzzle and begin assembling it. As soon as the first 1/2 of the remaining racers finish their puzzle, round 2 will end, and they will advance to round 3. If 1/2 of the remaining racers have not finished within 20 minutes, we will determine the remaining people who will advance, based on the # of pieces assembled in 20 minutes. (You will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces.)
Round 3: Each person will be given the same 300 piece puzzle, concealed in a poly mailer. We will count down "3, 2, 1, GO!", and each person will open their puzzle and begin assembling it. The racers with the top 3 cumulative times will receive a prize. If no racers have finished within 30 minutes, we will determine the winners, based on the # of pieces assembled. (You will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces.)

Examples:

If 60 people register, there will be 60 racers in round 1, 40 racers in round 2, and 20 racers in round 3.
If 25 people register, there will be 25 racers in round 1, 17 racers in round 2, and 9 racers in round 3.

You will have 1 hour total to finish your 3 puzzles. If you do not finish the puzzle within the time limit, you will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces. Rankings will be established first by completion time, and then by the number of pieces placed.

For each event, the contest puzzles are yours to keep. All racers will receive all 3 puzzles, even if they don't advance to all 3 rounds.

Add to Cart

CA2026 ticket for TEAM race--11/14 @ 3:30p

$15.00 - $20.00

$5 OFF if purchased before September 1st

Each adult must purchase their own ticket. (Limit 1 ticket per event per purchase, except when purchasing for juniors).

Our 2026 California Speed Puzzling Championship will be held on Saturday, November 14th in 2 locations. Select your location:

Northern California:

Venue: Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo
Address: 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo CA 94402

Southern California:

Venue: Lincoln Hotel
Address: 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park CA 91755

And select the appropriate division:

Adult Advanced (16-59), 1000p puzzle
Adult Casual (16-59), 500p puzzle
Junior (15 & under), 500p puzzle
Senior (60+), 500p puzzle

The 500p puzzles will all be the same, but prizes will be awarded per division.

This ticket gives 1 person entry into the Team event. Make sure your teammates each also buy a ticket.

If you know your teammates' names, please enter them in the Note/Comment field during checkout.

Please check in for the Team race at 3:30 pm. Instructions will be given at 3:45, and the contest will start immediately afterward.

You will have 2 hours minutes to finish your puzzle. If you do not finish the puzzle within the time limit, you will be given credit for any groups of 2+ connected pieces. Rankings will be established first by completion time, and then by the number of pieces placed.

For each event, the contest puzzle is yours to keep.

Add to Cart

Add-ons

2026 Championship T-shirt

$20.00 - $27.00

This shirt is the same for all 2026 Championship events. Unisex soft-style T-shirts.

(Final back design will vary slightly from the one pictured)

You may choose any of 10 standard colors for $25. Or you may select from 85 available colors at https://www.alphabroder.com/product/3001cvc/bella--canvas-unisex-heather-cvc-t-shirt.html?color=d9.

Add to Cart

CA2026 Championship spectator & puzzle swap ticket

$5.00 - $10.00

Our 2026 California Speed Puzzling Championship will be held on Saturday, November 14th in 2 locations.

Northern California:

Venue: Bayview Dining Room, College of San Mateo
Address: 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo CA 94402

Southern California:

Venue: Lincoln Hotel
Address: 123 S Lincoln Ave, Monterey Park CA 91755

NOTE: The swap table is included with the price of each contest registration.

To participate in the swap, please bring 1 to many COMPLETE jigsaw puzzles of any piece count. Puzzles missing any pieces may not be brought to the swap!

Puzzles will be arranged by piece count and quality. For each puzzle you bring, you may take one puzzle of relatively equal value (quality & piece count). The swap will run throughout the day and will be based on the honor system.

Add to Cart

CA2026 Championship Possible Sponsors (click on each logo to visit their websites)