Solution Tips to Jigsaw Puzzles

Start with the Edges

• Most jigsaw puzzles are rectangular, and rectangular puzzles give you an easy way to start -- by working on the edges first. Sort through the pieces quickly, pulling aside any that have a straight edge. While you are doing so, keep an eye out for corner pieces. By consulting the picture on the puzzle box, you should be able to further sort at least some of your edge pieces into their approximate final locations. From there, you can assemble your borders.

Separate Pieces by Color

• You are now left with a pile of inside pieces. Sort them by color into smaller groups. By consulting the picture on the box, you may be able to tell approximately where in the puzzle different color groups belong. It's not necessary, though, that you be able to do so at this point. Your goal now should be to break up the larger task of assembling hundreds or thousands of pieces into more manageable, smaller tasks.

Become Familiar with the Shapes

• Examine some of the puzzle pieces. You will see that they have four sides, and that in most cases, each side has either an "innie" or an "outie" (a protrusion or an indentation). Look more closely and you'll notice that the protrusions and indentations occur either high or low on the edge. Start working with each of your already-sorted color piles, one pile at a time, trying to assemble mini-puzzles out of each pile, all the time paying attention to the innies and the outies, looking for their counterparts in the pile. The closer you get to completing the puzzle, the more helpful it will become to consult the picture on the box.

Special Tips for Online Puzzles

• Online jigsaw puzzles may work slightly differently from the traditional kind. You may not have a picture of the completed puzzle to consult -- or if you do, you may only be able to see it before you actually begin solving the puzzle. In that case, you'll have to rely more on memory and trial-and-error. One thing that's easier about online puzzles is that the pieces are usually already facing the right way. When you start an online jigsaw puzzle, the pieces may all be in a pile. If so, start off by pulling them apart so that you can see what you have to work with.