OLYMPIA, Wash. — What started as a pandemic pastime has turned into an obsession for Olympia’s Gretchen and Jeff Klein.
“This is definitely something that brought us together,” said Jeff Klein.
In June, the couple finished 90th in Spain's World Jigsaw Championship Tournament.
They were the eighth best team from the United States.
Married in the summer of 2019, the Kleins were still honeymooners when the pandemic began in early 2020.
Rather than bake or binge-watch television shows, they started doing jigsaw puzzles together.
“I was not a puzzler before I met Jeff,” said Gretchen Klein.
However, the middle school math teacher said she enjoyed the challenge of a 500-piece puzzle.
“We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re pretty good at this,’” said Gretchen Klein.
They wondered if there was a competitive league and learned the world championships were held annually in Spain.
In June, they paid the €25 entry fee and made it to the finals, finishing in the top half of 200 two-person teams.
“Gretchen and I did something weird and we lived,” said Jeff Klein, who said puzzles helped the couple survive the pandemic.
They enjoyed spending time together, with a goal. The puzzles were escape from what was happening in the world.
“To do it with my sweet wife was a pretty awesome experience,” said Jeff Klein.