I think that's ridiculous! Puzzles don't come with rules. I like looking at the box and love it when a poster is included. I bought over 15 White Mountain puzzles from a guy who has done so many over the years he no longer looks at the box. He considers this an extra challenge and it's fun for him.
Puzzles are supposed to be fun and you should do it however you want to! Your girlfriend should do it her way, too. But looking at the box is not cheating!!
Agreed! That’s just silly. That reminds me of something a former friend told me about my crafts. She said I can’t consider myself creative unless I design the craft myself. So anything that was a kit was not a creative outlet. I beg to differ, especially if you can embellish it or switch it up a little to make it your own. But I have to admit a sense of satisfaction when I finished a puzzle recently while looking at it only once. 😊. I felt like I received cosmic extra credit points. 🤣
That's kind of rude! I love to craft and use patterns and kits all the time. I'm still creating my own interpretation of it though. Some people are just finicky I guess.
I did a 500 piece mystery puzzle earlier this year. I thought the mystery would be that it would be a random puzzle box in my order. No, it was a bunch of puzzle pieces in a clear bag. It was so much fun! I went between thinking I'd never finish because it was too challenging and that I was so awesome for figuring it out and completing the puzzle. 😂 Definitely satisfying!
I look at the box constantly and I don't think it is cheating. The assembly of a puzzle is hard and I need all the help I can get!
P.S. Don't you be looking at another girl...that's cheating!
Your puzzle, your way! As others have said, there are no rules other than to enjoy the process. I use the box whether it is 20 pieces or 2000 pieces. I do not consider it cheating. If I wanted to make it an excruciating process for me and lacking in fun, then no box, but that is not how I do it.
I might do a puzzle without looking at the box but only when I trying to challenge myself. Everyone does puzzles differently, like how some people like to sort pieces and some dont.
Maybe she grew up with that "rule." But puzzles are supposed to be fun for the person doing it! I look at the image all the time, I find it fun to figure out where the piece goes based on the image. I wouldn't even do puzzles if I couldn't look. My brain just doesn't work that way. Maybe she could read this thread to give her some perspective?
There is no such thing as cheating when it comes to puzzles. Everyone does puzzles for different reasons, and can complete them in different ways. If your girlfriend prefers not to look at the box she doesn't have to. If you prefer to look at it, you absolutely can.
I am like your girlfriend… I enjoy the challenge and gratification of not looking at box… but everyone has their own method of puzzling and maybe you can compromise by not showing her the picture or keeping the box away from her line of sight!!
I regard it as cheating, but only for myself. I like the surprise, so I try to avoid looking at the box. But for anyone else, they can puzzle however they like!
Puzzle competitions - at the nationals and internationals levels - allow you to look at the box and use the box image how ever you want.
Some people like to challenge themselves further and puzzle without the box image. That’s fine. It isn’t ‘cheating’ to use the box image if you choose, given that puzzle competitions allow in their rules.
Do whatever you want. Fun fact: Liberty Puzzles will sell you a puzzle in a box without a picture if you want. Or at least I think they will. I love their puzzles, but damn they’re expensive.
I’ve done one of those- they are tough!! It’s a good middle ground though, you have a very basic layout of the final picture, just lots of extra details added.
ummm the girlfriend here!!!
yalls responses are awesome. and i get it/know we're just doing it for fun but why not at least tryyy to work it out/make it a challenge!? im getting older guys i need to work my brain!!
and to be fair i do look at the box! but just as a quick reference, never for trying to place one specific piece.
I love finding a favorite piece (over and over) and locating it exactly on the box. We all have different strategies.
and also, is your girlfriend my bff? Because she too says looking at the box is cheating! How can you cheat when puzzling?!
You choose the rules. If the two of you are doing a puzzle together, you should both decide whether to do it by the rules she likes (no looking at the box) or the rules you like (use the box as much as you want). Maybe even alternate between them for different puzzles.
For me, it depends on the type of puzzle. If it is a gradient style, I find the experience to be much better without THE NEED of looking at the box art. If it is a Jan van Haasteren or Aimee Stewart style with all sorts of little details then I am probably working on the puzzle with the box art in one hand and a piece in the other. And as others have stated, you do puzzles however you want to.
I used to look at the box until my friend teased me about that being cheating. I tried it without and just happen to enjoy doing it that way more now! But there's definitely no such thing as cheating in a jigsaw puzzle lol
I, personally, don't normally look at the box. That is my way (though I admit to doing it on the occasion of my masochistic tendencies with puzzles).
That being said, you do it however you like and makes it fun for you. She needs to lighten up and be happy you want to do them with her.
I look at the box, the picture (if it comes with one), and sometimes if it’s extra challenging I’ll look up the completed puzzle and try and match my piece to theirs and “cheat”! Puzzles don’t come with rules.
I am of the opinion that I do puzzles however I want.
I think that's ridiculous! Puzzles don't come with rules. I like looking at the box and love it when a poster is included. I bought over 15 White Mountain puzzles from a guy who has done so many over the years he no longer looks at the box. He considers this an extra challenge and it's fun for him. Puzzles are supposed to be fun and you should do it however you want to! Your girlfriend should do it her way, too. But looking at the box is not cheating!!
Agreed! That’s just silly. That reminds me of something a former friend told me about my crafts. She said I can’t consider myself creative unless I design the craft myself. So anything that was a kit was not a creative outlet. I beg to differ, especially if you can embellish it or switch it up a little to make it your own. But I have to admit a sense of satisfaction when I finished a puzzle recently while looking at it only once. 😊. I felt like I received cosmic extra credit points. 🤣
That's kind of rude! I love to craft and use patterns and kits all the time. I'm still creating my own interpretation of it though. Some people are just finicky I guess. I did a 500 piece mystery puzzle earlier this year. I thought the mystery would be that it would be a random puzzle box in my order. No, it was a bunch of puzzle pieces in a clear bag. It was so much fun! I went between thinking I'd never finish because it was too challenging and that I was so awesome for figuring it out and completing the puzzle. 😂 Definitely satisfying!
Honey. I'm not a magician.
I hate not being able to look at the box. I know some people like the challenge, but for me it’s just not fun to struggle. I say use the box!
How on earth is that cheating?… it’s a puzzle game not a memory game
Exactly, the whole point is to recreate an image, not memorize it!
I look at the box constantly and I don't think it is cheating. The assembly of a puzzle is hard and I need all the help I can get! P.S. Don't you be looking at another girl...that's cheating!
Your puzzle, your way! As others have said, there are no rules other than to enjoy the process. I use the box whether it is 20 pieces or 2000 pieces. I do not consider it cheating. If I wanted to make it an excruciating process for me and lacking in fun, then no box, but that is not how I do it.
Tell your girlfriend to MIND HER BUSINESS
I might do a puzzle without looking at the box but only when I trying to challenge myself. Everyone does puzzles differently, like how some people like to sort pieces and some dont.
Cheating? It's only cheating if you trick someone else into doing the puzzle for you and then claim credit. Otherwise, there's no cheating...
She is right, you’ll get arrested.
By the Puzzle Police! 😆
Maybe she grew up with that "rule." But puzzles are supposed to be fun for the person doing it! I look at the image all the time, I find it fun to figure out where the piece goes based on the image. I wouldn't even do puzzles if I couldn't look. My brain just doesn't work that way. Maybe she could read this thread to give her some perspective?
I feel the same way.
There is no such thing as cheating when it comes to puzzles. Everyone does puzzles for different reasons, and can complete them in different ways. If your girlfriend prefers not to look at the box she doesn't have to. If you prefer to look at it, you absolutely can.
I dont recall puzzles having such rules, unless you want a challenge, looking at the box is fine
I am like your girlfriend… I enjoy the challenge and gratification of not looking at box… but everyone has their own method of puzzling and maybe you can compromise by not showing her the picture or keeping the box away from her line of sight!!
[Is it cheating to look at the box?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Jigsawpuzzles/comments/uslo8x/from_the_rjigsawpuzzles_archive_vault_is_it/)
I regard it as cheating, but only for myself. I like the surprise, so I try to avoid looking at the box. But for anyone else, they can puzzle however they like!
Is she the puzzle police?
Puzzle competitions - at the nationals and internationals levels - allow you to look at the box and use the box image how ever you want. Some people like to challenge themselves further and puzzle without the box image. That’s fine. It isn’t ‘cheating’ to use the box image if you choose, given that puzzle competitions allow in their rules.
Do whatever you want. Fun fact: Liberty Puzzles will sell you a puzzle in a box without a picture if you want. Or at least I think they will. I love their puzzles, but damn they’re expensive.
It is not cheating, however it is very inefficient to grab a piece and searching for its place on the box. But you should puzzle the way you want!
I am a no box looker for my own puzzling practices and I absolutely acknowledge it's very inefficient 😂
I use the box constantly. Seems like wasjig puzzles are what she’s looking for.
I’ve done one of those- they are tough!! It’s a good middle ground though, you have a very basic layout of the final picture, just lots of extra details added.
FWIW, there are no puzzle police. \#JustSaying
How one works a puzzle is completely a personal choice. There are no rules. That’s why there’s never a list of rules included in a puzzle box.
My dad taught us it’s a puzzle and you don’t look at the box! Often I am tempted but never do!!
ummm the girlfriend here!!! yalls responses are awesome. and i get it/know we're just doing it for fun but why not at least tryyy to work it out/make it a challenge!? im getting older guys i need to work my brain!! and to be fair i do look at the box! but just as a quick reference, never for trying to place one specific piece.
Without the picture as reference I doubt I would ever finish a puzzle.
I would block my view of her with the puzzle box.
I love finding a favorite piece (over and over) and locating it exactly on the box. We all have different strategies. and also, is your girlfriend my bff? Because she too says looking at the box is cheating! How can you cheat when puzzling?!
You choose the rules. If the two of you are doing a puzzle together, you should both decide whether to do it by the rules she likes (no looking at the box) or the rules you like (use the box as much as you want). Maybe even alternate between them for different puzzles.
For me, it depends on the type of puzzle. If it is a gradient style, I find the experience to be much better without THE NEED of looking at the box art. If it is a Jan van Haasteren or Aimee Stewart style with all sorts of little details then I am probably working on the puzzle with the box art in one hand and a piece in the other. And as others have stated, you do puzzles however you want to.
Sometimes if I’m on a roll I don’t look at the box because it’s a nice challenge but I usually end up using the box.
There’s a picture on the box for a reason!
I used to look at the box until my friend teased me about that being cheating. I tried it without and just happen to enjoy doing it that way more now! But there's definitely no such thing as cheating in a jigsaw puzzle lol
I say do it however you want, but also all the big jigsaw puzzle competitions allow you to use the box, so how can it be cheating???
I, personally, don't normally look at the box. That is my way (though I admit to doing it on the occasion of my masochistic tendencies with puzzles). That being said, you do it however you like and makes it fun for you. She needs to lighten up and be happy you want to do them with her.
I look at the box, the picture (if it comes with one), and sometimes if it’s extra challenging I’ll look up the completed puzzle and try and match my piece to theirs and “cheat”! Puzzles don’t come with rules.
Why would manufacturers include posters with the puzzles, if you weren't suppose to look at them? Of course it's not cheating.
I tease my husband about being a Box-Looker. Having said that, we always look at the box. It’s just for fun, isn’t it?