How to do a 1000-piece puzzle, alone or with others

Published September 29, 2026 · by mister-guiiug

In short. To do a 1000-piece puzzle, turn every piece face up, set aside the corners and edge pieces, build the border, then assemble the easy areas before the large plain ones. A 1000-piece Ravensburger puzzle is cut on a grid of 36 pieces by 28, which gives 124 edge pieces, including 4 corners.

A 1000-piece puzzle often takes several sessions, sometimes with several people, and that is where organisation makes the difference. Here is a simple method, step by step, followed by a few tips for making progress as a family or with colleagues without getting in each other's way.

Prepare the surface

Choose a flat table, large enough for the finished puzzle plus some room around it to sort the pieces. The finished size is printed on the box, but it is only approximate: leave yourself a margin.

If the table is needed between sessions, work on a rigid board or a puzzle mat that you can move or roll up. Make sure the light is good: under dim light, two similar blues blend together.

Keep the picture on the box close at hand. It is your map.

Step 1: turn over and sort the pieces

Start by turning every piece picture side up. It takes a while, but everything else becomes easier.

While you turn them over, make three piles straight away:

the corners, with two straight sides (there are four);
the edge pieces, with one straight side;
everything else.

Then sort the rest by colour, pattern or texture: sky, water, lettering, faces, high-contrast areas. Small boxes or lids help keep the piles apart.

Step 2: build the border

The border gives the real size of the puzzle and landmarks for placing everything else.

With a classic grid cut, you can work out the number of edge pieces: twice the number of rows, plus twice the number of columns, minus 4 (the corners are counted twice). For a grid of 25 rows by 40 columns, 1000 pieces in all: 50 + 80 - 4 = 126 edge pieces. Ravensburger cuts its 1000-piece puzzles on a grid of 36 pieces on the long side and 28 on the short side: 1,008 pieces, of which 72 + 56 - 4 = 124 are edge pieces.

If your border will not close, first look for a stray edge piece in the other piles. Some cuts do not have a round number of pieces: count the pieces along one long side and one short side to find the exact grid.

Step 3: the easy areas first

Put together, on the side, the areas you can recognise at a glance: an object, a person, some lettering, a bold colour. You end up with islands, which you then place inside the border with the help of the picture on the box.

Step 4: the hard areas

What remains are the large plain areas: sky, sea, blurred background. Colour no longer helps here. Sort these pieces by shape, by the number of knobs and holes, then try them methodically, row by row, starting from an edge already in place. The faintest changes in shade, a cloud or a gradient, are still useful clues.

Doing a puzzle together

With several people, the risk is that everyone looks for the same piece. A few simple rules:

Split the areas: one person takes the border, another the sky, a third the people.
Work from different sides of the table, so you do not get in each other's way.
Leave a trace between sessions: how many pieces are in place, which area is finished, a photo of the puzzle as it stands.

That last point matters most when everyone works at their own pace, one in the morning and another in the evening, or when part of the family follows from a distance.

Tracking progress

Counting the pieces in place from time to time is motivating, and useful to know where you stand. With 350 pieces placed out of 1000, you are 35% of the way there. There is no standard time for a 1000-piece puzzle: it all depends on the picture, the cut, your experience and how many people are around the table. The most reliable guide is your own pace, measured from one session to the next.

How Mister Puzzle helps

Mister Puzzle does not put a puzzle on your screen: it tracks the progress of your puzzle, the one on the table.

One room per puzzle. You enter its name and grid (rows and columns; the total is worked out for you). A public room appears in the list of public puzzles; a private one does not, and a password can restrict access in the app. Anyone who has the code can still read the room, photos included.
A code to share. Others join the room with this code or a link, on a phone, tablet or computer, without creating an account, and see progress in real time.
A quick counter. Pieces placed or remaining, plus or minus 1 and 10 buttons, percentage done and milestones at 25, 50, 75 and 100%.
Ready-made checkpoints (Border done, Sky / background, Figures / details) or your own labels, and photos of each stage.
A progress curve and statistics by nickname: who placed the most pieces over 24 hours, 7 days or since the start.
Offline, the counter is kept on the device and sent when the connection comes back.

Frequently asked questions

How many edge pieces does a 1000-piece puzzle have?

It depends on the grid. A 1000-piece Ravensburger puzzle, cut 36 by 28, has 124 edge pieces, including 4 corners; a 25 by 40 grid has 126. The formula: twice the rows, plus twice the columns, minus 4.

Where should you start a jigsaw puzzle?

Turn all the pieces face up, pick out the corners and edge pieces, then build the border. It gives the real size of the puzzle and landmarks for the rest.

How do you do a puzzle with others without getting in each other's way?

Split up the areas or the colours, and give everyone their own side of the table. Between sessions, note how many pieces are in place and take a photo: everyone knows where to pick up.

How long does a 1000-piece puzzle take?

There is no standard time: the picture, the cut, your experience and the number of people change everything. By noting the pieces placed at each session, you will learn your own pace.