Students from Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 came out on top at this year’s “Riga Puzzle Day,” a logic and problem-solving competition held last week at the Fantodroms conference centre. The event brought together 320 students from the 11th and 12th grades of Riga’s secondary schools, with 109 teams competing for the highest score. The team from Riga Secondary School No. 22 finished second overall.
On Friday, November 7, more than 300 students spent three hours tackling ten logic and knowledge-based challenges. The tasks are adapted from a methodology developed at Harvard University and are designed to test teamwork, problem-solving and strategic thinking.
Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 delivered the strongest results. Their team “Melnā maģija” took first place and received a 900-euro prize from the Riga Municipality, while “Alfa, beta un epsilon” secured second place and a 600-euro award. Third place went to “Kurantov” from Riga Secondary School No. 22, who received 300 euros. In addition to the cash prizes, all three top teams were invited for a special reception with the Chairman of the Riga City Council, Viesturs Kleinbergs. Students from the ten highest-scoring teams also received gifts from Riga Municipality, RTU Riga Business School (RBS) and event supporters, along with additional prizes drawn during the event.
This was the third year that Riga hosted the “Riga Puzzle Day” competition for secondary school students. It is organised by the Riga Municipality together with RTU Riga Business School and supported by Luminor Bank, Code4Europe, Brain Games, MyFitness, Orkla and the IT Education Foundation.
“I congratulate all the participants and winners of this year’s Riga Puzzle Day. The students’ performance shows just how much curiosity and drive they bring to the table. This event is a great example of how play and friendly competition can sharpen the mind, build collaboration skills and encourage broader thinking. In a world that is constantly changing, these abilities matter more than ever,” said Vilnis Ķirsis, Deputy Chairman of the Riga City Council. “I’m glad to see a record number of participants this year and grateful to our partners for supporting education and youth development in Riga.”
The competition format, inspired by Harvard’s approach, highlights the value of logic games both in learning and as a fun challenge. The concept has become increasingly familiar in Latvian schools and has also been organised in Ogre, Sigulda and Cēsis, reaching more than 500 students across the country.
“This year more than 80% of Riga’s secondary schools took part, which shows the event is becoming a tradition students don’t want to miss,” said Claudio Rivera, Director of Bachelor Programs at RBS. “Seeing not only the drive to solve the tasks but also the genuine joy of thinking itself reassured us that we’re on the right path. Learning should feel like an adventure, and we hope Riga Puzzle Day inspired both students and teachers to rediscover that feeling.”
More than 40 teachers also took part in professional development sessions held in parallel with the student competition. The program included a talk by Claudio Rivera on using AI as a teaching assistant, as well as a session by Luminor’s Marija Celma on common fraud schemes, warning signs and practical ways to protect both teachers and students.
Photos from the event at Flickr album.
