Budding codebreakers have been set a Christmas challenge by GCHQ.
The Government Communications Headquarters release a set of annual puzzles, with this year’s selection including riddles, sequences and secret words.
The teasers are aimed at secondary school children, many of whom received their packs on Monday. They were released to the general public on Thursday so that any curious puzzler can take part.
GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler said: “Puzzles have been at the heart of GCHQ from the start. These skills represent our historic roots in cryptography and encryption and continue to be important to our modern-day mission to keep the country safe.
Our puzzlers have created a Challenge which is designed for a mix of minds to solve. Whether you are an analyst, an engineer or a creative, there is a puzzle for everyone. This is one for classmates, family and friends to try to solve together”.
Card-carrying codebreaker?
The GCHQ in-house puzzles team’s design is presented in the form of a Christmas card. The seven puzzles are featured alongside a 1940 image of a snow-covered Bletchley Park — the iconic home of British wartime codebreaking.
The picture was discovered in the personal album of codebreaker Joan Wingfield. A rare find given that Bletchley Park was subject to a photography ban for much of the Second World War.
Successful solvers will reveal a seasonal message, and perhaps spark an interest in a career with British intelligence.
‘Chief Puzzler’ Colin guides you through the puzzles below and you can download the challenge here.