GCHQ has launched its annual Christmas problem, with seven puzzles aimed to place the nation’s codebreaking abilities to the check.
Devised by in-house puzzlers on the UK’s intelligence company, the problem is geared in the direction of testing a variety of abilities to unlock a festive message.
This yr, for the primary time, additional puzzles function on the entrance of the cardboard. These had been designed by three schoolchildren, after greater than 500 youngsters entered the company’s competitors to seek out the most effective budding spies.
Pic: GCHQ
Pic: GCHQ
Pic: GCHQ
Some challenges contain codebreaking, maths and evaluation, whereas others check abilities together with lateral pondering, ingenuity and perseverance – the identical mix of abilities GCHQ mentioned are used day-after-day to maintain the nation secure.
Nonetheless “nobody will discover them simple”, the company’s chief puzzler – identified solely as Colin – mentioned.
The Christmas card competitors tasked schoolchildren with answering the query: ‘What do you assume GCHQ seems to be like on Christmas Day?’ in addition to placing hidden codes and puzzles into their designs.
The successful designs got here from Haoran, a yr 8 scholar from Wilson’s College in London, Mariia, a yr 10 scholar on the Henry Beaufort College in Winchester, and yr 12 scholar Amelie from South Wilts Grammar College in Salisbury.
GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler, was a type of tasked with selecting the winners. She mentioned she hopes the problem will “encourage the subsequent technology to discover STEM topics and contemplate the rewarding careers out there in cybersecurity and intelligence”.
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This yr’s Christmas playing cards – and challenges – can be found to obtain from GCHQ.gov.uk.
Solutions will probably be revealed by the intelligence company at 9pm on Wednesday 10 December.
