GCHQ has unveiled its yearly Christmas puzzle, complete with hidden hints for those seeking an extra challenge. The UK’s secretive spy agency, specializing in communications intelligence and cybersecurity, designed the puzzle for children aged 11-18, featured in a Christmas card sent by GCHQ’s director, Anne Keast-Butler. The card presents seven puzzles of varying difficulty levels, testing a range of problem-solving skills.
Part of the puzzle. Pic: GCHQ
Pic: GCHQ
GCHQ’s team of experts is encouraging school groups in the UK and Northern Ireland to collaborate and uncover a hidden message. The agency mentioned that this year, there are three additional elements secretly embedded within the card, providing an extra challenge for participants. The puzzles assess skills like codebreaking, mathematics, analysis, lateral thinking, innovation, and perseverance, mirroring the diverse problem-solving approaches utilized at GCHQ.
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‘Puzzles have always been at the heart of GCHQ’
GCHQ’s director Anne Keast-Butler expressed, “Puzzles have always been at the heart of GCHQ, and the skills needed to solve them are just as relevant in 2024 as they were over 100 years ago. This year’s challenge features seven puzzles, plus several hidden elements for those who want an extra test. The puzzles are aimed at teenagers and young people, but everyone is encouraged to give them a try – they might surprise you. The challenge has been designed for a mix of minds to solve, so is best tackled in groups of classmates, families, or friends. Whether you have an analytical mind, a creative brain, or prefer engineering, there’s something for everyone.”
“You do not have to be a genius,” added GCHQ’s chief puzzler, Colin. “We are delighted to be launching the 2024 Christmas Challenge aimed at young people, and we hope you find this year’s set of puzzles as challengingly fun as ever. This year as usual we’re encouraging teams to work together to tackle the Challenge. You can see from the range of puzzles that some parts are trickier than others. However, you do not have to be a genius or top of the class to solve them – you just have to be able to work in a team and embrace the mix of minds and approaches teamwork brings. This is exactly how we work at GCHQ. We also hope to show young people through this Challenge that thinking differently is a gift.”
“We’d love to see how you get on with the Challenge, so please let us know by tagging us – or asking a grown-up to tag us – in a post on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn @GCHQ. Happy puzzle-solving!”
You can download the Christmas challenge here and view past puzzles from 2023, 2022, and 2021.