GCHQ’s Christmas Challenge Unveiled
The intelligence agency GCHQ has unveiled its latest festive challenge, promising an intricate puzzle designed to test the skills of aspiring young spies.
Headed by Anne Keast-Butler, GCHQ aims to engage schoolchildren across the UK with its ‘trickiest Christmas Challenge’ yet.
The Intriguing Puzzle Quest
This annual challenge, embedded in GCHQ’s Christmas card featuring Bletchley Park, requires solving seven progressively complex puzzles and riddles.
Created by GCHQ’s in-house puzzlers, each question holds a one-word answer related to the term ‘Christmas’.
Unveiling the Secrets
The final solution to this puzzle lies within a rare 1940 image adorning the card, showcasing a snow-covered Bletchley Park before a photography ban was imposed.
The image, discovered in codebreaker Joan Wingfield’s family album, poses the key to the ultimate festive answer.
Encouraging Collaboration and Skills
Designed to assess problem-solving abilities, this challenge encourages teamwork among secondary school students.
Ms. Keast-Butler emphasizes the test’s alignment with GCHQ’s core skills in codebreaking, maths, and analysis, vital to the agency’s mission of national security.
A Gift of Math and Creativity
In celebration of the new director’s passion for mathematics, GCHQ introduces a bonus puzzle centered around sides. Colin, the quiz’s architect, poses a final test asking students to unveil a hidden word within a specific quote.
A Message of Innovation and Collaboration
The challenge echoes GCHQ’s values, promoting innovative thinking and teamwork. Colin stresses that these diverse approaches are key to unraveling the final message, emphasizing the importance of varied perspectives in problem-solving.
Engaging Young Minds
Beyond testing skills, GCHQ aims to introduce young minds to their work while ensuring the challenge remains enjoyable.
The agency believes in showcasing that thinking differently is a skill and hopes to reinforce the value of teamwork through this festive puzzle quest.
Stay Tuned for Answers
MailOnline will reveal the puzzle’s answers on Friday, ensuring the suspense-filled challenge’s resolution is within reach for all participants.
