GCHQ unveils codebreaker for the 2023 Christmas challenge

The UK spy agency, GCHQ, has released its annual code-breaking challenge for school children. Over 1,000 secondary schools have signed up for this year's event, which includes some of the toughest puzzles yet. The challenge centers around a Christmas card sent by the agency's director, Anne Keast-Butler, and is designed to test skills in codebreaking, math, and analysis. One of the challenges asks participants to group nine gift tags based on words that link them, while another involves solving a numerical problem to find letters that form a word associated with Christmas. The challenge also features a bonus puzzle, described as the most difficult one to date. Although the challenge is aimed at school children, anyone can try their hand at solving it. The agency hopes to show young people that thinking differently is a valuable skill. This year's challenge has a historical theme, featuring Bletchley Park, the wartime home of GCHQ, where the Enigma code was broken. The Christmas card photo was found in the personal family album of codebreaker Joan Wingfield, who worked on Italian naval codes. GCHQ's director, Ms. Keast-Butler, explains that puzzles have always been a part of the agency's mission and represents their roots in cryptography and encryption. The full challenge can be found on the GCHQ website.