British intelligence agency releases annual Christmas card puzzle to uncover future code breakers

LONDON (AP) What does the intelligence community give you for Christmas? How about a riddle wrapped in a riddle within a riddle?

GCHQ, Britain's electronic and cyber intelligence agency, on Wednesday announced its annual Christmas Challenge, a seasonal greeting card that doubles as a set of extremely difficult puzzles designed to stimulate young minds about cracking codes and uncovering clues.

The challenge is aimed at young people aged 11-18, who are encouraged to work in teams and use lateral thinking, creativity and perseverance to solve seven riddles set by GCHQ's internal puzzles.

The cards are sent by the head of GCHQ, which stands for Government Communications Headquarters, to other national security officials around the world. Puzzles were first included in 2015 and have become an annual tradition. The cards can be downloaded from the GCHQ website and have proved popular with teachers, with a third of secondary schools in England said to have downloaded them.

The agency admitted that the festive fun had an ulterior motive.

GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler said she hoped the cards would inspire young people to explore the STEM subjects science, technology, engineering and mathematics and consider what careers in cyber security and intelligence could be.

It also aims to dispel some of the myths about the intelligence work facilitated by super agent James Bond and other fictional spies.

Colin, GCHQ's lead puzzler, said that contrary to the popular image of lone geniuses or solo secret agents, problems are best solved through teamwork.

Don't misunderstand. “We have geniuses in our department.” said Colin, who gave only his first name because of the confidentiality of his work. But critically, what we have is a lot of people with different skills coming together.

The skills we want are quite diverse. We love analytical skills, but we also love lateral thinking skills. And we love the idea of ​​these puzzles that require some patience to get the answer.

The card includes a map of the UK linked to the locations of GCHQ's bases, including its high-tech headquarters in Cheltenham, western England, nicknamed the Donut because of its shape.

Many Brits are keen puzzle solvers, and the connection between puzzles and spycraft is often famously referenced in many books, films and TV shows about Bletchley Park, a complex of buildings and wooden huts in northwest London. Hundreds of mathematicians, cryptographers, crossword puzzle experts and computer pioneers worked to decipher Nazi Germany's secret codes.

Historians say their research shortened World War II by about two years.

Colin said he was hearing more and more from new recruits to GCHQ who said they first heard about GCHQ through a mystery.

It definitely inspires people.

Technology has advanced immeasurably since the days of Bletchley Park, but creating and solving puzzles with confidence is one area that still requires a human touch.

AI doesn't have a good track record at setting up or solving these kinds of puzzles, Colin said. There are still times when people can set up interesting puzzles in ways that AI thankfully can't.

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