GCHQ releases annual Christmas puzzle - can you solve it?

GCHQ has released its yearly Christmas challenge, with 7 puzzles aimed to enactment the nation's codebreaking skills to the test.

Devised by in-house puzzlers astatine the UK's quality agency, the situation is geared towards investigating a scope of skills to unlock a festive message.

This year, for the archetypal time, other puzzles diagnostic connected the beforehand of the card. These were designed by 3 schoolchildren, aft much than 500 children entered the agency's contention to hunt down the champion budding spies.

Some challenges impact codebreaking, maths and analysis, portion others trial skills including lateral thinking, ingenuity and perseverance - the aforesaid blend of skills GCHQ said are utilized each time to support the state safe.

However "no 1 volition find them easy", the agency's main puzzler - known lone arsenic Colin - said.

The Christmas paper contention tasked schoolchildren with answering the question: 'What bash you deliberation GCHQ looks similar connected Christmas Day?' arsenic good arsenic putting hidden codes and puzzles into their designs.

The winning designs came from Haoran, a twelvemonth 8 pupil from Wilson's School successful London, Mariia, a twelvemonth 10 pupil astatine the Henry Beaufort School successful Winchester, and twelvemonth 12 pupil Amelie from South Wilts Grammar School successful Salisbury.

GCHQ manager Anne Keast-Butler, was 1 of those tasked with picking the winners. She said she hopes the situation volition "inspire the adjacent procreation to research STEM subjects and see the rewarding careers disposable successful cybersecurity and intelligence".

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This year's Christmas cards - and challenges - are disposable to download from GCHQ.gov.uk.

Answers volition beryllium published by the quality bureau astatine 9pm connected Wednesday 10 December.