Can you solve GCHQ's 2025 Christmas puzzle?

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Aspiring spies and codebreakers are up against a tricky holiday puzzle - the GCHQ Christmas Challenge.

GCHQ Christmas puzzle - Figure 1 — Photo iNews

Set aside the holiday meals, celebrations, and gifts; it's time to gear up for the GCHQ Christmas Challenge.

The country's leading codebreakers have issued their yearly holiday challenge to the public, inviting everyone to solve the clues and figure out the puzzle.

Anne Keast-Butler, the director of GCHQ, remarked, “Challenges have always been central to GCHQ, and the abilities required to tackle them are just as important in 2024 as they were a century ago.”

This year's challenge includes seven puzzles, along with some secret elements for those seeking an additional challenge.

The puzzles are designed for teens and young adults, but anyone is welcome to take a shot at them—you might be pleasantly surprised!

The puzzle from last year was downloaded 138,000 times by educators and individuals from the community.

Let's examine this year's puzzle, which was made available by the intelligence agency on Wednesday, December 11, along with the essentials needed to crack it.

(SPOILER WARNING: You'll find the answers at the end of this post).

What’s The GCHQ Christmas Puzzle About?

GCHQ, short for Government Communications Headquarters, is primarily located in Cheltenham.

Collaborating with MI6, MI5, law enforcement, the Ministry of Defence, international allies, the private sector, and academic institutions, the emphasis is on communication.

Employees at GCHQ monitor, examine, and sometimes interfere with the communications of the UK's enemies while also ensuring the country's cyber safety.

Once a year, they invite the public to take part in a Christmas Challenge, which consists of a collection of tricky brainteasers and puzzles created by their team of codebreakers. This event is meant to test participants' skills and determine who can solve the challenges and who can't.

GCHQ Christmas puzzle - Figure 2 — Photo iNews

The goal is to inspire kids between the ages of 11 and 18 to think creatively and collaborate with one another, while also highlighting some of the essential skills required to be a spy.

What’s This Year’s Puzzle About?

The challenge appears in a Christmas card from the GCHQ director, Ms. Keast-Butler, and it can also be accessed on the GCHQ website.

She mentioned that it was created to be solved by a variety of thinkers, making it ideal for groups of classmates, family members, or friends to work on together.

"Regardless of whether you're inclined towards analytical thinking, creative ideas, or engineering, there's something available for everyone," she continued. "As a mathematician, I have a strong enthusiasm for STEM fields and I believe in inspiring young individuals to explore these areas."

"I hope this card encourages young individuals to delve into STEM fields and think about the possibilities that a career in cybersecurity and intelligence could present."

This year, we're highlighting the locations where GCHQ operates. They have multiple sites throughout the UK, such as Manchester, London, Scarborough in North Yorkshire, Bude in Cornwall, and their main headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

It includes seven puzzles that vary in difficulty and challenge different problem-solving abilities.

Every one of the seven puzzles will guide you to the name of a famous landmark in the UK.

Next, you'll need to refer to the features on the card and its cover to find out what everyone at the various GCHQ locations will be up to this Christmas.

The puzzles are created by a group of skilled puzzle designers at GCHQ, aimed at motivating school groups throughout the UK to collaborate in uncovering the ultimate concealed message.

This year, for the first time, there are three new features tucked away in the card for anyone looking to raise the stakes a bit.

To solve it, you’ll need abilities like deciphering codes, mathematical skills, analytical thinking, creativity, and determination.

Colin, the head puzzle maker at GCHQ, shared a quote that contains a concealed message.

He expressed his excitement about kicking off the 2024 Christmas Challenge for young people, and he hopes everyone enjoys this year's puzzles, finding them just as entertaining and challenging as in previous years.

As we do every year, we are motivating teams to collaborate and take on the challenge together.

The variety of puzzles shows that some parts are more challenging than others.

You don't need to be a genius or the best student to tackle these problems. What matters is your ability to collaborate with others and appreciate the diverse perspectives and methods that teamwork offers.

"This is precisely how we operate at GCHQ."

“We aim to demonstrate to young individuals through this Challenge that having a unique perspective is a valuable asset.”