Actually it was time on December 11 but someone forgot to check the spook site, ahem.
From the GCHQ:
The GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2024
Download your festive puzzling adventure with our latest Christmas Challenge
We are delighted to release our annual Christmas Challenge and both children and adults alike are encouraged to give it a try.
You can download this year’s Christmas Challenge at the bottom of this page
The focus this year is the surprising geography of GCHQ, which many people won’t realise operates from several sites across the UK including Manchester, London, Scarborough, Bude and our iconic headquarters in Cheltenham.
The Challenge is contained in a Christmas card sent by Director Anne Keast-Butler and features a series of seven puzzles, which range in difficulty and test different problem-solving skills. The puzzles are masterminded by a team of puzzling experts who work at GCHQ, who are encouraging school groups across the UK and Northern Ireland to work as a team to reveal the final hidden message.
This year for the first time there are three additional elements hidden within the card for those who want to take on an extra challenge.
The puzzles include skills such as codebreaking, maths and analysis and test lateral thinking, ingenuity and perseverance. Just like the work that goes on at GCHQ every day to keep the country safe, the Christmas brainteasers will require different approaches and different ways of thinking.
Following on from the success of last year’s card, which was downloaded 138,000 times by schools and members of the public, secondary school classes across the UK and Northern Ireland will be taking on the series of festive brainteasers. School children are also being encouraged to take the puzzles home to challenge family and friends.
Director GCHQ, Anne Keast-Butler, said:
“Puzzles have always been at the heart of GCHQ, and the skills needed to solve them are just as relevant in 2024 as they were over 100 years ago.
“This year’s Challenge features seven puzzles, plus several hidden elements for those who want an extra test. The puzzles are aimed at teenagers and young people, but everyone is encouraged to give them a try – they might surprise you.
“The Challenge has been designed for a mix of minds to solve, so is best tackled in groups of classmates, families or friends. Whether you have an analytical mind, a creative brain or prefer engineering, there’s something for everyone.
“As a mathematician, I also I'm passionate about STEM subjects and encouraging young people to give them a try. I hope the card will inspire young people to explore these STEM subjects and to consider what a career in cybersecurity and intelligence might have to offer.”
Puzzles have been included in Director GCHQ’s Christmas cards to global national security heads since 2015.....
....MUCH MORE (keep scrolling)
HT: The BBC - "Taking on the GCHQ Christmas challenge? These experts can help"
