Ciphers are as old as The Bible. They have been used to hide information and send secret messages for well over two thousand years.  In the 1840s, they became popular as a form of puzzle in journals. Victorian newspapers carried ciphers in their agony columns - usually from surreptitious lovers. 

At the top end of cipher entertainment, GCHQ sets challenges for the computer elite. 

This present Christmas cracker is suited to the kitchen table and pencil and paper. 

You are invited to decipher the following.

 

CIPHER TEXT

S V D K U D C Q T L L D Q R C Q T L L H M F

 C J C T C L N G N C P Q N G N G L E

 Q B K I L O A P X I B X M F K D

 J E J A H W Z E A O Z W J Y E J C

 Z D B C O H V D Y N V H D G F D I B

 M Y P Y H M Q U H M U M Q C G G C H A

 L B Q Z X X L X T E T R B G Z

 X A N W Y G D V J A F Y K

 W F L I T F C C P S Z I U J

 J X H U U V H U D S X X U D I

 I L D I J G I A T S D K T H

 O B R O D O F H F W R U S W B O D S O F H F S S

 

Thank you to everyone to viewed this page and entered our Cipher Challenge.

Congratulations to

• Tim Eastman
• Omair Chunara
• Martin Wright
• Dana Baba
• Wayne Warnick

who will each receive

• a Mensa Code Breaker Certificate,
• a complimentary place at a UK Mensa supervised test session of their choice,
• and a copy of the best selling Mensa electronic hand held Brain Trainer game.

 

The correct answer to the cipher challenge is

TWELVEDRUMMERSDRUMMING

ELEVENPIPERSPIPING

TENLORDSALEAPING

NINELADIESDANCING

EIGHTMAIDSAMILKING

SEVENSWANSASWIMMING

SIXGEESEALAYING

FIVEGOLDRINGS

FOURCOLLYBIRDS

THREEFRENCHHENS

TWOTURTLEDOVES

ANDAPARTRIDGEINAPEARTREE

 

 

Set by Stephen Colbourn, SIGSec British Mensa Codes&Ciphers SIG, 2011

Entries must reach us by midnight Friday 30th December 2011. The first five correct entries drawn will each win the prizes on offer. Rules: Anyone connected with the organisation of the competition is ineligible to enter. There is no alternative to the prizes. The competition manager's decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into. Test Session is subject to availability, if your choice of venue is not available you will be offered an alternative.