# GCHQ puzzle



## Steve Maskery (10 Dec 2015)

According to the Beeb, GCHQ have issued a puzzle for Christmas. I can't get the Beeb link to work, but the Beeb article itself is here:
http://www.gchq.gov.uk/press_and_media/ ... -2015.aspx

I've done the first eight columns but ground to a halt.

Quite fun though.
S


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## artie (10 Dec 2015)

You'd think they could afford a faster site.


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## misterfish (11 Dec 2015)

I had the same problem yesterday, but this morning it has worked quickly.

Misterfish


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## Phil Pascoe (11 Dec 2015)

Sorry, life's too short.


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## NazNomad (11 Dec 2015)

I gave up after reading the first line of instructions. :-(


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## DrPhill (11 Dec 2015)

The puzzle was easy to solve - but I cannot get the black pen marks off my screen........


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## stuartpaul (11 Dec 2015)

DrPhill":36tny03l said:


> The puzzle was easy to solve - but I cannot get the black pen marks off my screen........


 Use tippex


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## Jonzjob (11 Dec 2015)

stuartpaul":2fcgeond said:


> DrPhill":2fcgeond said:
> 
> 
> > The puzzle was easy to solve - but I cannot get the black pen marks off my screen........
> ...



It works every time :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Here's the proooofff


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## Bm101 (11 Dec 2015)

Click on the GCHQ link ehhh?









*puts on foil hat :shock:


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## Steve Maskery (13 Dec 2015)

Well after a couple of false starts, I've solved it. I've just got to find out where it leads now.
S


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## Bm101 (13 Dec 2015)

A job at MI5?


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## Steve Maskery (13 Dec 2015)

Not yet. It takes me here:
http://www.gchq.gov.uk/puzz/Pages/index.aspx

I don't even understand the first question. How can something not be the odd one out? I don't get it.
S


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## jimmy_s (13 Dec 2015)

maybe starlet - all the others have double letters boNNet, saFFron, shaLLot and so on maybe?


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## Mark-numbers (13 Dec 2015)

I answered them all wrong on purpose, just to prove I won't be an asset to 'them'


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## Bm101 (13 Dec 2015)

second ones a snooker question i think


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## Sporky McGuffin (13 Dec 2015)

I got stuck on the second one. The next few didn't go any better!


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## Steve Maskery (13 Dec 2015)

I got stuck on the FIRST one. It asks which one is NOT the odd one out. That doesn't make sense to me.


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## Jonzjob (13 Dec 2015)

I just gave up after the 1st. Too easy :roll: :roll:


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## Steve Maskery (13 Dec 2015)

Well I reckon we have find out in what way each one is the odd one out.

As Jimmy points out, Starlet doesn't have a double letter. So that IS an odd one out. Similarly Torrent does not begin with an S, so that IS an odd one out. We have to find one that is NOT the odd one out.

The name is Maskery. Steve Maskery.

Dum, du-du-dum-dum, dum-dum-dum, 
Dum, du-du-dum-dum, dum-dum-dum, 
Dum-dum, du, du, dum


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## Geordie Joe (13 Dec 2015)

Steve Maskery":36f93o2b said:


> I don't even understand the first question. How can something not be the odd one out? I don't get it.
> S




The way I see it is.............There are six options, only one can be the odd one out, therefore five of them are not the odd one out.

A five out of six chance of getting it right............. and I still got it wrong!


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## Steve Maskery (13 Dec 2015)

Suggest IS an odd one out because it is the only one that is not a noun.

Answer courtesy of DaveR.


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## Steve Maskery (13 Dec 2015)

Sonnet is the odd one out as it is the only one with 6 letters.
Also courtesy of DaveR.


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## Bm101 (13 Dec 2015)

Steve Maskery":mu6lo7k1 said:


> Well I reckon we have find out in what way each one is the odd one out.
> 
> As Jimmy points out, Starlet doesn't have a double letter. So that IS an odd one out. Similarly Torrent does not begin with an S, so that IS an odd one out. We have to find one that is NOT the odd one out.
> 
> ...



Its patterns! What confused me for ages was the odd one out thing, it's the word that's_ most _similar to all the others.
1 No double letter (starlet)
2 Ends in T (saffron) 
3 Starts with S (torrent)
4 E third last letter (shallot)
5..... bit shaky but... o is the only second letter to be common to more than one word. Soooo... (suggest)
Which leaves Sonnett.
Possibly. lol.

Number 2 is doing my nut in. I'm sure it's snooker. It's the potting order but it's off and I can't see it. Grrr!


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## xy mosian (14 Dec 2015)

Steve Maskery":14r54p6k said:


> I got stuck on the FIRST one. It asks which one is NOT the odd one out. That doesn't make sense to me.


Steve, 
It doesn't actually ask which ONE is not the odd one out! 
But "Which of these is not the odd one out?"
Perhaps find the odd one out, the answer is the rest.

xy


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## Steve Maskery (14 Dec 2015)

Yes, fair enough, but if that is the case, how can I coe up with on single answer to the MC question?


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## xy mosian (14 Dec 2015)

Steve Maskery":3bw4xdd2 said:


> Yes, fair enough, but if that is the case, how can I coe up with on single answer to the MC question?



Oh! nay lad, it's getting late for my brain, but perhaps a filtering job?

xy


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## Sporky McGuffin (14 Dec 2015)

I'm pretty sure there is a single answer to that first one.

All but one of the answers is an odd one out in one way. One of the answers is not the odd one out for any of those ways.

That said you can move on to the next question by selecting any answer...


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## Steve Maskery (14 Dec 2015)

Yes you can, but you don't get told whether you are right or wrong until the end... and then you don't know which answer is wrong!


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

I could be barking up the wrong tree. Or just barking, but...
Starlet is the odd one out because it doesn't have a repeated letter.
Torrent is the odd one out because it doesn't begin with S.
Suggest is the odd one out because the others are nouns.
Sonnet is the odd one out because it doesn't have seven letters.
Saffron is the odd one out because it doesn't end in T.

That leaves Shallot.

However, there may be other interpretations, but I think that's the general idea.

Where do I collect my licence to kill and my Aston Martin?


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

I have to mention here that I wrote that post before I had seen the second page of this thread, which would have made it a bit easier. It looks like some others had already started down the same route.


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

Think the second one may be Pi in snooker ball values, but I'm going to bed now.


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

OK, I'll go to bed shortly. I think the third one is to to with the international phonetic alphabet. Romeo Beckham, Oscar Wilde, Charlie Bucket, Radar Love, Victor Mature, so odd one out must be Shaka.

Really going to bed now.


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

The next one revolves(or rotates!) around the idea that you are looking at the flag semaphore from behind, so the first symbols resolve to HAPPY, which kind of gives the game away.

ZZZzzzzzzz


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## misterfish (15 Dec 2015)

5 requires access to an ASCII table


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

6 is Gene Autrey related.

The next section gets harder(in my opinion) there's one that is, I am pretty certain, based on converting to morse and swapping dots and dashes, but although this works fine for agony and denial, and witty and tepid, I can't make smart into anything sensible.

OK, I've worked it out now. It's OFTEN


I have no clue on part 3 A, B or D.


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

I withdraw the phonetic alphabet answer - Radar Love is not, of course correct. My tired brain was thinking of Xray...
Maybe there's another person that goes with Love, since the others all seem to be people. I've no idea who or what Shaka is...


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## finneyb (15 Dec 2015)

I wonder if you can job share at GCHQ - if so there could be a opening for the ukworkshop consortium 

Brian


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## Bm101 (15 Dec 2015)

Shaka Zulu, famous Zulu warrior king who won some famous battles, using the buffalo horns as his model he encircled his enemies and (very) basically, if memory serves, united Zululand under one king. Possibly for the first time. Memory's a bit vague these days. All that cider. My old fella gave me a book on him years ago. Fascinating man.
Only NATO alphabet name for Love I can find now is Victor. And I resorted to google on that one. Never heard of him personally. 

Re the snooker one: Seeing it as Pi was a bit clever. I had the ball scores worked out but the dash eluded me. (9) Obviously you can't score a nine in snooker. Route I went down was to subtract the last 2 digits 31415-26 which left me 31389 which left me at a loss. I tried various routes on the internet until I got pineappled off and went to bed. 

Im not too bad with language and lateral , but when it comes to numbers I come to a screeching halt so it looks like the game is up for me.
Good luck guys. I'll watch with interest


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

Well I know that Shaka is the odd one out(even if my logic was slightly flawed), as it wouldn't have let me through to the fiendishly difficult next stage otherwise.


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## Bm101 (15 Dec 2015)

ZULU was the 'last' name.


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## Sporky McGuffin (15 Dec 2015)

3D1 - Wassail
3D3 - Stringy?


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## Steve Maskery (15 Dec 2015)

Both had occurred to me, but I do a cryptic every morning and I don't see where sailors come in. In cryptic crosswords, sailors usually mean AB for Able Seaman (why is it not AS?) or RN for Royal Navy. If Wassail is right, Sailors must mean something else here.

Stringy. Again why? It's not an anagram. At least, not perfectly.

There are some clever people in this world. I know my place.

S


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## Sporky McGuffin (15 Dec 2015)

Wassail is in the clue - Withdra*w as sail*ors hold festive sing-song - "hold" indicates that it's that clue type.

Stringy is an anagram of *try* and *sing*, as indicated by "medley", and some violin parts (the strings) are indeed stringy.

I'm through to the next stage now (largely thanks to John Brown) and stumped immediately!


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## Steve Maskery (15 Dec 2015)

Do you know what the DD... answer is? I don't, I just broke it by brute force
S


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## jimmy_s (15 Dec 2015)

Steve - do you mean the last one in part 2?

If its that question - its Santa's reindeer names


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## Steve Maskery (15 Dec 2015)

That did occur to me, but I don't know them, and it was something I thought of when I wa nowhere near a computer...


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

Sung by Gene Autrey, as I mentioned...


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## John Brown (15 Dec 2015)

I confess I never got the Jingle Bells answer(except by brute force, as I got the others). I was looking for something far more complicated than a direct ASCII to decimal thing, probably because:
a) I've been an emedded firmware programmer for nearly 40 years, so that sort of thing seems totally trivial
but
b) I originally learnt the ASCII values as hexadecimal, much easier to convert to binary for observing data streams on the 'scope.

Anyway, I've solved enough of this to satisfy myself that dementia hasn't overtaken me yet, but I would never had had the patience to solve the initial grid problem as Steve did.

Strange mixture of difficult and easy. The semaphore thing was immediately obvious to me, as was the morse code, but the problem with the morse is one of guessing where the inter-character spaces are to arrive at a real word. I thought the phonectic alphabet thing was fairly obvious too, although I still don't know what goes with Love, the Wilde and Beckham gave it away from the start. When I got to part three I didn't have a clue about any except the morse code, so I haven't seen the next part yet.


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## Sporky McGuffin (16 Dec 2015)

I'm happy to post some hints and pointers for part 3 if that's helpful?


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## Dave D (16 Dec 2015)

For Part 4 C ignore the value of the numbers. Rearrange the individual digits until you recognise some patterns.

It is possible that the same would apply to parts A and B but I have failed with those so far.


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## PeterBassett (16 Dec 2015)

I've just started a little script to brute force it. It'll hit all 6*6*6*6*6*6 (46,656) pages in turn and see which one says something other than "Sorry - you did not get all the questions correct."

It's up to 1000 already.

EDIT : I doubt it'll work though. I'de have made all but one path 6 levels deep and the correct path would be 7. Thus all ABCDEF.html pages would give an incorrect answer.

We'll see.

EDIT : Or even just have the last correct link go to a differently named page. That way all the ABCDEF.html pages do answer incorrect. One of them wouldn't be linked to from the others. Umm. Thats stage two then.

Its' up to AEDBFB.html now, 6000 in.


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## PeterBassett (16 Dec 2015)

And we have a winner! It was taking too long so I kicked it off again with 20 threads, starting where it had left off.

The next stages starts with this : 



> Congratulations on solving Part 2 of the Director's puzzle.
> Part 3 consists of four questions. The answer to each puzzle is a single word, which can be used to create a URL.



I'll not publish the url that I found unless people want it. Let me know.

Pete


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## gasman (16 Dec 2015)

I am stuck on 4B
The numbers are all products of various exponentials of prime numbers
eg 101250000 = 2exp4 * 3exp4 * 5exp7
1728000 = 2exp9 * 3exp3 * 5exp3
4900 = 2exp2 * 5exp2 * 7exp2
360 = 2exp3 * 3exp2 * 5exp1
675 = 3exp3 * 5exp2
200 = 2exp3 * 5exp2

But I can't see a pattern in these - and never mind the fact the first 3 are negative values 
It is certainly getting harder!
Mark


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## gasman (16 Dec 2015)

4A is powers of 2 ignoring 2nd digit I think


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## bugbear (16 Dec 2015)

PeterBassett":3u8xn3y8 said:


> I've just started a little script to brute force it. It'll hit all 6*6*6*6*6*6 (46,656) pages in turn and see which one says something other than "Sorry - you did not get all the questions correct."
> 
> It's up to 1000 already.
> 
> ...



I'm surprised that worked - if I was them I'd have put in some IP checking to prevent it, or make it too slow to be useful.

BugBear


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## Racers (16 Dec 2015)

bugbear":10w3391f said:


> PeterBassett":10w3391f said:
> 
> 
> > I've just started a little script to brute force it. It'll hit all 6*6*6*6*6*6 (46,656) pages in turn and see which one says something other than "Sorry - you did not get all the questions correct."
> ...



Won't hacking in to the system give you extra points? in the films it does!

 

Pete


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## PeterBassett (16 Dec 2015)

I'm sure they want people who can come up with answers, regardless of methodology. Brute force is valid when it can be applied effectively.


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## Sporky McGuffin (17 Dec 2015)

gasman":2oam3nu7 said:


> I am stuck on 4B
> The numbers are all products of various exponentials of prime numbers
> eg 101250000 = 2exp4 * 3exp4 * 5exp7
> 1728000 = 2exp9 * 3exp3 * 5exp3
> ...



They are also all squares, ignoring the negatives. Or allowing for complex numbers. I'm not sure that's it though.


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## Sporky McGuffin (17 Dec 2015)

Ah. No. Rounding errors. Don't mind me.


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## Mark-numbers (17 Dec 2015)

I bet they can't hang a door


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## gasman (18 Dec 2015)

Got through to section 5 after finally working out 4b. OMG I have spent so many hours on this thing. Section 5 is on another level though. I don't understand at least half of those. Had been interesting g though. Dying to see how many people do solve it all


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## Sporky McGuffin (18 Dec 2015)

Gizza vague clue for 4B mister!


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## gasman (19 Dec 2015)

I wasn't a million miles away looking at them as sums of different exponentials of small primes
However, each of the numbers is the sum of 3 progressions small numbers (i.e. not necessarily primes) and one of them is a progression which goes from negative to positive - hence the 3 negative numbers to start with


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## Sporky McGuffin (19 Dec 2015)

Ah - I'd been thinking sum of 5 consecutives but hadn't achieved much traction on it. Thanks - I will press on.


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## Steve Maskery (19 Dec 2015)

I know I started all this, but I have to say I am impressed with your tenacity, guys, I gave up ages ago. I was glad just to have done the first couple of pages.


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