In its latest puzzle book – the organization has previously published two for adults – children will be tested on languages, mechanics, code-breaking, analysis, maths, coding and cyber security. Puzzles for Spies is intended to inspire the next generation of UK agents, GCHQ said. It has also released a brainteaser to test the country’s espionage capabilities. People are asked to color in a bowl of fruit using only four colors so that the pear is green, the orange is orange, the apple is red and the banana is yellow. But no two touching shapes can be the same color, illustrating a theory from 1852 that suggests that no more than four colors are required to color an image, so that no two touching shapes are the same color. GCHQ’s unofficial chief riddler, who identified himself only as Colin, said: “You don’t have to be a quiz champion, or even top of the class, to work at GCHQ. “You just have to have an interest in discovering things and an infectious curiosity. This is why so many of us love puzzles so much. “We don’t spend all our time making puzzles and completing crosswords, but creating and solving puzzles in our spare time requires the same skills our teams use when they tackle new problems in different and inventive ways to help keep the nation. It’s also a lot of fun.” The agency said last month it wanted to boost the number of female coders in its ranks and needed to improve diversity to address threats ranging from foreign states to children’s online safety.
