Chapter 1

Mike: Happy New Year. Ready for a new round of puzzles? This one's a bit wordy, but I think you'll like it.

The image consists of several lines of black text on a white background. The lines consisting of four question marks are highlighted.

**** Turing
Unfortunately
Money or food given, often as charity
Upper limbs
Crafty creative pursuits
What somebody does on stage
FR****L - a mathematically complicated geometrical figure
????
After Seps but before Novs
Deeds, not words
V*R*A*ION* - a type of calculus
Targets or goals
A***O*ITY - strong hatred
Slang for tasty food?
A****LOUS - unexpected
????
Da Vinci's Lisa?
A member of a religious order
Make fun of
A leaf that cures nettle stings
A floor of a ship
????
****N - type of nut
Something a chicken might do
The top of a mountain
A type of decayed plant matter, sometimes used as fuel
Excellent (slang)
????
An informal conversation
A warm piece of clothing
A small ship
Rhythm
**** and tidy
????
Small lizard

The image above contains a hidden question. Please enter the answer to the question in the box below. If the answer is a number please enter it using numerals rather than words.

To deter guessing without thinking, we ask that you also solve the following simple arithmetic problem before checking your answer:

What is 7 + 4 + 9?

This problem was first solved on Mon 12th January at 4:07:37pm

Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2026 is organised by the The Department of Mathematics at The University of Manchester.
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