Guest article for the 4th Estate Website
Cipher Challenge Update 4
July 2000

When my publishers asked me to write an essay on the subject of the Cipher Challenge for their website, I must admit to feeling somewhat dubious. As long as the Cipher Challenge is still ongoing, it is difficult to write much that is particularly interesting, because at all times I have to be careful not to give away any clues. Nevertheless, working within the obvious constraints, I will attempt to address a couple of the questions that people often ask.

For those who do not know about the Cipher Challenge, it consists of ten encrypted messages at the end of my book about the history of cryptography, "The Code Book". Having learnt about the secrets of codebreaking, I thought that some readers might enjoy trying to decipher some encrypted messages. To make it a little more interesting, I have offered a prize of £10,000 for the first person to crack all ten messages.

The question that I am most often asked is: "Who is paying the £10,000?" The answer is me, the author. The next question invariably is: "Are the codes so difficult that nobody can crack them and claim the money?" No ... at least I do not think so. In any case, I have stated in the rules of the contest that if the entire Challenge has not been completed by 1 January 2010 then the money will be given to whoever has got furthest quickest. I hope and expect that the money will be won before that date. Having mentioned the prize, I would emphasise that the main goal for any codebreaker should be the challenge of decipherment. Readers who attack the stages will experience the thrill and satisfaction of cracking a code, whether or not they win the prize. And I would hope that all readers attempt to decipher at least a few of the stages, especially as the early stages are certainly aimed at the beginner. The middle stages are intended for the intermediate codebreaker and the later stages are for the truly determined.

As I said, there is not much that I can say about the Cipher Challenge, but I will finish by pointing you towards a website where you can find more information. Challengers have formed a group at the eGroups website, which now has 1,700 members, including schoolchildren, amateur codebreakers, beginners, enthusiasts and professionals. Members of the group exchanges e-mails on a daily basis, offering hints, tips, ideas, support and some lighter comments about the joys and sorrows of codebreaking. 

If you decide to take up the Cipher Challenge or are already ploughing through the stages then may I wish you the best of luck. I hope that you will enjoy many minutes, hours, or weeks of happy cracking.

Ps. When the Cipher Challenge has been completed, I intend to work with the successful codebreaker to write a proper essay about the Challenge, describing how each stage was constructed and broken.

PPs. On the rare occasion that I say or write anything about the Cipher Challenge, invariably there are challengers who search for clues in the hope that I have dropped a sneaky hint. In fact, I am far too boring and not cunning enough to do this. Please do not bother scrutinising this essay for hidden clues, because I can assure you that there is nothing to find!