The official Challenge 9A hints thread

[Harry]

This is where Harry and Jodie will post official hints for Challenge 9A. You can try posting your own if you like, but try to make them interesting. Solutions or complete answers are not so much fun. We reserve the right not to post anything that we think gives too much away, but you won’t be in trouble for posting here. (Anywhere else though and watch out! The Elves will find you!)

[Jeffery_Bezos_the_second]

hi

[Hi! Having fun? Harry]

[10_F0X35]

Can we have a hint about ciphers that have been featured on the NCC before or does that give too much away?

[This sounds like a question for madness. Harry]

[LeepOfFaith]

Help us please Harry can you give us a hint?

[Have posted a couple already. More to follow over the weekend! Have fun, Harry]

[OhIDontThinkSo]

Hi! Check out the tips for 9A. New cipher for this year!

[CodeKitten]

The puns in the well done message are truly hilarious

[Hope you didn’t mind me fixing the spelling for you. Harry]

[Loa7er]

I think this one is a huge apex to overcome.

[CipherUnderground]

Hi Harry, having lots of fun! This challenge made us feel a bit like Sisyphus but we got there in the end. 🙂

[Michael_A-A]

This didn’t have quite as many ups and downs as I had initially assumed it would…

[I_am_Sid]

Hard work going up! Any chance 9A contains a clue for 9B????

[Ainz]

which previous years has this cipher appeared in, if you would like to not be specific then can we at least have a range

[solitaire]

is it something related to a grid?

[Rincewind]

There seems to be something very… comedic about the combination of encipherer and cipher for this challenge.

[frazza238]

For the type of cipher, look at the title. What can you go up and down on.

[BobD]

How many others thought that “Ups and downs” was indicating a Railfence cipher? Wrong!!

[Author]

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