diff --git a/python/solution.py b/python/solution.py
index e69de29..4a4fc96 100644
--- a/python/solution.py
+++ b/python/solution.py
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+"""
+Shopify Engineering Internship Playfair Cypher
+Hussein Elguindi
+June 28, 2024
+"""
+
+from string import ascii_uppercase
+from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
+from typing import Final
+from itertools import chain
+
+
+class Cipher(ABC):
+    """
+    An abstract base class defining the basis of cipher implementations
+    
+    Methods:
+        encrypt: accepts a plaintext string and returns the ciphertext
+        decrypt: accepts a ciphertext string and returns the plaintext
+    """
+    @abstractmethod
+    def encrypt(self, plaintext: str) -> str:
+        pass
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def decrypt(self, ciphertext: str) -> str:
+        pass
+
+
+class PlayfairCipher(Cipher):
+    """
+    Implements the Cipher base class for the Playfair cypher scheme
+
+    Methods:
+        encrypt: accepts plaintext and returns the Playfair ciphertext
+        decrypt: accepts Playfair ciphertext and returns the plaintext
+    """
+    def __init__(self, cipher_key: str, dimension: int = 5):
+        """
+        Initializes a new Playfair cipher object
+
+        Attributes:
+            cipher_key: a string consisting of only uppercase ASCII letters
+            dimension: an optional integer defining the side lengths of the cipher key table
+        """
+        if not cipher_key.isalpha() or not cipher_key.isupper():
+            return ValueError("cipher key must consist of only uppercase ASCII letters")
+
+        # An uncommon character (used to separate identical part digrams)
+        # Must not appear in decrypted plaintext
+        self.__none_char: Final[str] = "X"
+        # A pair of characters that should be treated identically
+        self.__identical_chars: Final[tuple[str, str]] = ("I", "J")
+
+        self.__alphabet: Final[str] = ascii_uppercase
+        self.__cipher_key: Final[str] = cipher_key
+        self.__dimension: Final[int] = dimension
+
+        self.__table: list[str]
+        self.__adjacency: dict[str, tuple[int, int]]
+        self.__build_table()
+
+    def __build_table(self):
+        """
+        Builds the cipher key table and adjacency map to be used for encryption/decryption
+        """
+        # The key table
+        self.__table = [""] * (self.__dimension**2)
+        # Stores (row, col) indices of each char in the key table (to optimize searching during encryption/decryption)
+        self.__adjacency = {}
+
+        # Populate the table with the cipher key, followed by the alphabet, without repeated characters
+        table_index = 0
+        for char in chain(self.__cipher_key, self.__alphabet):
+            # The table is filled
+            if table_index >= len(self.__table):
+                break
+
+            # The character was repeated
+            if char in self.__adjacency:
+                continue
+
+            # Only one of the identical characters can appear
+            a, b = self.__identical_chars
+            if (char == a and b in self.__adjacency
+                or char == b and a in self.__adjacency
+            ):
+                continue
+
+            self.__table[table_index] = char
+            # Convert index into (row, col)
+            self.__adjacency[char] = divmod(table_index, self.__dimension)
+            table_index += 1
+
+    def __digrams(self, text: str): # -> Generator[tuple[str, str], Any, None]:
+        """
+        A generator function yielding consecutive digrams from a string
+
+        Args:
+            text: any string
+        """
+        i = 0
+        while i < len(text) - 1:
+            a, b = text[i], text[i + 1]
+
+            # Separate pairs with identical characters using an uncommon character
+            if a == b:
+                yield (a, self.__none_char)
+                # Only increment by 1 to handle the other character in the pair
+                i += 1
+                continue
+
+            yield (a, b)
+            i += 2
+
+        # If the text length is odd, the digram is the last character and an uncommon character
+        if len(text) % 2 == 1:
+            yield (text[-1], self.__none_char)
+
+    def __transform_digram(self, a: str, b: str, diff: int) -> str:
+        """
+        Applies transformations on a digram as described by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playfair_cipher
+        The extent of a transformation can customized using the "diff" attribute
+
+        Attributes:
+            a: the first character of the digram
+            b: the second character of the digram
+            diff: an integer specifying the amount to shift a character when applying a transformation,
+                for a standard Playfair cypher, this is often -1 for decrypt and 1 for encrypt
+        """
+        a_row, a_col = self.__adjacency[a]
+        b_row, b_col = self.__adjacency[b]
+
+        # Wraps an index around the key table dimensions
+        def wrap(i: int):
+            return i % self.__dimension
+
+        # Case 1: the pair appears on the same row
+        if a_row == b_row:
+            offset = a_row * self.__dimension
+            i1, i2 = offset + wrap(a_col + diff), offset + wrap(b_col + diff)
+
+        # Case 2: the pair appears on the same column
+        elif a_col == b_col:
+            i1, i2 = (
+                a_row * self.__dimension + wrap(a_col + diff),
+                b_row * self.__dimension + wrap(b_col + diff),
+            )
+
+        # Case 3: the pair makes a rectangle on the table
+        else:
+            # Swap columns (i.e. get opposite corners on the rectangle)
+            a_col, b_col = b_col, a_col
+            i1, i2 = a_row * self.__dimension + a_col, b_row * self.__dimension + b_col
+
+        return self.__table[i1] + self.__table[i2]
+
+    def encrypt(self, plaintext: str) -> str:
+        # This is similar to the decrypt method except the "diff" parameter for transform_digram should be set to 1. That's all!
+        # Omitted out for the sake of brevity.
+        raise NotImplementedError("not yet implemented!")
+
+    def decrypt(self, ciphertext: str) -> str:
+        """
+        Decrypts ciphertext into plaintext according the Playfair cipher scheme
+
+        Attributes:
+            ciphertext: a string consisting of ASCII letters
+        """
+        if not ciphertext.isalpha():
+            raise ValueError("ciphertext must consist of ASCII letters")
+
+        ciphertext = ciphertext.upper()
+
+        # Ensure that identical characters are treated identically
+        a, b = self.__identical_chars
+        if a in self.__adjacency:
+            ciphertext = ciphertext.replace(b, a)
+        else:
+            ciphertext = ciphertext.replace(a, b)
+
+        # Transforming each digram of the ciphertext yields the plaintext
+        plaintext = "".join(
+            self.__transform_digram(a, b, diff=-1)
+            for a, b in self.__digrams(ciphertext)
+        )
+        # The plaintext is guaranteed to consist of only uppercase ASCII letters
+        return plaintext.replace(self.__none_char, "")
+
+
+def main():
+    cipher_key = "SUPERSPY"
+    ciphertext = "IKEWENENXLNQLPZSLERUMRHEERYBOFNEINCHCV"
+
+    cipher: Cipher = PlayfairCipher(cipher_key)
+    plaintext = cipher.decrypt(ciphertext)
+    print(plaintext)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()