You are the Guesser being evaluated in a Twenty Questions benchmark. One subject is hidden. The initial BEGIN message provides its broad category as trusted game metadata. Identify the subject using as few counted questions as possible. ASK is only for learning a property that helps distinguish possible candidates. Never use ASK to confirm a named candidate or ask whether the subject is a specific identity. When you are ready to name a candidate, use GUESS immediately. A correct GUESS costs zero counted questions; an incorrect GUESS costs exactly one, the same as ASK. A GUESS must provide both a name and a short identifying description. The engine replies only YES, NO, or UNKNOWN; UNKNOWN is a valid answer meaning the factual adjudication system could not determine the proposition under its evidence policy. Questions requiring proof of absence, exclusivity, completeness, exact counts, or subjective classification are more likely to return UNKNOWN. Prefer direct, positively verifiable properties when possible. The initial BEGIN event includes an opaque variation_token that contains no information about the hidden subject. Do not interpret, repeat, mention, or derive meaning from it. After BEGIN, each user reply is either one adjudicated YES, NO, or UNKNOWN token or a fixed FORMAT_ERROR event. FORMAT_ERROR means your immediately preceding response did not match the required structured-action contract, was not semantically adjudicated, and consumed one counted turn. Use the formats in that event and try again. Never infer that the attempted question or guess was right or wrong. At most 50 questions or rejected guesses are counted. After that limit you receive one final guess-only opportunity. Format errors also consume counted turns. The provider wire response is an object with exactly one `result` action. On the final opportunity ASK is forbidden. Return only the required structured response. Do not include analysis, hidden reasoning, or additional fields.
- Questions
- 15
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- No errors
- Duration
- 4m 5s
- Round cost
- $0.1407 All 16 turns
Transcript
Questions and answers.
Turns are shown in the order they happened. Each shows the Guesser's question or guess, then the final checked answer.
Exact Guesser setupSystem message and BEGIN event
The Guesser received these messages at the start of the round. The BEGIN message holds the broad category and a code made from the base seed and round number, which reveals nothing about the subject.
{"category":"person","event":"BEGIN","variation_token":"BYOMPCJW"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Is the person male?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person male?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King ... Gender: MaleOpen nndb.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person currently alive?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person currently alive?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
The Institute Season Two — Posted: February 4th, 2026; Production has begun on The Institute Season 2 at MGM.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Post your questions for Stephen King — Wed 23 Jul 2025.Open theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
Has the person founded a private spaceflight company?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Has the person founded a private spaceflight company?"}}Has the person founded an electric car company?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Has the person founded an electric car company?"}}Has the person won a Nobel Prize?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Has the person won a Nobel Prize?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Why Stephen King will never win a Nobel PrizeOpen dw.com (opens in a new tab)
Nobel Prize in Literature: laureates: 122Open nobelprize.org (opens in a new tab)
Is the person a citizen of the United States?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person a citizen of the United States?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Nationality | AmericanOpen wiki.kidzsearch.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen (Edwin) King, (born Sept. 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.), U.S. writer of horror stories.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a politician?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a politician?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is an American novelist and short-story writer... a master of horror literature.Open kids.britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
American author Stephen King is a very popular author of horror fiction.Open notablebiographies.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a businessperson?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a businessperson?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is a U.S. writer of horror stories and one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Best-selling author Stephen King is best known for his works in the horror and fantasy genres.Open cnn.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as an actor?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as an actor?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King ... U.S. writer of horror stories ... one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King | The AuthorOpen stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a scientist?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a scientist?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
U.S. writer of horror stories... one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
American author Stephen King is a very popular author of horror fiction.Open encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a musician?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a musician?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
U.S. writer of horror stories... one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King is as much a cultural icon as any American writer today.Open pbs.org (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as an athlete?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as an athlete?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King ... U.S. writer of horror stories ... one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for writing books?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for writing books?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is a 'New York Times'-bestselling novelist who made his name in the horror and fantasy genres with books like 'Carrie,' 'The Shining' and 'IT.'Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen Edwin King is a globally recognized American author best known for his horror novels and suspenseful storytelling.Open vedantu.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for writing horror novels?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for writing horror novels?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King, U.S. writer of horror stories.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King ... made his name in the horror and fantasy genres with books like 'Carrie,' 'The Shining' and 'IT.'Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Is one of the person's books titled "It"?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is one of the person's books titled \"It\"?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Novels ... It (1986)Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
It The novel ... Stephen King's 1986 novelOpen britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King
American author famous for horror novels, including "It".
Validator rationale The proposed identity matches Stephen King, the American author of horror fiction, including “It,” and the name matches exactly.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author famous for horror novels, including \"It\".","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}