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
- 17
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- Errors found View one example
- Duration
- 3m 6s
- Round cost
- $0.1941 All 18 turns
Format warning
The model sent replies in the wrong format.
The Guesser sent 1 invalid reply. Each one before the question limit used up a counted turn. The model was only reminded of the required format; it was never told whether its question or guess was correct.
- Valid format
- 94.4%
- Format errors
- 1
- Turns used by format errors
- 1
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":"XSZW5TRZ"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Reply in the wrong format.
Invalid action · fixed format reminder sent
Why this reply was rejectedInvalid action · turn 1
The reply was JSON, but it matched neither the ASK nor the GUESS format.
- Recorded type
invalid_action- Turn
- 1
- Counted
- Yes · question 1
- Feedback
- FORMAT_ERROR
{"result":{"action":"ask","question":"Is this person alive today?","name":null,"description":null}}{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"<non-empty yes-or-no property question>"}}{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"<non-empty identifying description>","name":"<non-empty candidate name>","question":null}} A reply must match one of these formats exactly. Text fields in use must not be empty; unused fields must be JSON null.
Is this person alive today?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person alive today?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King | News from 2026Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person male?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person male?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Gender: MaleOpen nndb.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person a citizen of the United States?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person a citizen of the United States?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Citizenship : United StatesOpen en.mediamass.net (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 this person primarily known for a career in politics or government service?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for a career in politics or government service?"}}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 this person primarily known for sports or athletics?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for sports or athletics?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
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 this person primarily known for a career in the entertainment industry, such as acting, music, directing, or comedy?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for a career in the entertainment industry, such as acting, music, directing, or comedy?"}}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 this person primarily known for business, technology, or entrepreneurship?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for business, technology, or entrepreneurship?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
He is best known for his works in the horror and fantasy genres.Open cnn.com (opens in a new tab)
U.S. writer of horror stories.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for work in science, mathematics, medicine, or academic research?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for work in science, mathematics, medicine, or academic research?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
He is best known for his works in the horror and fantasy genres.Open cnn.com (opens in a new tab)
U.S. writer of horror stories.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known as an author, journalist, or writer?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known as an author, journalist, or writer?"}}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)
Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for writing fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for writing fiction?"}}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 whose books are credited with reviving the genre of horror fiction.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
U.S. writer of horror stories... one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for writing horror, science fiction, or fantasy fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for writing horror, science fiction, or fantasy fiction?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
U.S. writer of horror stories... His books blend horror, the macabre, fantasy, and science fiction.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Was this person born before 1960?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was this person born before 1960?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King, (born Sept. 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.)Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Was this person born before 1950?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was this person born before 1950?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King, (born Sept. 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.)Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Was this person born in or after 1945?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was this person born in or after 1945?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King, (born Sept. 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.)Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this author primarily known for horror fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this author primarily known for horror fiction?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
U.S. writer of horror stories.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)
Was this person born in Maine?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was this person born in Maine?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen (Edwin) King, (born Sept. 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.)Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King
American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels
Validator rationale The proposed identity names Stephen King and matches the trusted subject's described American authorship and genres.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}