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
- 10
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- No errors
- Duration
- 4m 3s
- Round cost
- $0.1090 All 11 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":"BKXG3AZI"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Is this person still alive today?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person still alive today?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King’s official website lists news posted February 4th, 2026, including “Stephen's Post on Twitter.”Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King's official website lists 2026 news posts, including an item posted April 16th, 2026.Open 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 primarily known for work in entertainment (film, television, or music)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for work in entertainment (film, television, or music)?"}}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)
Best-selling author Stephen King has penned more than 50 novels and hundreds of short stories; many were adapted into feature films and television series.Open mylifetime.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for their involvement in sports?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for their involvement in sports?"}}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)
He 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 business or technology (e.g., as an entrepreneur or executive)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for business or technology (e.g., as an entrepreneur or executive)?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Here’s a look at the life of best-selling author Stephen King... He is best known for his works in the horror and fantasy genres.Open cnn.com (opens in a new tab)
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 politics or government service?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for politics or government service?"}}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 ... a prolific writer of enormously popular books ... one of the world’s best-selling writers.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
His primary occupation is a novelist.Open thefactsite.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known as a writer or author?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known as a writer or author?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
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)
Is this person American (a citizen of the United States)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person American (a citizen of the United States)?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
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)
Stephen King ... Author 2014 National Medal of Arts Recipient Bangor, Maine.Open arts.gov (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for writing fiction (novels or short stories)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for writing fiction (novels or short stories)?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
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)
Is this person best known for writing in a genre such as horror, fantasy, science fiction, or thriller (rather than literary fiction)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person best known for writing in a genre such as horror, fantasy, science fiction, or thriller (rather than literary fiction)?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
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)
Stephen King
American author famous for horror novels such as It, The Shining, and Carrie
Validator rationale The proposed identity matches Stephen King, the American author associated with It, The Shining, and Carrie.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author famous for horror novels such as It, The Shining, and Carrie","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}