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
- 11
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- Errors found View one example
- Duration
- 4m 16s
- Round cost
- $0.1502 All 12 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
- 91.7%
- 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.
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.
Post your questions for Stephen KingOpen theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
In recent years, however, King and his wife of over 50 years, Tabitha, have split their time between other propertiesOpen architecturaldigest.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person best known as a politician or head of state/government?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known as a politician or head of state/government?"}}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)
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 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 best known as an athlete or sports figure?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known as an athlete or sports figure?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
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)
Is the person best known for work in film or television acting?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known for work in film or television acting?"}}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 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)
Is the person best known as a musician, singer, or musical performer?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known as a musician, singer, or musical performer?"}}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 is a 'New York Times'-bestselling novelist who made his name in the horror and fantasy genres.Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person best known for work in business, technology, or entrepreneurship?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known for work in 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 the person best known as an author, writer, or poet?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known as an author, writer, or poet?"}}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 a 'New York Times'-bestselling novelist who made his name in the horror and fantasy genres.Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person American?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person American?"}}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.), U.S. writer of horror stories.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Reply in the wrong format.
Invalid action · fixed format reminder sent
Why this reply was rejectedInvalid action · turn 10
The reply was JSON, but it matched neither the ASK nor the GUESS format.
- Recorded type
invalid_action- Turn
- 10
- Counted
- Yes · question 10
- Feedback
- FORMAT_ERROR
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known for writing fiction novels?","name_computed":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 the person best known for horror or supernatural fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person best known for horror or supernatural fiction?"}}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)
Stephen (Edwin) King ... U.S. writer of horror stories.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King
Living American male author best known for horror and supernatural fiction novels such as Carrie, The Shining, and It.
Validator rationale The proposed identity matches Stephen King, including the name, nationality, profession, genre, and cited works.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"Living American male author best known for horror and supernatural fiction novels such as Carrie, The Shining, and It.","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}