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
- 9
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- No errors
- Duration
- 5m 9s
- Round cost
- $0.1485 All 10 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":"video_game_character","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 character a playable protagonist in their main game series?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the character a playable protagonist in their main game series?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
All games feature Mario as the protagonist, who is often accompanied by one or more playable characters.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Mario is often the main and only playable protagonist in the earlier games ... Mario is playable along others.Open mario.fandom.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the character human?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the character human?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Miyamoto described Mario as “a person who will never hurt any other people.”Open syfy.com (opens in a new tab)
It stars Mario and Luigi, two Italian plumbers who find themselves in the Mushroom Kingdom.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the character male?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the character male?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Mario ... "he's" more popular than ever.Open bbc.com (opens in a new tab)
Nintendo's iconic video game character ... the mustachioed man.Open scrippsnews.com (opens in a new tab)
Did the character first appear in a game released before the year 2000?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Did the character first appear in a game released before the year 2000?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Mario was actually first introduced to the world in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong.Open bbc.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Was the character created by a Japanese company?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was the character created by a Japanese company?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Mario, a character created by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto... Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, JapanOpen upi.com (opens in a new tab)
Does the character primarily wield a sword as their weapon?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Does the character primarily wield a sword as their weapon?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
The Masher is a hammer weapon for Mario in Super Mario RPG.Open mariowiki.com (opens in a new tab)
Fire Mario has the added ability to shoot fireballs.Open ign.com (opens in a new tab)
Does the character regularly use firearms?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Does the character regularly use firearms?"}}Is the character a martial artist who primarily fights hand-to-hand?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the character a martial artist who primarily fights hand-to-hand?"}}Did the character first appear in a platform game?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Did the character first appear in a platform game?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Before Mario was Mario, he was Jumpman... Jumpman's first appearance was in Donkey Kong, described as the first of the so-called platform games.Open time.com (opens in a new tab)
The original Donkey Kong featured... Jumpman, better known as Mario... Users navigated an extensive series of levels using timely jumps and ladder-climbing skills.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Mario
Nintendo's mustachioed Italian plumber, hero of the Super Mario series who first appeared in Donkey Kong (1981).
Validator rationale The proposal identifies Mario, the Nintendo video-game character, matching the trusted subject.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"Nintendo's mustachioed Italian plumber, hero of the Super Mario series who first appeared in Donkey Kong (1981).","name":"Mario","question":null}}