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
- 2m 9s
- Round cost
- $0.1129 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":"XSZW5TRZ"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Did this character originate in a video game developed by a Japanese company or studio?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Did this character originate in a video game developed by a Japanese company or studio?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Donkey Kong, originally released in 1981 by the Japanese Nintendo Company Ltd., marked the first appearance of Jumpman, better known as Mario.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Was this character originally introduced in a game published by Nintendo?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was this character originally introduced in a game published by Nintendo?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Donkey Kong, originally released in 1981 by Nintendo, featured Jumpman, better known as Mario.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Did this character make their first appearance in a video game released before the year 2000?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Did this character make their first appearance in a video game released before the year 2000?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
It is ... Mario's first appearance in a video game.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Miyamoto’s game featured a carpenter named Jumpman ... Prior to "Donkey Kong"’s 1981 release...Open history.com (opens in a new tab)
Did this character originate in the Mario franchise, including Donkey Kong, Yoshi, or Wario series?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Did this character originate in the Mario franchise, including Donkey Kong, Yoshi, or Wario series?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Mario debuted as the player character of Donkey Kong, a 1981 platform game.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Originally a second banana character in 'Donkey Kong' in 1981, Mario went on to conquer the video game world.Open history.com (opens in a new tab)
Did this character make their first appearance in a video game released in the 1980s or earlier?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Did this character make their first appearance in a video game released in the 1980s or earlier?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Mario first appeared in 1981, in the Donkey Kong game for Arcade, as a carpenter named "Jumpman".Open donkeykong.fandom.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this character typically depicted as a human?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this character typically depicted as a human?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
“Is Mario human?” — “Mario is human.”Open nintendosoup.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this character female?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this character female?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Meet Mario, the mustached hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. You may know him as a famous plumber, but he's also a kart racer, sports star, caped hero, and more!Open mario.nintendo.com (opens in a new tab)
He uses his masterful jumping ability and a variety of power-ups to take on his archrival, Bowser.Open mario.nintendo.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this character typically depicted wearing a green hat or shirt?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this character typically depicted wearing a green hat or shirt?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
He wears a long-sleeved red shirt ... and a red cap with a red “M” printed on a white circle.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Is this character typically depicted wearing a red cap or red shirt?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this character typically depicted wearing a red cap or red shirt?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Mario wearing his trademark outfit, consisting of a red shirt, a red cap, blue overalls with yellow buttons, white gloves, and brown shoes.Open mariowiki.com (opens in a new tab)
He wears a long-sleeved red shirt ... and a red cap with a red "M" printed on a white circle.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Mario
The iconic red-capped Italian plumber protagonist of Nintendo's Super Mario franchise.
Validator rationale The proposed identity matches Mario, the Nintendo video-game character, including the franchise and defining description.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"The iconic red-capped Italian plumber protagonist of Nintendo's Super Mario franchise.","name":"Mario","question":null}}