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
- No errors
- Duration
- 3m 42s
- Round cost
- $0.2415 All 12 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 the person currently alive?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person currently alive?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
The official Stephen King website lists a new short story by Stephen King in The Atlantic and latest news posted July 13th, 2026.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for their work in politics or government?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in politics or government?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame in the 1970s with his debut novel Carrie and has since become known as the “King of Horror.”Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King is a prolific American novelist known for blending horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the macabre.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for their work in entertainment (acting, music, film, or television)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in entertainment (acting, music, film, or television)?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is a prolific American novelist known for blending horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the macabre.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame in the 1970s with his debut novel Carrie and has since become known as the “King of Horror.”Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for their work in sports or athletics?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in sports or athletics?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is a prolific American novelist known for blending horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the macabre.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame in the 1970s with his debut novel Carrie and has since become known as the “King of Horror.”Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for their work in business or technology (e.g., as an entrepreneur or executive)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in business or technology (e.g., as an entrepreneur or executive)?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is a prolific American novelist known for blending horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the macabre.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for their work in science, mathematics, or academia?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in science, mathematics, or academia?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen Edwin King is an American author, widely known for his horror fiction and dubbed the "King of Horror."Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a writer or author of books?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a writer or author of books?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame in the 1970s with his debut novel Carrie and has since become known as the “King of Horror.”Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen Edwin King ... is an American author. Dubbed the “King of Horror”, he is widely known for his horror fiction.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for writing fiction (novels or short stories)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for writing fiction (novels or short stories)?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is a prolific American novelist known for blending horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the macabre.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
He is widely known for his horror fiction.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Is the person a woman?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person a woman?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person a citizen of the United States?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person 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 Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for writing horror fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for writing horror fiction?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror fiction.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King is a prolific American novelist known for blending horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the macabre.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King
American author of horror novels such as It, The Shining, and Carrie
Validator rationale The proposed identity matches Stephen King, the American author known for It, The Shining, and Carrie.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author of horror novels such as It, The Shining, and Carrie","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}