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
- 12
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- No errors
- Duration
- 3m 28s
- Round cost
- $0.2680 All 13 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":"BYOMPCJW"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Q1
1 · Guesser asks
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.
Stephen King recently spoke to The Associated Press about the new film adaptation “The Life of Chuck,” his latest book “Never Flinch” and other topics.Open usnews.com (opens in a new tab)
The official Stephen King website lists a new short story by Stephen King and upcoming projects, including Other Worlds Than These.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q2
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for politics or government?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for politics or government?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
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)
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)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q3
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for sports?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for sports?"}}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.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
He is an American author ... widely known for his horror fiction.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q4
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for 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 entertainment (acting, music, film, or television)?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King is an American novelist known for blending horror, macabre themes, fantasy, and science fiction.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q5
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for business or technology entrepreneurship?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for business or technology entrepreneurship?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
The Author — Stephen Edwin KingOpen stephenking.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)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q6
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for science, mathematics, or academic research?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for science, mathematics, or academic research?"}}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)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q7
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known as a writer or author (books, poetry, journalism)?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a writer or author (books, poetry, journalism)?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
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 horror fiction genre in the late 20th century.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 ... Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q8
1 · Guesser asks
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)
Best Fiction Writer of the YearOpen stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q9
1 · Guesser asks
Does the person write primarily in English?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Does the person write primarily in English?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen Edwin King ... is an American author.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q10
1 · Guesser asks
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)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q11
1 · Guesser asks
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 September 21, 1947) is an American author.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q12
1 · Guesser asks
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)
Now known worldwide for his horror creations in best-selling books and popular film adaptations.Open bloomsbury.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
G
1 · Guesser guessesNot counted
Stephen King
American author of horror novels such as The Shining, It, and Carrie
Validator rationale The proposed identity matches Stephen King, the American horror author, and the description aligns with the trusted subject.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author of horror novels such as The Shining, It, and Carrie","name":"Stephen King","question":null}} 2 · Validator returns Yes