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
- 13
- Outcome
- Solved
- Format errors
- No errors
- Duration
- 3m 14s
- Round cost
- $0.1865 All 14 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":"EAQCORIU"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Q1
1 · Guesser asks
Was the person born in or after the year 1900?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was the person born in or after the year 1900?"}}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.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q2
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person still alive?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person still alive?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
NEW YORK (AP) — 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 apnews.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q3
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person female?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person female?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen Edwin King was born ... the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q4
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for a career in politics or government?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for a career in 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)
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)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q5
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for achievements in sports or athletics?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for achievements in sports or athletics?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
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.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame with his debut novel Carrie and has since become known as the “King of Horror.”Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q6
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for their work in arts, entertainment, or literature?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in arts, entertainment, or literature?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is described in the official press biography as an author whose professional career began with short-story and novel writing.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame with his debut novel Carrie and has since become known as the “King of Horror.”Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q7
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for their work in music?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in music?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King is an American novelist known for blending horror, macabre themes, fantasy, and science fiction.Open britannica.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)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q8
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for their work in 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 film or television?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
American novelist Stephen King.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King ... is now known worldwide for his horror creations in best-selling books and popular film adaptations ... a master of his craft.Open bloomsbury.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns No
Q9
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known as a writer or author?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a writer or author?"}}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)
The Author — Stephen KingOpen stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q10
1 · Guesser asks
Was the person born in the United States?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was the person born in the United States?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Born: Stephen Edwin King, September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q11
1 · Guesser asks
Was the person born before 1950?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was the person born before 1950?"}}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
Was the person born in or after the year 1940?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was the person born in or after the year 1940?"}}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.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
2 · Answer check returns Yes
Q13
1 · Guesser asks
Is the person primarily known for writing in the horror, science fiction, or fantasy genres?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for writing in the horror, science fiction, or fantasy genres?"}}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 and has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy.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 Yes
G
1 · Guesser guessesNot counted
Stephen King
American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels
Validator rationale The proposed identity exactly matches Stephen King, the trusted subject, and the description is consistent.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels","name":"Stephen King","question":null}} 2 · Validator returns Yes