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 33s
- Round cost
- $0.2227 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":"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 evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Born Stephen Edwin King September 21, 1947 (age 78).Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
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 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.
Born: September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Born: September 21, 1947 Portland, Maine — American authorOpen encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)
Has the person ever held elected public office in the United States?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Has the person ever held elected public office in the United States?"}}Is the person primarily known for work in the entertainment industry, such as film, television, or music?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for work in the entertainment industry, such as film, television, or music?"}}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)
The Author — Stephen KingOpen stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a professional athlete or sports figure?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a professional athlete or sports figure?"}}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 was born in Portland, Maine in 1947 ... he made his first professional short story sale in 1967.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a businessperson, entrepreneur, or corporate executive?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a businessperson, entrepreneur, or corporate executive?"}}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)
Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947...Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for their work in science, mathematics, technology, or medicine?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for their work in science, mathematics, technology, or medicine?"}}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)
American novelist and short-story writer Stephen King ... established his reputation as a master of horror literature.Open kids.britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known as a writer, author, or journalist?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known as a writer, author, or journalist?"}}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)
The Author — Stephen KingOpen stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person primarily known for writing fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person primarily known for writing fiction?"}}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.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)
Has this person written works primarily categorized as science fiction, fantasy, or horror?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Has this person written works primarily categorized as science fiction, fantasy, or horror?"}}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)
Carrie was the first of many novels in which King blended horror, the macabre, fantasy, and science fiction.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Was the person born before 1960?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was the person born before 1960?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Born Stephen Edwin King September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King (born September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.).Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is the person widely known for writing horror fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is the person widely known for writing horror fiction?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
He is widely known for his horror fiction.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King
American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels
Validator rationale The proposed identity names Stephen King and the description matches the trusted American author.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, and fantasy novels","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}