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 55s
- Round cost
- $0.2547 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":"BYOMPCJW"}Valid replies are shown in the required format. Rejected replies are shown separately, without provider or call IDs.
Is this person alive?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person alive?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King recently spoke to The Associated Press about the film adaptation of “The Life of Chuck,” his latest book “Never Flinch” and other topics.Open usnews.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person female?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this 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 this person an American citizen?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person an American citizen?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King — Born: September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine — American author.Open encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King (born September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.).Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this 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 this 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 Edwin King ... is an American author ... 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)
Has this person ever held elected public office in the United States?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Has this person ever held elected public office in the United States?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
King’s no politician, but he is a politically active Democrat.Open centralmaine.com (opens in a new tab)
Political office is one horror story that even Stephen King doesn’t want to do.Open sunjournal.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for their career in sports?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for their career in sports?"}}Oracle evidence3 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
The official Stephen King website identifies him as “The Author” and documents his professional writing career.Open stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Britannica describes Stephen King as 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 and has also explored suspense, crime, science fiction, and fantasy.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Is this person widely known as a businessperson, entrepreneur, or corporate executive?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person widely known as a businessperson, entrepreneur, or corporate executive?"}}Oracle evidence3 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)
The official site identifies Stephen King as “The Author” and describes his professional career in writing novels and short stories.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)
Is this person primarily known as a scientist, mathematician, or academic?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known as a scientist, mathematician, or academic?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King — American novelist.Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King is a very popular author of horror fiction.Open encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known as a writer, author, or journalist?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this 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.
Best-selling author Stephen King rose to fame in the 1970s with his debut novel Carrie.Open biography.com (opens in a new tab)
Stephen King | The AuthorOpen stephenking.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for writing fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this 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 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 and has also explored other genres.Open en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)
Is this person primarily known for writing speculative fiction, such as science fiction, fantasy, or horror?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this person primarily known for writing speculative fiction, such as science fiction, fantasy, or horror?"}}Oracle evidence2 model-reported sources
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
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)
Was this person born before 1960?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Was this person born before 1960?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
The Oracle reported these excerpts and URLs. They are not independently checked.
Stephen King (born September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, U.S.).Open britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Is this author primarily known for writing horror fiction?
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"ASK","description":null,"name":null,"question":"Is this author primarily known for writing horror fiction?"}}Oracle evidence1 model-reported source
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
American author of horror, supernatural fiction, and suspense novels
Validator rationale The proposed identity names Stephen King and matches the trusted subject's description as an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, and suspense.
Recorded Guesser outputRequired JSON format
{"result":{"action":"GUESS","description":"American author of horror, supernatural fiction, and suspense novels","name":"Stephen King","question":null}}