▶ DAILY SPAR · 5 MIN
ONE TURN. ONE JUDGE.
A philosopher. A topic. You get one turn. They get one turn. Sonnet calls it on rigor, principle, and engagement — not on whose side won. Refreshes daily at midnight UTC.
▶ TODAY · 2026-07-21FRIENDLY TIER · ELO 1200
You vs Mencius · “When the cashier undercharges you”
You notice the cashier forgot to ring up an item and the total is in your favour — do you say something, or walk?
▸ How you're judgedThe same standard applies to the Daily Spar and the Arena. Tap to read it.
The judge reads the quality of your reasoning — never which side you took. Six things shape every verdict:
- No winner is crowned. Each side is scored on its own merits. The judge names what kind of exchange it was — common ground, distinct positions, or talking past each other — but never declares who won.
- Common ground counts. Converging on a shared view is one of the best possible outcomes, not a draw or a cop-out. The judge actively looks for the ground you share.
- Plain words beat jargon. “If everyone did that, the whole thing falls apart” scores exactly as high as naming the technical principle behind it. You earn points for reasoning, never for vocabulary.
- Five criteria, 1–5 each. Logical validity, premise quality, philosophical rigor, structural elegance, and engagement. Each side totals 5–25.
- The last word is accounted for. Whoever speaks last can raise points the other had no turn to answer. You're judged only on what was on the table when you spoke — never penalised for the format. (In the Daily Spar, the closing turn is always yours.)
- Your rating moves on your own merit. Elo follows how well you argued against what was expected of you — so both players can climb, or both can slip. It is no longer one up, one down.
Context: Nobody would notice if you stayed quiet, which is exactly what makes it a test rather than a transaction. One side says honesty that depends on being watched isn't honesty, and a small windfall doesn't change that; the other says the error is the store's to catch and you owe no one a correction that costs you money.
0 / 14003 of 3 spars left today
Spar costs about 15¢ in AI fees per match. Daily cap of 3 keeps it sustainable while Mull is free. If you want full multi-turn debates with Elo + leaderboard, head to the Arena.