zapjam
Debate Court
Argue · Persuade · Win points
Argue a Claim. Rebut an AI. Hear the verdict.
Play full screenFree · no account · 5–15 min
12 Ages 12+ · Controversial topics · AI-written replies · Online leaderboard · Friend requests · Your text is sent to an AI · Debates can be published
The Claim
Pick a Claim and a side
Debate Court is a debate game you play against AI: pick a Claim and a side, choose your opponent, and argue it out in four timed turns — in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian or Brazilian Portuguese.
One from Science, Philosophy, Politics or Everyday Life, a random draw, or the Claim of the week taken from the news. An opening each, then a rebuttal each, with PRO always speaking first.
Four timed turns
PRO always speaks first
- 1 · PRO Opening 90 seconds · 2,400 characters
- 2 · CON Response 90 seconds · 2,400 characters
- 3 · PRO Rebuttal 45 seconds · 1,200 characters
- 4 · CON Rebuttal 45 seconds · 1,200 characters
On a touch screen your clocks run longer — 2 minutes for an opening, 1 minute for a rebuttal — because thumbs type slower than keyboards.
The opponents
Three voices across the room
Sam Quibble Easy
Eager, scattered, argues from anecdote. Beatable — and he knows it.
Win bonus +3
Mei Point Medium
Sharp, quick and civil. She goes after your argument, hard.
Win bonus +10 · difficulty bonus +2
Max Rebuttal Hard
Warm, gracious — and he will build your argument better than you did, then take it apart.
Win bonus +20 · difficulty bonus +6
Court is in session. Here is how I score a debate.
The judge
A blind verdict
Judge Honoria does not know which side is human or which opponent you picked. She scores logic, evidence, rebuttal quality and rhetoric, and every factual claim either side makes is checked with web search.
| Criterion | PRO | CON |
|---|---|---|
| Logic | 8 | 6 |
| Evidence | 7 | 8 |
| Rebuttal quality | 9 | 5 |
| Rhetoric | 7 | 7 |
| Total | 31 | 26 |
The coaching
One thing to do next time
Her verdict quotes the sentence that did most for you, the one that cost you most, and one thing to do next time. Rather watch? Pick two AI debaters and a Claim, or sign in and write your own, and let them argue it out.
- Your strongest line “Their own figure counts arrivals, not admissions — which is the number my case turns on.”
- What cost you most “Everyone knows this is how it works.”
- Next time Answer their strongest point first, then build. Cite one figure you can source.
From the courtroom
One debate, start to verdict
How to play
How to play Debate Court
- Pick a Claim and a side, PRO or CON, then choose Sam, Mei or Max as your opponent.
- Your clock starts on the button that names your turn — Start my 90-second opening, Start my 45-second rebuttal and the like, pressed when you are ready — then type your case: 90 seconds and 2,400 characters for an opening, 45 seconds and 1,200 for a rebuttal (2 minutes and 1 minute on a phone).
- When the clock runs out your text is sent as it stands; End turn sends it early, and an empty box forfeits the turn.
- Your opponent's turns are not on a clock — read or listen, then start your own turn when you are ready.
- Hear the verdict: four criteria, ten points each, and the higher total wins. You bank your total plus a difficulty bonus (none against Sam, 2 against Mei, 6 against Max), so a good argument banks the same whoever hears it, and a win adds 3 against Sam, 10 against Mei or 20 against Max.
Controls
On a computer. Type in the box; End turn or Ctrl+Enter (⌘+Enter on a Mac) sends it early. Esc pauses your clock.
On a phone. Type in the box and tap End turn to send it early. Your clocks run longer — 2 minutes for an opening, 1 minute for a rebuttal — because thumbs type slower than keyboards.
Leaderboard
Worth up to 5,000 zaps
Your best single debate is what counts.
Sign in with a free zapjam account and every debate you finish banks points on the leaderboard — all time and this week, filterable by category and Claim, with your own rank on it. Challenge a friend to beat you, and bring the debates you played as a guest on this browser with you when you sign in. Playing never needs an account.
There is no way to submit a score: the server's own judge reads the transcript and awards the points, so the only way up the board is to argue better.
Questions about Debate Court
- Is Debate Court free to play?
- Yes. Debate Court is free in your browser, on a computer or a phone: no download, no ads, and no account needed to play. Writing your own Claim for two AI debaters to argue needs a free zapjam account.
- How does a debate in Debate Court work?
- Pick a Claim and a side, choose an AI opponent, and argue it out in four timed turns: an opening each, then a rebuttal each, with PRO always speaking first.
- Can I play Debate Court in other languages?
- Yes. Debate Court plays in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese: pick one from the language button at the top right of the start screen, and your opponent argues, and Judge Honoria scores, coaches and speaks, in that language. Every language shares one leaderboard.
- Who judges the debate?
- Judge Honoria, who does not know which side is human or which opponent you picked. She scores logic, evidence, rebuttal quality and rhetoric, and every factual claim either side makes is checked with web search.
- How hard are the AI opponents?
- Sam Quibble is eager and argues from anecdote, Mei Point is sharp and quick, and Max Rebuttal will build your case better than you did, then take it apart. A difficulty bonus evens out what you bank, so a good argument banks the same whoever hears it, and beating a harder opponent pays a bigger win bonus.
- Can I play Debate Court on a phone?
- Yes. Type in the box and tap End turn to send it early. On a phone your clocks run longer — 2 minutes for an opening, 1 minute for a rebuttal — because thumbs type slower than keyboards.
- Can I use Debate Court to practice debating?
- Yes: every debate you argue is practice against an AI opponent. You type an opening and a rebuttal against the clock, a blind judge scores your logic, evidence, rebuttal and rhetoric, and her verdict quotes the sentence that did most for you and the one that cost you most, with one thing to do next time. It plays in six languages, so it also works as practice arguing in English or German.
- Can I pick my own topic?
- Yes, for an AI exhibition: you can watch two AI debaters argue any Claim in the game, and with a free zapjam account you can write your own Claim for them to argue while you watch. A court clerk checks every Claim first and turns away anything unsafe or not arguable. Your own debates against the AI use the Claims in the game, which the leaderboard is built on.
