Not a sudoku, but still fun?

Context:
I was trying to solve some of the puzzles on this site, when it occurred to me to make a puzzle variant myself.
I immediately could construct one with my additional rule. Making an interesting one was harder, but I succeeded.
I was unsure whether this was actually fun to solve so I gave it to my test panel first. However, I know little more than the internet names of my contestants.

What I want you to figure out:

What are the real names of my top contestants?
What kind of game did I make?
Can you make such a puzzle for 10; can you for 11? 1 answer here is enough, bonus points for both answers.

Some information about my test panel:
Gold went to Anna. She is a real thinker, so it should not be a surprise that number 1 is all she is.
Victor ended second place. He is number two all the time. Well, except once, but that is beside the point.
Number 3 calls himself Ivan. He is unrelated to Anna and Victor. He is really into sudokus. He is a bit random but always ends up in the top 10.

Tactical tip from Anna:
Divide and conquer, that is what I use.
Victor is a scrawny fanatic vegetarian; Ivan likes his meat and has a lot of meat on his body to show for it. Obviously that shows in what they stand for; I use that to make sure they do not cooperate against me.

Time for some hints to get started:

Note: This first multilayered puzzle of mine does not seem to attract answers or many votes. Maybe I am just impatient, but any partial answers will be appreciated, even if only for me to figure out what is blocking.

Some additional hints:

New hint: