Look-Ahead & Planning
📋 What it is
Look-ahead means planning several moves in advance instead of reacting to one move at a time (like Rush Hour).
🗣️ Coach says
In Rush Hour you slide cars to free the red one. If you just make the first move that “feels free”, you get stuck. Winners look several moves ahead: “to move this, I first need to clear that.” Plan the chain, then act.
🧠 Memory hook
Don’t take the first free move — plan the whole chain, then start.
😂 Giggle
Why did the puzzle piece feel incomplete?
Because it was searching for where it fit in!
😲 Whoa!
Rush Hour has puzzles that need 50+ moves to solve, and the hardest ones fool people precisely because the RIGHT first move often looks like it makes things worse.
✅ Quick check: Why can the best first move sometimes look like it makes the puzzle worse?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Because you may need to move a piece AWAY first to clear the path later — planning ahead reveals it, reacting doesn’t.
Look-ahead sees moves that only pay off several steps later.
🪄 Trick question: Is grabbing the first available move always the fastest way to solve a planning puzzle?
Careful — think it through, then reveal.
No — greedy first moves often trap you; the shortest solution can require an unhelpful-looking first move.
Greedy choices ignore future consequences that look-ahead catches.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
In any sliding puzzle, before touching a piece, say the next THREE moves aloud. Then check if they worked.