Decision Trees & Planning Ahead
📋 What it is
A decision tree maps "if I do this, they do that, then…" — thinking ahead by branching out the possibilities.
🗣️ Coach says
Planning ahead is really building a TREE in your head: "if I move here, they can reply A or B; if A, then I…". Each choice branches into responses. You don't need to see every branch — just the important ones a couple of moves deep. This is the heart of strategic thinking.
🧠 Memory hook
If I…, they…, then I… Branch out the key replies a couple of moves deep.
😂 Giggle
What did the checkers piece say when it reached the other side?
"King me — I've earned my crown!"
😲 Whoa!
The same "decision tree" you use to plan a chess move is exactly how game-playing computers work — they just search far more branches than a human can.
✅ Quick check: What is a "decision tree" in strategy?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
A branching map of possibilities — "if I do this, they respond that, then…" — used to think a few moves ahead before choosing.
A decision tree lays out each move and its likely replies for planning.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
For one move in any game, write out "if I do X, they can do A or B" — your first decision tree.