Game Playing Algorithms are a class of AI algorithms used to determine the best possible move for a player in a competitive environment (games). These algorithms simulate different game states to find a strategy that maximizes the player’s chance of winning while minimizing the opponent’s chances.

They are used in:

  • Turn-based games like Chess, Tic-Tac-Toe, Checkers, etc.

  • Often based on adversarial search and minimax strategy.


Key Concepts

  1. Two-player game (MAX vs MIN player)

  2. Game Tree – Represents all possible moves from a current state.

  3. Minimax Algorithm – Chooses the move that maximizes the player’s minimum gain (assuming opponent plays optimally).

  4. Alpha-Beta Pruning – Optimizes minimax by eliminating branches that don’t affect the final decision.