min-max search
Conspiracy numbers for min-max search
A new procedure is presented for growing min-max game trees. In large games, such as chess, decisions must be based on incomplete search trees. The new tree-growth procedure is based on “conspiracy numbers” as a measure of the accuracy of the root minimax value of an incomplete tree. Conspiracy numbers measure the number of leaf nodes whose value must change in order to change the minimax root value by a given amount. Trees are grown in a way that maximizes the conspiracy required to change the root value.