Well, I thought I could easily get an answer to this question. But as I went back and forth from articles to videos to a series of coding meditations,

Minimax Algorithm Guide: How to Create an Unbeatable AI

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2021-06-09 09:30:09

Well, I thought I could easily get an answer to this question. But as I went back and forth from articles to videos to a series of coding meditations, I only succeeded in becoming more confused.

A minimax algorithm is a recursive program written to find the best gameplay that minimizes any tendency to lose a game while maximizing any opportunity to win the game.

Graphically, we can represent minimax as an exploration of a game tree's nodes to discover the best game move to make. In such a case, the tree's root is the game's current state — where the minimax algorithm got invoked.

Our focus in this guide is to use minimax to create an unbeatable AI for a tic-tac-toe game. However, you can also use it for complex games, like chess, and general decision-making to resolve any uncertainties.

In most cases, the player that initially invokes minimax is called the maximizing player. In other words, the original invocator of minimax is the player that wants to maximize any opportunity to win the game.