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From the starting position there are 20 possible moves (2 for each of 8 pawns and 2 for each knight). From there the number of permutations increases dramatically. Information theorist Claude Shannon estimated the total number of positions at 10^43, and with there being an average of 35 moves for each side per position, this makes the game tree in the order of 10^123.

This is only positions, though. Since completely different potential move orders can create the same position, this makes the number of iterations much higher. After 1 (2 ply) move by each side, the number is 400 possible move combinations (20 * 20 400). After just 4 moves(8 ply), the number is over 197,000. At 10 moves (20 ply) it grows to 8.350e+28. The number of distinct games, therefore, is unbounded and grows exponentially assuming no threefold repetition and no 50 move rule. Including these two conditions limits the upper possibility at around 366 ply (or 183 full moves).

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9y ago
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13y ago

There literally is an infinite number of moves possible.

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15y ago

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Q: How many moves possible in chess?
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How many possible play of chess are not the same?

millions and billions of possibilities there are 18 possible moves at the very start of the game!


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do you mean 'can you checkmate someone in 2 moves'. Because if so then yes.


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Chess with friends does not allow many modern chess moves to be made. It is best to try out different strategies on your one.


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A chess board , 32 chessmen , a timer , an optional notepad to record moves = 34/35 items .


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Chess players are getting better each generation due to watching and understanding the different strategies and moves from past generations. Since a chess board and their pieces never change, there are only so many moves that can made.


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How many options does each side have in the beginning of a chess game?

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