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Minimax Algorithm

The minimax algorithm is used for game playing in AI and involves two players - MAX and MIN. MAX tries to maximize its score while MIN tries to minimize. It performs a depth-first search of the game tree to determine the optimal next move. It works by assigning values to terminal nodes, then recursively backing up values up the tree to determine the best move for MAX at the initial state node. The time and space complexity is exponential in the branching factor and depth of the game tree, limiting its application to simpler games.

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Pavitra Pati
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27 views

Minimax Algorithm

The minimax algorithm is used for game playing in AI and involves two players - MAX and MIN. MAX tries to maximize its score while MIN tries to minimize. It performs a depth-first search of the game tree to determine the optimal next move. It works by assigning values to terminal nodes, then recursively backing up values up the tree to determine the best move for MAX at the initial state node. The time and space complexity is exponential in the branching factor and depth of the game tree, limiting its application to simpler games.

Uploaded by

Pavitra Pati
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Minimax algorithm

Mini-Max Algorithm
• Min-Max algorithm is mostly used for game playing in AI. Such as
Chess, Checkers, tic-tac-toe, go, and various tow-players game.
• In this algorithm two players play the game, one is called MAX and
other is called MIN.
• Both Players of the game are opponent of each other, where MAX will
select the maximized value and MIN will select the minimized value.
• The minimax algorithm performs a depth-first search algorithm for the
exploration of the complete game tree.
• The minimax algorithm proceeds all the way down to the terminal
node of the tree, then backtrack the tree as the recursion.
Working of Min-Max Algorithm:
• The working of the minimax algorithm can be easily described using an example.
Below we have taken an example of game-tree which is representing the two-
player game.
• In this example, there are two players one is called Maximizer and other is called
Minimizer.
• Maximizer will try to get the Maximum possible score, and Minimizer will try to
get the minimum possible score.
• This algorithm applies DFS, so in this game-tree, we have to go all the way
through the leaves to reach the terminal nodes.
• At the terminal node, the terminal values are given so we will compare those value
and backtrack the tree until the initial state occurs. Following are the main steps
involved in solving the two-player game tree:
Step 1
• In the first step, the algorithm generates the entire game-tree and apply
the utility function to get the utility values for the terminal states.
• In the below tree diagram, let's take A is the initial state of the tree.
• Suppose maximizer takes first turn which has worst-case initial value
=- infinity, and minimizer will take next turn which has worst-case
initial value = +infinity.
Step 2:
• Now, first we find the utilities value for the Maximizer, its initial value
is -∞, so we will compare each value in terminal state with initial
value of Maximizer and determines the higher nodes values.
• It will find the maximum among the all.
Step 3:
• In the next step, it's a turn for minimizer, so it will compare all nodes
value with +∞, and will find the 3rd layer node values.
Step 4:
• Now it's a turn for Maximizer, and it will again choose the maximum
of all nodes value and find the maximum value for the root node.
• In this game tree, there are only 4 layers, hence we reach immediately
to the root node, but in real games, there will be more than 4 layers.
Properties of Mini-Max algorithm:
• Complete- Min-Max algorithm is Complete. It will definitely find a
solution (if exist), in the finite search tree.
• Optimal- Min-Max algorithm is optimal if both opponents are playing
optimally.
• Time complexity- As it performs DFS for the game-tree, so the time
complexity of Min-Max algorithm is O(bm), where b is branching
factor of the game-tree, and m is the maximum depth of the tree.
• Space Complexity- Space complexity of Mini-max algorithm is also
similar to DFS which is O(bm).
Limitation of the minimax Algorithm:
• The main drawback of the minimax algorithm is that it gets really
slow for complex games such as Chess, go, etc.
• This type of games has a huge branching factor, and the player has lots
of choices to decide.
• This limitation of the minimax algorithm can be improved
from alpha-beta pruning

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