Branch

During calculation, a player imagines what may follow each plausible move. When a position offers several choices, the analysis splits. Each choice, together with the replies and continuations that depend on it, forms a branch. The position where the choices separate is the branching point.

A line is one uninterrupted path of moves. A branch can contain several lines because either player may face further alternatives later. The complete structure is often pictured as a calculation tree, a mental map in which moves connect one position to the next.

Practical use

To explore branches without mixing positions, return mentally to the last shared position before examining another option from that same position. When a branch ends, summarize its outcome in plain terms, such as lost material, meaning pieces or pawns, an exposed king, equality, or a lasting advantage. Then compare that outcome with the other options.

A branch does not have to begin with the first move under consideration. It also appears inside a continuation whenever the opponent has two serious replies. The candidate-move method, which creates a short list of plausible options, helps decide which branches deserve time, but it does not require every branch to be calculated equally deeply.