Chess Decision Tree Notation

Has anyone here experimented with a system to write out or graph your decision tree as a way of choosing a move? How has it worked? What kind of information do you include?

why not use chessbase? or similar?. You could also mind map your variations if you wanted. For openings people used to use index cards back in the old days...

Originally posted by nimzo5
why not use chessbase? or similar?.

I use chessbase to study my games after they are over, but I had never thought to use it this way during a game. Good idea.

What's a mind map?

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea.

Originally posted by Reverb
Has anyone here experimented with a system to write out or graph your decision tree as a way of choosing a move? How has it worked? What kind of information do you include?

Personally I wouldn't get in this habit. If you start to depend on it you won't be able to play without a written tree which would be illegal over the board. As far as correspondence games here go why don't you just use the notepad?

Originally posted by Reverb
Has anyone here experimented with a system to write out or graph your decision tree as a way of choosing a move? How has it worked? What kind of information do you include?

You will probably be insane by move 5!

How much paper you got?

Originally posted by Reverb
Has anyone here experimented with a system to write out or graph your decision tree as a way of choosing a move? How has it worked? What kind of information do you include?

Yes. I used the backs of business cards when I was first learning my openings. I simply put a number for the card, my move and all the common responses. Each response referred to another card.

Originally posted by JDChess
Personally I wouldn't get in this habit. If you start to depend on it you won't be able to play without a written tree which would be illegal over the board. As far as correspondence games here go why don't you just use the notepad?

So far, I have used chessbase for my games, and I think it has improved my OTB play since August 2009 when I started playing here. With multiple games going, chessbase makes it far easier to remember what I was thinking and what I had planned when I come back to the game.