singlemove

Singlemove is a compound term used across domains to describe a constraint or policy involving exactly one move or action in response to a given state. It conveys the idea of a single-step decision, as opposed to sequences of actions or multi-step planning. The term is not defined by a single formal standard, and its meaning depends on context.

In games and puzzles, singlemove often denotes a mechanic or challenge in which the player must use only one move to achieve the goal, or the game restricts players to a single legal move per turn. One-move puzzles, for example, present a position and seek the unique move that accomplishes the objective immediately. In board games and video games, singlemove modes can accelerate play and emphasize tactical clarity, though designers may also employ it as a puzzle constraint rather than a regular gameplay rule.

In software and artificial intelligence, singlemove is sometimes used as a naming convention for a function or policy that yields a single action given a state. A function named singlemove(state) is expected to return one action, without planning a sequence of future moves. In planning and search, single-move heuristics or policies prioritize immediate payoff and avoid deeper lookahead, trading optimality for speed and determinism.

Because it is informal, the term singlemove has no universally accepted definition, and its interpretation varies by domain. See also one-move, single-step, one-move puzzle.