How does a game of chess work between two top level players? Do they have to think like 25 moves ahead to find any sort of opening against the opponent?
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It depends on the position. Sometimes you can choose a move just on general principles, looking to make sure it doesn’t let your opponent immediately do something to you. At other times, in complicated positions with many threats on both sides, you need to calculate a lot of variations.
In general, there are two components of making good chess moves. *Strategy* is what you are trying to achieve: endanger the opponent’s king, weaken their pawn structure, control a portion of the board, etc. *Tactics* means making sure you can safely carry out that strategy (calculating to make sure you won’t be losing pieces, allowing dangerous counterattacks, etc.).
You might have to think ten moves ahead in an especially complex situation in the opening or middlegame. The only time you would typically have to calculate much further than that is in the endgame, when there are fewer pieces and so the calculations are simpler.
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