Zobrist hashing

Zobrist hashing (also referred to as Zobrist keys or Zobrist signatures ) is a hash function construction used in computer programs that play abstract board games, such as chess and Go, to implement transposition tables, a special kind of hash table that is indexed by a board position and used to avoid analyzing the same position more than once. Zobrist hashing is named for its inventor, Albert Lindsey Zobrist. It has also been applied as a method for recognizing substitutional alloy configurations in simulations of crystalline materials. Zobrist hashing is the first known instance of the generally useful underlying technique called tabulation hashing.