
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
As shown in the diagram, there is a chessboard with a policeman at position $A$ and a thief at position $B$. Both take turns to move, starting with the policeman, and each must move one step along the lines. Determine the minimum number of steps the policeman needs to guarantee catching the thief.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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