
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
The diagram on the right shows a chessboard. Initially, the policeman is at position $A$ and the thief is at position $B$. They take turns moving, starting with the policeman. Each move must follow along the lines by one step. How many steps does the policeman need at least to be guaranteed to catch the thief?

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