predicting your opponents moves

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how is it possible to anticipate your opponents moves in chess if there are dozens (at least) of many different moves?

I wish I could do that.

The only thing I know is that I have heard that high level chess players often play against the person and not against the moves. Once you learn the opponents style you can start to manipulate the game.

I don’t know about humans but computers can do something like this:

Consider each possible move - if it is your turn this is your move (if not not really anything to do or consider until it is your move)
For each move also consider each possible next move (this is your opponents) move. Keep doing this until you reach some limit (ran out of time or memory or you looked ahead three moves). Add up the “score” for each new board (like how many pieces you captured) then divide by the options - pick the move with the highest probability of bettering your position.

You cannot predict the next move but you can play the odds.

If your real question is how to get better at playing chess i might suggest buy and read a lot of books and play a lot of games. There are many chess books.

You can to the point of 2 moves ahead, or at least I can. It takes me time so I cant really do timed and still be fully prepared. Then after 2 moves the tree of possibilities is too wide and cant keep track of it or its not really possible or helpful because its too many. Some prodigies can probably do much more or have learned patterns of movement for best outcome depending what the chessboard looks like, especially if theyve played a long time, champions.

Watch how your opponents move in multiple games.  Do they devour the pawns, pick off the big pieces one-by-one, or go after the queen?  Do they rely on only one piece to do most of the work?  Do their moves seem careless, yet the always seem to win?  Do they sacrifice their queen and still win?

If they play against multiple opponents, see if their strategies change with each opponent, or if they rely on only one strategy every time.

The best chess players seem to have no strategy at all, and then suddenly your king is in check-mate.