  A new forecasting strategy for stochastic systems is introduced. It is
inspired by the concept of anticipated synchronization between pairs of chaotic
oscillators, recently developed in the area of Dynamical Systems, and by the
earthquake forecasting algorithms in which different pattern recognition
functions are used for identifying seismic premonitory phenomena. In the new
strategy, copies (clones) of the original system (the master) are defined, and
they are driven using rules that tend to synchronize them with the master
dynamics. The observation of definite patterns in the state of the clones is
the signal for connecting an alarm in the original system that efficiently
marks the impending occurrence of a catastrophic event. The power of this
method is quantitatively illustrated by forecasting the occurrence of
characteristic earthquakes in the so-called Minimalist Model.
