He is most famous for his book Thought and Choice in Chess. The book, published in 1965, was a translation of his 1946 dissertation Het denken van de schaker (The thinking of the chess player), which examined how chessplayers think.
He conducted experiments in the 1940s and later in the 1960s which involve players from amateurs to Grandmasters. He investigate the cognitive requirements and the thought processes involved in selecting a move. The participants were asked to select a move and voice their thoughts as they decided on their move.
What de Groot found was that much of what is important in choosing a move occurs during the first few seconds after seeing the position.
Four stages in the task of choosing the next move were noted.
1) The orientation phase in which the subject assessed the situation and determined a very general idea of what to do.
2) The exploration phase where the subject looked at some branches of the game tree.
3) The investigation phase' where the subject chose a probable best move.
4) The proof phase where the subject confirmed to himself that the results were valid.
He agreed with Alfred Binet that visual memory and visual perception are important attributes and that problem-solving ability is of paramount importance. Memory is particularly important in that there are no new’ moves in chess, so those from personal experience (or from the experience of others) can be committed to memory.
Does playing over games and solving tactical problems in order to gain pattern recognition an important part of improving? The question is discussed in THIS Chessable article.
After Max Euwe became World Champion, the steelworkers at Hoogovens started a chess club which held their first event in 1938. After the War, activity was resumed in 1945, and this attempt had some minor problems when English players P.S. Milner-Barry declined for professional reasons and William Winter could not get a visa. And, Swiss master m and Henri Grob ran into travel difficulties.
As a result organizers were left with Gosta Stoltz from Sweden, whose plane arrived only hours before play began, and Belgian champion Albrec O'Kelly as the only foreign players.
De Groots opponent in this game was Albrec O’Kelly de Galway (1911-1980). He spoke French, Dutch, German, English, Spanish, and Russian fluently, and some Italian. As an author, O’Kelly wrote many books and article, in various languages.
\ As a youth, he took lessons from the legendary Akiba Rubinstein, who was institutionalized in Belgium. O'Kelly won the Belgian championships thirteen times between 1937 and 1959.
[Event "Hoogovens, Beverwijk"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1946.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Adrian de Groot"]
[Black "Alberic O'Kelly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 17"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1946.01.05"]
{Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 {The B is much more
active on c5 than on e7, however, white can gain time by playing c3 and d4
focing black to lose time by moving the B again to a less active position.
Statistically the move does not do well.} 5. Nxe5 {Although not played very
often this is probably white's best reply. 5.c3 and 5.d3 are more frequently
seen.} Nxe5 6. d4 c6 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Bd3 d5 {This is black's best move.} 9. Qf3
Qh4 {The threat if …Bg4 is unpleasant.} 10. g3 {Better was 10.Bxe4 and
whichever way black recaptures the position would be equal.} Ng5 (10... Bg4 {
was better. AFter} 11. Qf4 g5 12. gxh4 gxf4 13. Bxf4 Rg8 {black has a good
position.}) 11. Qd1 Nh3+ {O'Kelly has overestimated the strength of his attack.
Or, perhaos it was a case of a stronger player takig liberties against a
weaker one.} (11... Bxf2+ 12. Rxf2 (12. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 13. Ke1 Qxg3+ {and black is
winning.}) 12... Nh3+ 13. Kg2 Nxf2 14. gxh4 Nxd1 15. Be2 Nxb2 16. Bxb2 {
is unclear.}) (11... Qh6 {Best.} 12. h4 Nh3+ 13. Kg2 g5 {and white must play
carefully.}) 12. Kg2 {Already white has a substantial advantage.} Qe7 13. f4 {
Going for the kill.} h5 14. Nc3 {A lapse...white does not have time for this
and must press on with his attack/} (14. f5 Ng5 15. Nc3 {Now this is OK
because black can't develop his B to g4 nor can he try ...g5}) 14... g5 {
Just a bit better would have been 14...Bg4} 15. f5 (15. fxg5 Nxg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5
17. Nxd5 {Black has to try 17...h4 when white is only slightly better, but he
must not play} cxd5 18. Bb5+ Kf8 19. Qxd5 {with a decisive attack.} Qe7 20.
Rxf7+ Qxf7 21. Rf1 Qxf1+ 22. Bxf1 Be7 23. Bc4 Ke8 (23... Rh7) 24. Bd3 {
Threatening Bg6+} Rh6 25. Qg8+ Kd7 26. Bb5+ Kc7 27. Qg7 Re6 28. Bc4) 15... g4 {
de Groot's slight lapse last move has allowed O'Kelly to get decent play anf
now de Groot has to be careful as his K is exposed.} 16. Qe2 Bd7 {It's logical
to develop the B, but it allows his opponent to go back on the attack.} (16...
f6 {opening the position keeps the attack and defense balanced. For example...}
17. Bf4 b5 18. Rae1 Nxf4+ 19. Rxf4 {and things are unclear after either 19...
Kd8 or 19...fxe5}) 17. Na4 {Nice! After black's last move white's B finds a
purpose on c3...with things at a standstill on the K-side de Groot turns his
attention to the other side.} (17. e6 fxe6 18. f6 Qf7 19. Qe5 Bb6 {White's
position lacks any real punch.}) 17... Bb6 18. b4 {Setting a trap.} (18. e6 {
is a different story from last move.} fxe6 19. Nxb6 axb6 20. Qe5 {and the
Q-side Ps have become targets.}) 18... O-O-O {Avoiding the trap.} (18... Qxb4
19. Nxb6 Qxb6 20. e6 {White is winning.} fxe6 21. fxe6 Bc8 22. Qe5 Rg8 23. Bg6+
) (18... c5 $1 $14 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. bxc5 Bc6) 19. Nxb6+ {de Groot now
conducts an attack on black's K.} axb6 20. a4 (20. e6 {would have been much
harder to meet.} fxe6 21. Qe5 Rde8 (21... Rhf8 22. f6 {Switching the action
back to the K-side. This demonstrates the great strength of white's position.}
Qxb4 23. Bh6 Rf7 24. Qxh5 {The R is a goner.}) 22. f6 Qxb4 23. Rb1 Qa5 (23...
Qxb1 {This gets the Q trapped.} 24. Bb2 Qxa2 25. Ra1) 24. f7 Ref8 25. Qd6 Qc5
26. Ba3 Qxd6 27. Bxd6 Ng5 28. Be5 {wins a R.}) 20... Rhe8 21. a5 bxa5 22. Bb2 {
Another imprecise move.} (22. Rxa5 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Rxe5 24. Bb2 Ree8 25. Bf6 {
picks up the exchange.}) 22... d4 {To copy and paste the note from white's
last move...Another imprecise move. The move has a point however!} (22... Qxb4
{and things get wild after} 23. Rfb1 c5 24. e6 d4 25. Bc1 Bc6+ 26. Kf1 Bf3 {
with head whirling complications.}) 23. Rxa5 {After this things are back on
track.} (23. Bxd4 {Falls for the trap black's last move set.} c5 24. Be4 (24.
Bxc5 Bc6+ 25. Be4 Qxe5 26. Rfe1 Qxf5 {and white gets mated.} 27. Qf2 Rd2 28.
Bxc6 Rxf2+ 29. Kh1 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Rf1+ 31. Rxf1 Qxf1+ 32. Bg1 Qxg1#) 24... Ng5
25. Bd5 Bxf5 26. Bxc5 Qxe5 27. Qxe5 Rxe5 28. c4 axb4 29. Bxb4 Rdxd5 30. cxd5
Be4+ 31. Kf2 Nh3+ 32. Ke1 Bg2+ 33. Kd2 Bxf1 34. Rxf1 Rxd5+ {Black is better.})
23... Qxb4 {There was really no better defense.} 24. Ra8+ {The rest is a mop
up.} Kc7 25. Ba3 c5 26. Bxb4 Rxa8 27. e6 Bc6+ 28. Be4 cxb4 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30.
Qe5+ {Black resigned. An incredibly complicated game that was for the most
part well played by de Groot.} (30. Qe5+ Kb7 31. Rb1 Ra4 (31... Rab8 32. Rxb4+
Ka6 33. Ra4+ Kb7 34. Qxd4 Rbd8 35. Qb4+ Kc8 36. Ra8+ Kc7 37. Ra7+ Kc8 38. Qb7#)
32. Qxd4 {and Qd7+ will be a killer.}) 1-0
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