Thinking Aloud Indicators in Chess Players’ Complex Problem-Solving in a Three-Move Experiment

The authors present chess players’ problem-solving in a three-move experiment. 16 advanced chess players, both men and women, participated in the experiment, which involved solving complex chess problems. The thinking aloud method was used to provide 200 pages of verbal protocols. Nine indicators were abstracted and measured: the total number of all moves considered in verbal protocol (M), the number of successive solving propositions or number of fresh starts in decision tree (branches in decision tree – N), the number of different options (A), the number of successive changes in solving propositions (nn), reinvestigations of the move considered the most (Pmax), the longest immediate reinvestigations of the move (Pser), longest variation (Dmax), the value of the move chosen (V), and thinking time (Time). These indicators can be interpreted in terms of problem-solving cognitive strategies. This paper demonstrates the methodology