Machine Translation:
Cock de Gorter grew up in Rozemarijnstraat in the heart of The Hague. He taught himself and his friends how to play chess. Cock had talent and became youth champion of chess club Moerwijk, then the largest chess club in the Netherlands. After completing his military service, he was able to work as a correspondent with insurance company De Onderlinge The Hague.
On a Puch, and with long hair, he arrived in the Zeestraat on his first day at work, where he immediately met a nice girl from the verification department. The two would marry and stay together for the rest of their lives. When he got a new job at Aegon after five years, this employer was the main sponsor of the Dutch skating team. "Maybe chess is also a good idea," Cock suggested.
Aegon did like that plan. For ten years, Cock organized an international computer-chess tournament for the insurer. The struggle between man and machine drew many grand masters to the headquarters of Aegon in Mariahoeve. It was easier for one person than for the other. Grandmaster David Bronstein, for example, was not allowed to leave the USSR.
Only after Cock had come to give personal text and explanation to the embassy did the chess player come to The Hague. He was shown around with enthusiasm by Cock. The grandmaster fell silent in a cheese shop in the Reinkenstraat. The abundant offer grabbed him, he said.
The Aegon chess tournaments were a place where programmers and chess players met and where chess programs such as Deep Blue, Gideon 2.0 and Kallisto competed against Anatoli Karpov, Hans Böhm and Alexander Münninghoff, who also wrote about chess as a journalist for this newspaper. Just like Cock, who brought his ticked pieces about chess games, just before the deadline, with the motorcycle to the editors in the Plaspoelpolder. The disappointment was great when the next morning it appeared that the editorial staff had shortened his fascinating report about an exciting Moerwijk match by half.
Riding a motorcycle and playing chess were great loves for Cock. However, when a smoking ban was imposed on chess club De Ooievaar, of which he was chairman for many years, he immediately opted out as a member. Pipe smoking was also a great love of Cock, who then was forced to become a bridge player.
Because of chess, Cock had a wide and varied circle of acquaintances. When chess friend Jan Nagel founded the 50 Plus political party, he put Cock on the electoral list. Thousands of chess players gave Cock their vote. That surprised Cock, who was very modest and meek in nature. His cats, for example, could do no harm. Not even if, at home on the Valkenboskade, they clumsily knocked over the pieces. Cock wrote books about chess, was chairman of Computerschaak Vereniging Nederland and advised many programmers on writing chess programs.
When Cock was told that he had a brain tumor, his wife organized a big party to celebrate his 70th birthday and his life. It was good for him to raise the glass with old friends from Rozemarijnstraat, bridgers and chess players such as Böhm and Nagel.
Cock de Gorter died at home in the presence of his brother and wife at the age of 70.
