Marion Tinsley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marion Tinsley |
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| Full name | Marion Franklin Tinsley |
| Country | United States |
| Born | February 3, 1927 Ironton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 1995 (aged 68) Humble, Texas, U.S. |
| World Champion | 1955–1958 1975–1991 |
Marion Franklin Tinsley (born February 3, 1927 – died April 3, 1995) was an American mathematician and checkers player. Many people believe he was the greatest checkers player ever. Tinsley was the world champion from 1955 to 1958 and again from 1975 to 1991. He never lost a world championship match. From 1950 until his death in 1995, he only lost seven games. Two of these losses were to a computer program called Chinook. He took a break from championship play between 1958 and 1975, giving up his title during that time. People often said that Tinsley was as important to checkers as Leonardo da Vinci was to science or Beethoven was to music.
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Early Life and Learning
Marion Tinsley was born in Ironton, Ohio. His mother was a school teacher, and his father was a farmer who later became a sheriff. He had one sister. As a child, he worked hard in school, competing in math and spelling contests.
He skipped four grades during his first eight years of school. Tinsley earned a special degree called a doctorate from Ohio State University. His studies focused on a type of math called combinatorial analysis. Later, he became a math professor at Florida State University and Florida A&M University. Tinsley once shared that he spent about 10,000 hours studying checkers while he was in graduate school. He also served as a lay preacher in the Disciples of Christ church.
World Champion Titles
Marion Tinsley won many world championship titles in checkers:
- 8-time world champion (Three-move checkers): 1954, 1955, 1958, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989
- 1-time world champion (Two-move checkers): 1952
Playing Against the Chinook Computer
Tinsley stopped playing in championships in 1991. In August 1992, he played against the Chinook computer program. He won the match 4–2, with 33 games ending in a draw. Chinook had done very well in a U.S. Nationals tournament in 1990. Usually, this would qualify a player for a national title. However, the American Checker Federation and the English Draughts Association would not let a computer play for the title.
Because of this, Tinsley gave up his World Champion title. He immediately said he wanted to play against Chinook. An unofficial match was quickly set up, and Tinsley won it.
In one game from their 1990 match, Chinook made a mistake on its tenth move. Tinsley famously said, "You're going to regret that." Chinook gave up after only 26 more moves. The main programmer for Chinook, Jonathan Schaeffer, later checked the computer's records. He found that Tinsley had chosen the only way to beat Chinook from that point. Tinsley was able to see the winning moves 64 steps into the future!
The checker organizations faced a problem: who would be the new world champion if Tinsley was still alive and unbeatable? They decided to give Tinsley the special title of World Champion Emeritus. This meant he was still recognized as the best.
In August 1994, a second match with Chinook was planned. However, Tinsley had to stop after only six games (all draws) because of health problems. Don Lafferty, who was the second-best player in the world at the time, took Tinsley's place. He played Chinook to a draw after 20 games. Tinsley was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a week after the match. He passed away seven months later.
Later Life and Passing
Marion Tinsley died in Humble, Texas, on April 3, 1995. He was 68 years old. He usually lived in Conyers, Georgia, but was visiting his sister in Texas when he died from cancer. He was survived by his twin sister, Mary Clark, and two brothers, Ed and Joe. He is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio, next to his parents and another brother.
Television Appearances
In 1957, Tinsley appeared on the television game show To Tell the Truth as a guest challenger.
See also
In Spanish: Marion Tinsley para niños
