Marion Franklin Tinsley was an American mathematician and checkers player. He is considered to be the greatest checkers player who ever lived. Tinsley was world champion 1955–1958 and 1975–1991 and never lost a world championship match, and lost only seven games two of them to the Chinook computer program from 1950 until his death in 1995. He withdrew from championship play during the years 1958–1975, relinquishing the title during that time. It was said that Tinsley was "to checkers what Leonardo da Vinci was to science, what Michelangelo was to art and what Beethoven was to music."
Early life and education
Tinsley was born in Ironton, Ohio, and was the son of a school teacher and a farmer who became a sheriff. He had a sister and "felt unloved" by his parents. To gain the affection of his parents, he competed in math and spelling bees as a child. He said of his parents disapproval: "And as a twig is bent, it grows: As I grew up, I still kept feeling that way."
He skipped four of his first eight grades. Tinsley had a doctorate from Ohio State University in the mathematical discipline of combinatorial analysis. He worked as a professor of mathematics at Florida State University and Florida A&M University. Tinsley once claimed to have spent approximately 10,000 hours studying checkers while in graduate school. Tinsley also served as a lay preacher in the Disciples of Christ church.
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Take the IQ test →World Championship titles
- 8-time world champion Three-move: 1954, 1955, 1958, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989
- 1-time world champion Two-move: 1952
Chinook games
Tinsley retired from championship play in 1991. In August 1992, he defeated the Chinook computer program 4–2 with 33 draws in a match. Chinook had placed second at the U.S. Nationals in 1990, which usually qualifies one to compete for a national title. However, the American Checkers Federation and the English Draughts Association refused to allow a computer to play for the title. Unable to appeal their decision, Tinsley resigned his title as World Champion and immediately indicated his desire to play against Chinook. The unofficial yet highly publicized match was quickly organized, and was won by Tinsley.
In one game from their match in 1990, Chinook, playing with white pieces, made a mistake on the tenth move. Tinsley remarked, "You're going to regret that." Chinook resigned after move 36, only 26 moves later. The lead programmer Jonathan Schaeffer looked back into the database and discovered that Tinsley picked the only strategy that could have defeated Chinook from that point and Tinsley was able to see the win 64 moves into the future.
The ACF and the EDA were placed in the awkward position of naming a new world champion, a title which would be worthless as long as Tinsley was alive. The ACF granted Tinsley the title of World Champion Emeritus as a solution.
In August 1994, a second match with Chinook was organized, but Tinsley withdrew after only six games all draws for health reasons. Don Lafferty, rated the number two player in the world at the time, replaced Tinsley and fought Chinook to a drawn match at game 20. Tinsley was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a week after the match, and died seven months later.
Death
Tinsley died in Humble, Texas, on April 3, 1995, at the age of 68. He lived in Conyers, Georgia, but was visiting his sister in Texas when he died of cancer. He was survived by a twin sister, Mary Clark, who lives in Humble, Texas, and by two brothers, Ed, of Sarasota, Fla., and Joe, of Thornville, Ohio. He is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio, next to his father, Edward H. Tinsley, who was buried on November 19, 1948, and his mother, Viola Mae Tinsley, who was buried on June 1, 1987. His brother, Harold Edward Tinsley is also buried there, and was buried on July 6, 2007.
Television appearances
In 1957, Tinsley appeared as a guest challenger on the television game show To Tell the Truth.
Top questions
Who was Marion Tinsley?
Marion Tinsley was an American mathematician and checkers player who is widely considered the greatest checkers player ever. He held a doctorate from Ohio State University in combinatorial analysis and worked as a professor of mathematics at Florida State University and Florida A&M University. Derek Oldbury thought Tinsley was to checkers what Leonardo da Vinci was to science.
Did Marion Tinsley ever lose a world championship match?
No. Tinsley never lost a world championship match and was world champion from 1955 to 1958 and from 1975 to 1991. From 1950 until his death in 1995 he lost only seven games, two of them to the Chinook computer program and one in a simultaneous exhibition. He withdrew from championship play between 1958 and 1975.
What happened when Marion Tinsley played the Chinook program?
In August 1992 Tinsley defeated the Chinook computer program 4 to 2, with 33 draws, in an unofficial but highly publicised match. He had resigned his world title after the American Checkers Federation and the English Draughts Association refused to let a computer play for it. The federation then granted him the title of World Champion Emeritus.
How did Tinsley beat Chinook in 1990?
In a 1990 game, Chinook made a mistake on the tenth move and Tinsley remarked, "You're going to regret that." Chinook resigned after move 36. Its lead programmer, Jonathan Schaeffer, later found in the database that Tinsley had picked the only strategy that could have defeated Chinook from that point, seeing the win 64 moves into the future.
How did Marion Tinsley start playing checkers?
Tinsley became interested in the game after reading a book by Millard Hopper. He enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and won the Southern Louisiana Open, then finished second at the 1946 Newark National Tourney. He won four Ohio State Opens and two Canadian Opens and was an eight-time three-move world champion.
What was Marion Tinsley's education?
Tinsley skipped four of his first eight grades and graduated from a Columbus high school at fifteen. He earned a doctorate in the mathematical discipline of combinatorial analysis at Ohio State University. He once claimed to have spent approximately 10,000 hours studying checkers while in graduate school.
How did Marion Tinsley die?
Tinsley died of cancer in Humble, Texas, on 3 April 1995, at the age of 68. He had withdrawn from a second match against Chinook in August 1994 after only six games, all draws, for health reasons. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a week after that match and died seven months later.
