Notable people · Mathematician · Checkers Champion
Marion Tinsley
Born in Ironton, Tinsley is widely called the greatest checkers player in history. He held the world title for decades and in 1992 beat the Chinook computer program.
At a glance
- Born
- 1927-02-03
- Died
- 1995-04-03
- Education
- Columbus high school, Columbus, OH, graduated at 15
- Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, PhD, combinatorial analysis
- Known as
- Mathematician, Checkers Champion
- Organizations
- Florida State University, Florida A&M University
Life story
Marion Tinsley was born in Ironton in 1927 to a schoolteacher and a farmer who became a sheriff. He skipped four of his first eight grades and graduated from a Columbus high school at 15.
He earned a doctorate in combinatorial analysis at Ohio State University and taught mathematics at Florida State and Florida A&M universities. He was also a lay preacher in the Disciples of Christ.
In checkers he was a two-move world champion in 1952 and an eight-time three-move world champion between 1954 and 1989, and he held the world title in 1955-1958 and 1975-1991. In 1992 he beat the Chinook program 4-2. He withdrew from a rematch in 1994 because of ill health and died of pancreatic cancer in 1995.
Timeline
- 1927-02-03: Born (Ironton, OH) source
- 1945: Enlists in the Navy (Gulfport, MS) source
- 1952: Two-move world champion source
- 1955: First world championship reign begins (to 1958) source
- 1975: Second world championship reign begins (to 1991) source
- 1992: Defeats the Chinook computer program 4-2 source
- 1994: Withdraws from rematch with Chinook after six games source
- 1995-04-03: Dies in Humble, Texas (Humble, TX) source
What Marion is known for
- World checkers champion (1955-1958 and 1975-1991)
- Defeated the Chinook computer program 4-2 in 1992
Honors and things named for them
- World Champion Emeritus (1991)
Family
- twin sister: Mary Clark
- mentor/rival: Asa Long
Places in Ohio to see
- Greenlawn Cemetery (grave) (grave)
Columbus, Franklin County ZIP 43207 (approximate) · Columbus · Franklin County · official page
Ohio places
Where Marion Tinsley was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Ironton, Lawrence County ZIP 45638 · Ironton · Lawrence County
- School: Columbus, Franklin County ZIP 43215 · Columbus · Franklin County
- Buried: Columbus (Greenlawn Cemetery), Franklin County ZIP 43207 · Columbus · Franklin County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Marion Tinsley birth/death; education; title years; Chinook; family; burial Greenlawn Cemetery Columbus