“He was the human perfection at Checkers”

  Marion Tinsley, was a Professor of mathematics and world draught champion. He was the world's top checker champion from 1954. During this period he only lost seven times. Tinsley defeated Chinook, a computer program that is considered the number-two in the world, which has the ability to calculate 3-million moves a minute, and which has a 27-billion position database.

  He was born in Irontown, Ohio, in 1927. He took up the game by chance when he read two books about the game in his local library. He first became world champion in 1954 and for his meritorious service to the game he was awarded the title of world champion emeritus in 1992.

  Since an accidental loss in the 1950 U.S. championship, Tinsley had amassed an incredible record. Over the period 1950-1995, Tinsley finished in undivided first place in every tournament that he played in. He contested 9 world championship matches, winning each usually by an embarrassingly large margin.

  Over the last 45 years of his life, comprising thousands of tournaments, world championship, match, exhibition and casual games, Tinsley lost only the unbelievable number of seven games!. Tinsley was as close to perfect as is humanly possible.

  Tinsley once remarked that he had become bored playing humans; there wasn't any challenge left. When he was young, Tinsley began to acquire the reputation of being unbeatable. For 45 years, most of his opponents would play for the draw, going for a win was unthinkable.

  Marion Tinsley died at the age of 68 in Humble, Texas on April 3, 1995. He lived in Conyers, Georgia, but was visiting his sister in Texas when he died of cancer.