Background
Tinsley was born in Ironton, Ohio, and was the son of a school teacher and a farmer who became a sheriff.
Tinsley was born in Ironton, Ohio, and was the son of a school teacher and a farmer who became a sheriff.
Tinsley had a doctorate from in the mathematical discipline of combinatorial analysis. He worked as a professor of mathematics at Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical 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.
He is considered to be the greatest checkers player who ever lived. Tinsley never lost a World Championship match, and lost only seven games (two of them to the Chinook computer program) in his entire 45-year career. He withdrew from championship play during the years 1958–1975, relinquishing the title during that time.
He skipped four of his first eight grades.
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 United States. 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.
In one game, 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, fully 26 moves later. The American Car and Foundry 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 later, and died seven months later. In 1957, he appeared as a guest challenger on the television game show To Tell the Truth.
Tinsley died in Humble, Texas, on April 3, 1995, at the age of 68. He was survived by a twin sister, Mary Clark, who lives in Humble, Texas, and by two brothers, Editor, of Sarasota, Florida, 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.