Tim Holland, 79, fierce backgammon player

March 12, 2010|Matt Sedensky, Associated Press

MIAMI — Tim Holland, a world backgammon champion who was one of the most prominent competitors in the game’s modern heyday, has died at 79.

Mr. Holland died of emphysema Wednesday in West Palm Beach, said his daughter, Vanessa Holland of San Diego.

When it backgammon enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, Mr. Holland traveled the world handing defeat to opponents.

He won the World Backgammon Association championships in 1967, 1968, and 1971 (no tournament was held in 1969 or 1970) and made his living between game purses and his own wagering.

Mr. Holland was the author of “Beginning Backgammon,’’ “Better Backgammon,’’ and “Backgammon for People Who Hate to Lose.’’

He lost repeatedly at the outset. But he eventually mastered it, captivating opponents with his focus and skill, traits noted in a chapter devoted to Mr. Holland in the 1975 book “Fast Company.’’

“It’s the luck factor that seduces everyone into believing that they are good, that they can actually win,’’ he said. “But that’s just wishful thinking.’’