Tim Holland (backgammon)
Encyclopedia
Tim Holland was a world-champion backgammon
player, highly-compensated teacher of the game, author of three backgammon books and successful gambler who has won more major backgammon tournaments than anyone in history.
, the only child of Simeon and Inez Holland.
He learned to play bridge
and golf very young and won a father-son and a mother-son golf tournament when he was seven. He was an outstanding player on his high school golf team, and golf became his preoccupation for the next twenty years. After graduating from South Side High School
in 1948, he enrolled at Lehigh University
, but transferred to Adelphi University
after six months. The following year, he decided that Florida
was the best place to play golf, so he transferred to the University of Miami
. During his college years, he played a lot of golf and won most of his wagers, but still managed to graduate with a degree in business administration in 1952. He studied at the UM Law School for two years, but did not graduate.
In the mid-1950s, Holland considered playing golf professionally, but the prize money at most tournaments was small—typically only $5,000. Most pros were in their late 30s or 40's, and the golf association discouraged gambling, so he abandoned the idea. At the time, the La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach had over one hundred millionaire members and was, according to Holland, the "gambling capital of golf". For several years, he made his living playing golf for high stakes, but in 1958, he noticed several older members playing a board game in the clubhouse. He asked to play and got hooked on backgammon. It took several years and $30,000 in losses to achieve a mastery of the game, but once he did, Holland was dominant.
. The game became a huge fad and was played on college campuses, in discothèques and at country clubs; stockbrokers and bankers began playing at conservative men's clubs. Cigarette, liquor and car companies began to sponsor tournaments and Hugh Hefner
held backgammon parties at the Playboy Mansion
.
Tim Holland was club Backgammon champion at the Regency Whist Club before he won the first World Backgammon Championship in 1968 and held the world title until 1973. No championships were held in the years 1970 and 1971. He won the International Championship of Backgammon, played in London, England in 1966, 1972 & 1973. During the early 1970's, Holland averaged $60,000 per year in prize money from backgammon tournaments, not including his personal wagering.
at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida
.
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
player, highly-compensated teacher of the game, author of three backgammon books and successful gambler who has won more major backgammon tournaments than anyone in history.
Early years
Simeon Harold Holland was born in 1931 at Rockville Centre, New YorkRockville Centre, New York
Rockville Centre is a village located in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 24,023. The town is made up of middle to upper middle class residents, most of the wealthier residents residing on the north side of town near the...
, the only child of Simeon and Inez Holland.
He learned to play bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
and golf very young and won a father-son and a mother-son golf tournament when he was seven. He was an outstanding player on his high school golf team, and golf became his preoccupation for the next twenty years. After graduating from South Side High School
South Side High School (Rockville Centre, New York)
South Side High School is the only public high school in the town of Rockville Centre, New York. South Side serves grades 9 through 12 and boasts a variety of academic, extra-curricular and athletic programs, including the International Baccalaureate Curriculum in junior and senior years. School...
in 1948, he enrolled at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
, but transferred to Adelphi University
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island. For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to...
after six months. The following year, he decided that Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was the best place to play golf, so he transferred to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. During his college years, he played a lot of golf and won most of his wagers, but still managed to graduate with a degree in business administration in 1952. He studied at the UM Law School for two years, but did not graduate.
In the mid-1950s, Holland considered playing golf professionally, but the prize money at most tournaments was small—typically only $5,000. Most pros were in their late 30s or 40's, and the golf association discouraged gambling, so he abandoned the idea. At the time, the La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach had over one hundred millionaire members and was, according to Holland, the "gambling capital of golf". For several years, he made his living playing golf for high stakes, but in 1958, he noticed several older members playing a board game in the clubhouse. He asked to play and got hooked on backgammon. It took several years and $30,000 in losses to achieve a mastery of the game, but once he did, Holland was dominant.
Resurgence of game
Beginning in the mid-1960s, the popularity of Backgammon surged, in part due to the charisma of Prince Alexis Obolensky, who was known as “The Father of Modern Backgammon”. "Obe", as he was called by friends, co-founded the International Backgammon Association which published a set of official rules. He also established the World Backgammon Club of Manhattan, devised a backgammon tournament system in 1963, then organized the first major international Backgammon tournament in March, 1964 which attracted royalty, celebrities and the paparazziPaparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
. The game became a huge fad and was played on college campuses, in discothèques and at country clubs; stockbrokers and bankers began playing at conservative men's clubs. Cigarette, liquor and car companies began to sponsor tournaments and Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
held backgammon parties at the Playboy Mansion
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion is the home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Located in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, the mansion became famous during the 1970s through media reports of Hefner's lavish parties.-History:The house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style...
.
Player
Tim Holland was a striking figure at 6’3” tall and always well-dressed. He was supremely self-confident that his skill would prevail, and when he played, he completely focused on the game. He kept a poker face and did not converse with his opponent but was a chain-smoker.Tim Holland was club Backgammon champion at the Regency Whist Club before he won the first World Backgammon Championship in 1968 and held the world title until 1973. No championships were held in the years 1970 and 1971. He won the International Championship of Backgammon, played in London, England in 1966, 1972 & 1973. During the early 1970's, Holland averaged $60,000 per year in prize money from backgammon tournaments, not including his personal wagering.
Author
Following his championships, he was much in demand to teach game strategy. He wrote his first book, Beginning Backgammon in 1973. Holland followed it up with a volume for intermediate players titled, Better Backgammon in 1974, and his final volume was 1977's Backgammon for People who Hate to Lose, which addresses the psychological aspects of the game. He also created a teaching aid for the game, Autobackgammon.Clubs
The Park 65 Backgammon Club opened in 1978 with Tim Holland as president. Park 65, as well as most other backgammon clubs, closed or shifted to card games towards the end of the twentieth century as backgammon’s popularity again faded. Tim Holland returned to the game of bridge which he learned as a child, and played professionally until his death.Personal life
Tim Holland was divorced four or five times, according to his daughter. Models Joanna Ulrich and Simone Terweij were two of his former spouses. He fathered two children: his son, Joe predeceased him; his daughter, Vanessa is the mother of one granddaughter, Stephanie. Holland married the former Nancy Zorn in 1982, and they were still married at the time of his death.Death
Tim Holland died on March 10, 2010 of emphysemaEmphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
.
Additional reading
- Holland, Tim: Beginning Backgammon, ISBN 0679504052, 1973
- Holland, Tim: Better Backgammon, ISBN 067914126X, 1974
- Holland, Tim: Backgammon for People Who Hate to Lose, ISBN 0679141251, 1977
External links
- Tim Holland - Daily Telegraph obituary