Posted ByRPS Historical Bureau on December 04, 2001 at 13:07:29:
In honor of the forthcoming ESPN Classics documentary, the Historical Bureau would like to present a brief account of the life of Simon Watson, Sr.
Born in 1917, "Simple" Simon Watson (now known as the "Old Timer",) began playing the "King of Games" at an early age. He showed great aptitude, and was declared a prodigy by the age of 11. In those early days, the US RPS community was still split into the Union RPS Society and the Confederate RPS Society, a holdover from the civil war. Simon played a part in the movement to reunite these disparate factions, eventually succeeding in the mid-30's.
By the late 30's, Simon was in charge of the World RPS Society's North American Message System. Laboring up to 80 hours a week, he collected and printed the first Bull Board Broadsheets, in addition to performing valuable research.
The late 40's found the world at war, and Simon went to serve his country. Eventually reaching the rank of Captain, on many occasions he won decisive battles by arranging for rps contests between himself and various German officers. This avoided needless loss of life on both sides, and Simon was rightly praised by both the Allies and the Axis.
After the war, Simon returned to his RPS studies. By the early 50's, he was a regular on the tournament scene, winning his only National Championship in 1952. It was during this time that he earned his nickname, "Simple" Simon. He was given this nickname for his singular style of play. Unbelievably, Simon never once made use of any gambit in competitive play! Instead, he focused only on each individual round, treating it as if it were the only round. Instead of using gambits, he alternated between three basic strategies for single round play (hence "Simple" Simon.) This unorthodox tactic won many rounds, most of his victories coming within the first two throws!
The championship of '52 was not without its scandals. His opponent, "Lefty" Lewis, was nursing a bout of pneumonia, and Simon did not grant him a time extension. There were two rules sets enforced at the time, the "official" rules and the "gentleman's" rules. Although Simon was within his rights under the "official" rules to turn down Lewis' request, the "gentleman's" rules demanded that he offer a two week period of rest. Simon won, but the resulting scandal saw him ostracized until the 70's.
When we next saw Simon, it was on the Senior's RPS Tour, now playing under the name "Old Timer". In the interim, he had taken a wife and given birth to a son, though he was well into his 50's. His son, Simon "Good Times" Watson, Jr., has also become a well known figure in the WRPSS, more for his substance use and partying than for his playing ability.
With the impending release of the ESPN classics production, we have come full circle. We are glad to see this hardworking and historic RPS figure get the acclaim he so richly deserves. The special will include the few surviving players of that time period, and several interviews with Simon. A walking history book, he observed many memorable RPS moments, including Wojek Smallsoa's first ever tournament appearance! (An unknown at the time, Wojek swept the tournament to secure the National Championship in his first year of play!) The Historical Bureau commends Simon "Old Timer" Watson for a lifetime of RPS achievement, and looks forward to the release of his story.