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an American mechanical engineer, pioneer in [[Bridge]] programming, and founder of ''Great Game Products'' <ref>[http://www.greatgameproducts.com/ Great Game Products]</ref>, the makers of ''Bridge Baron''.
He is strong bridge, chess and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correspondence_chess correspondence chess] player, and has written a first computer bridge program on a [[UNIVAC I]] at a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy US Navy] laboratory in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C. Washington, D.C.] in 1958 <ref>[http://www.jackbridge.com/ewkprt.htm#bridgebaron Bridge: Jack - World Computer Bridge Championship Contestants: Bridge Baron]</ref> <ref>[http://www.bridgeguys.com/CGlossary/Computer/CBProgrammers.pdf Participating Computer Bridge Software for the World Computer Bridge Championship and the History of these Software Programs - Summary of Participants at Computer Olympiads See: Computer Olympiad] (pdf)</ref>.
In 1982, he completed the first version of ''Bridge Baron'', and founded ''Great Game Products'' in 1985 <ref>[http://www.gb64.com/game.php?id=17023&d=39 Tom Throop's Bridge Baron - GB64.COM]</ref>. In collaboration with [[Vaxchess]] programmer [[Tony Guilfoyle]], ''Bridge Baron '' won the Gold medals in 1990/91 at the [[2nd Computer Olympiad#Bridge|2nd]] and [[3rd Computer Olympiad#Bridge|3rd Computer Olympiad]], and the Silver medal at the [[4th Computer Olympiad#Bridge|4th Computer Olympiad, 1992]], the 1990 version commercialized as ''Micro Bridge Companion'' <ref>[https://www.amazon.com/BRIDGE-COMPANION-DISKETTE-PROGRAMS-GUILFOYLE/dp/B000KX4VPC Micro Bridge Companion - Programs by Tom Throop and Tony Guilfoyle] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com Amazon.com]</ref> <ref>[[Ian Frank]] ('''1998'''). ''[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7998822-search-and-planning-under-incomplete-information Search and Planning Under Incomplete Information: A Study Using Bridge Card Play]''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], 1996 Ph.D. thesis, [[University of Edinburgh]]</ref>.
Along with [[Dana S. Nau]] and [[Stephen J.J. Smith]], Throop developed sophisticated AI-planning techniques in Bridge Baron <ref>[http://www.cs.umd.edu/%7Enau/bridge/bridge.html Bridge Baron - The 1997 world champion of computer bridge uses AI planning techniques to plan its declarer play]</ref>, when it became the first [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_bridge#World_Computer-Bridge_Championship world champion] in 1997.
In 2001, Thomas A. Throop, Senior passed along the role of managing the company to his son, Thomas Throop, Junior <ref>[http://www.bridgeguys.com/CGlossary/Computer/CBProgrammers.pdf Participating Computer Bridge Software for the World Computer Bridge Championship and the History of these Software Programs - Summary of Participants at Computer Olympiads See: Computer Olympiad] (pdf)</ref>.
