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David R. Sands

David R. Sands

dsands@washingtontimes.com

David R. Sands covered numerous beats, including international trade, banking, politics and Capitol Hill, and spent eight years on the foreign desk as senior diplomatic correspondent. He has authored The Times' weekly chess column since 1993.

Articles by David R. Sands

Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi, Game 6, after 130. Kh3.

Magnus Carlsen takes control of chess title match after challenger’s blunder

It took 136 moves in one game and one fateful oversight in another, but we finally got a pair of decisive results from the title match between Norwegian champion Magnus Carlsen and Russian challenger GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in their scheduled 14-game match just past the halfway point in Dubai.

December 7, 2021
In this file photo, Norway's World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, takes a moment in game five against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, during the FIDE World Championship at the Dubai Expo, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)  **FILE**

Carlsen keeps lead in world chess title fight after tame Game 7 draw

After a titanic 136-move victory Friday that clocked in as the longest game in the 150-year history of world chess championship matches, Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen comfortably held a draw with the Black pieces against Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, retaining a one-point lead at the halfway point of their scheduled 14-game title fight in Dubai.

December 4, 2021
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Critics pan Pentagon’s strategic posture review, lack of action on China threat

Critics across the spectrum say the strategic blueprint ordered up by President Biden and outlined by Pentagon officials Monday falls far short of its own self-described mission: to reorient the U.S. military to face what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calls the "pacing threat" posed by a rising China in the Indo-Pacific region.

November 30, 2021
The Arak heavy water nuclear facilities, near the central city of Arak, 150 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Jan. 15, 2011. On Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, negotiators are gathering in Vienna to resume efforts to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, with hopes of quick progress muted after the arrival of a hard-line new government in Tehran led to a more than five-month hiatus. (AP Photo/ISNA, Hamid Foroutan, File)

Iranian demands raise fresh doubts as nuke talks resume

Iran refused to meet face-to-face with American diplomats as talks over the Islamic republic's suspect nuclear programs resumed Monday in Vienna following a five-month hiatus -- a period in which a hardline new government has come to power.

November 29, 2021
Norway's World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, takes a moment against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, during their game two of the FIDE World Championship at the Dubai Expo, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Seesaw battle leads to second draw to open world chess title match

Both players had chances in a sharp struggle, but the result was 58-move draw in the second game of the 14-game world chess championship match between titleholder Magnus Carlsen of Norway and challenger Ian Neponiachtchi of Russia Saturday in Dubai.

November 27, 2021