David R. Sands

Peddi, So shine during a busy August for chess

August is the month when the world shuts down and the chess scene heats up.

September 2, 2025

A defensive master’s attacking masterpieces

It may sound like the chess equivalent of "Babe Ruth's Best Bunts," but Swedish IM Thomas Engqvist's new book "Ulf the Attacker" shines an unexpected light on one of his country's best and most popular players of the modern era.

August 19, 2025

Swiercz’s surge leads to U.S. Open title

There was some heartbreak and last-round drama at the 125th annual U.S. Open in Middleton, Wisconsin, last week, with Missouri GM Darius Swiercz emerging from the pack to take solo first and punch his ticket for a berth in the next U.S. national championship tournament.

August 12, 2025

Remembering when the Raging Rooks took down a chess barrier

It might have been the biggest U.S. chess story in the mainstream press since Bobby Fischer's world championship win two decades earlier, and one still worth recalling today for its impact on the direction of American chess.

August 5, 2025

Late-round heroics secure U.S. championship titles

There were some late-round dramatics and down-to-the-wire battles as the 2025 U.S. junior, junior girls and senior championships wrapped up last week at the St. Louis Chess Club. In all three events, the margin of victory was a mere half-point.

July 29, 2025

Seniors, juniors battle for U.S. titles in St. Louis

The boomers and the Gen Zers are in the spotlight this week as the St. Louis Chess Club plays host to the U.S. Junior, U.S. Junior Girls and the U.S. Senior Championships.

July 22, 2025

Fireworks dazzle at Philly, D.C. Independence Day events

The tactical bombs were bursting in air and the positional purple mountains were majestic as area players celebrated another Fourth of July by doing battle at the chessboard.

July 15, 2025

Brilliancy loss, tournament win for ‘Pragg’

Young Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa scored a rare double at the 2nd UzChess Cup Masters Tournament in the Uzbekistan city of Tashkent -- taking first place against a world-class field while losing a game during the tournament to Hungarian GM Richard Rapport that could very well be remembered as the brilliancy of the year.

July 8, 2025

Coming to America: Honoring the overlooked Lipschutz

As the country prepares to celebrate its 249th birthday later this week, it is worth noting that immigrants have enlivened and enriched American chess virtually from the time the colonies first gained their independence from Britain.

July 1, 2025

Upstart American claims the chess laurels at Cairns

When organizers go to the trouble and expense of hosting a major international chess tournament, it's customary to reserve a slot or two in the field for a local favorite who may not have qualified by rating or reputation alone. The courtesy invitees are expected to boost local interest and maybe give the top seeds the occasional tough fight.

June 24, 2025

Lee shines in early Cairns action

The late, great D.C. chess champion Oscar Shapiro, the oldest player ever to earn the master's title and still a dangerous pairing in local tournaments well into his 90s, once told me he bore down especially hard when playing against promising junior players zooming up the ratings charts.

June 17, 2025

Tantrum aside, Carlsen dominates in Norway

Overcoming a table-thumping tantrum viewed 'round the globe, Norwegian former world chess champion Magnus Carlsen captured his sixth Norway Open title in the past seven years.

June 10, 2025

A fragrant cherry blossom bouquet shared at Virginia chess tournament

There was an international flavor at the top of the leaderboard at last month's 12th Cherry Blossom Classic in Sterling, Virginia, with Lithuanian GM Titas Stremavicius and Serbian GM Luka Budisavlijevic sharing top honors at 7-2, while foreign-based players claimed seven of the top 10 spots in the strong 50-player event.

June 3, 2025

A high-class case of losing by resigning

For many beginning players, the trickiest thing about chess is not how to play a game but how to end one.

May 27, 2025

Czech great Vlastimil Hort dies at 82

The ranks of the great generation of post-World War II chess players lost another luminary last week with the death of Czech-born, German-based GM Vlastimil Hort at the age of 81.

May 20, 2025

New woes for Yoo after Sardinia win

The troubling saga of young U.S. GM Christopher Woojin Yoo has taken another dark turn -- right on the heels of the promising American junior's most impressive achievement to date over the chessboard.

May 13, 2025

Geller at 100: A sterling career but never the brass ring

It seems every chess era produces at least one star-crossed player whose path to the top is blocked by an even greater talent.

May 6, 2025

April shower of chess wins puts Ivanchuk back in the game’s top ranks

Don't look now, but one of the hottest players on the international circuit is a grizzled veteran who first earned his grandmaster spurs in the second Reagan administration.

April 29, 2025

Ju retains women’s world crown with convincing win over chess rival

She doesn't always get the accolades of her great predecessors, such as Xie Jun and Hou Yifan, but the tenacious Chinese GM Ju Wenjun is carving out her own impressive chess legacy at the top of the women's game.

April 22, 2025

Ju’s winning streak leaves rival reeling in women’s world chess title clash

Chinese women's world champion GM Ju Wenjun is just a draw away from retaining the title she has held since 2018, using a four-game midmatch winning streak to pull away from compatriot and longtime rival GM Tan Zhongyi in their scheduled 12-game clash in Shanghai and Chongqing.

April 15, 2025