David R. Sands

Max Judd’s unlikely journey from Krakow to the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame

For a prime example of how immigrants have enriched the American chess scene, look no further than the remarkable career of one Maximilian Judkiewicz, one of three inductees into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame this week.

March 19, 2019

British Parliament decisively rejects May’s Brexit deal to leave European Union

The British House of Commons Tuesday evening again decisively rejected a plan by Prime Minister Theresa May to take the U.K. out of the European Union, leaving the country with no clear path forward with a March 29 deadline to negotiate a deal.

March 12, 2019

Youth is served, elders dissed at St. Louis chess tourney

The late, great D.C. city champion Oscar Shapiro, who was still playing in weekend tournaments into his 90s, once explained his strategy against hotshot players on the rise: "Beat 'em when they're young," he once said. "They only get better."

March 12, 2019

A chess life in a library, a biography on a bookshelf

Like the rings on a fallen oak or the scars on an athlete's knee, one could almost tell a person's life story from the books in their chess library.

March 5, 2019

Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un summit ends early with no deal

President Trump's second denuclearization summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fell apart Thursday in a dispute over lifting economic sanctions, cutting short two days of talks aimed at dismantling Pyongyang's weapons program.

February 28, 2019

Despite Arpad Elo’s remarkable system, upsets still happen at the chessboard

It was nearly 60 years ago that Arpad Elo, a physics professor at Marquette and a fine amateur player, set out to quantify the seemingly unquantifiable -- how strong one's chess ability really is.

February 26, 2019

Valentina Gunina reigns as queen of Cairns in powerful women’s chess event

The inaugural Cairns Cup, believed to be the strongest women's tournament ever held on U.S. soil, is in the books, and GM Valentina Gunina has claimed a little piece of history as the event's first winner.

February 19, 2019

Top women claim the spotlight in strong St. Louis chess invitational

With a six-time U.S. women's champ, a four-time U.S. women's champ, a former women's world champion, and top female stars from Russia, Georgia, India and France gracing the field, the 1st Cairns Cup tournament that just hit the midpoint at the St. Louis Chess Club is easily the strongest women's event ever held on these shores.

February 12, 2019

Class act Vladimir Kramnik retires from competitive chess at age 43

He may have been overshadowed at times by the man whose crown he took, but former Russian world titleholder Vladimir Kramnik will go down in the annals of chess history as a class act, an underrated fighter and one of the most complete players to ever play the game.

February 5, 2019

European powers side with Donald Trump, demand Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro step down

France, Germany, Britain and six other European nations on Monday joined the U.S. and said they no longer recognized socialist President Nicolas Maduro as the country's rightful ruler, demanding that quick new national elections be organized.

February 4, 2019

Adam Smith, House Armed Services chairman, fumes over Pentagon border testimony

The new Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday Pentagon officials were less than "fully transparent" when they testified this week on the military's plans to carry out President Trump's order to deploy to the southern border to bolster the fight against illegal immigration.

January 31, 2019

Magnus Carlsen wins, but local hero makes mark at elite Tata chess tournament

It's the central plot of any number of Hollywood feel-good classics, like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Breaking Away" and "Rocky" (I, II, III, IV etc.) -- underdog local hero is offered an unexpected chance to compete against the big boys, comes through with inspiring victory.

January 29, 2019

Trump comments may help Chinese exec go free: Canadian ambassador

Comments by President Trump may bolster a top Chinese executive's case fighting extradition from Canada to the U.S. for suspected illegal trading with Iran, Canada's ambassador to China said Wednesday.

January 23, 2019

An internet-assisted tribute to Eliot Hearst, a fine American chess player

From drunk tweeting to Tide-pod-eating, the internet is proving to be perhaps the greatest enabler of human stupidity since the invention of alcohol.

January 22, 2019

Mike Pompeo meets with top North Korean diplomat amid talk of second Trump-Kim summit

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting with a top adviser to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a Washington hotel Friday morning, amid speculation that the meeting will be a precursor to a second summit between President Trump and Mr. Kim.

January 18, 2019

For best results, avoid the brilliancy in chess

Warning: Brilliant play does not always guarantee brilliant results. It's a curious phenomenon that very often the player who captures the traditional brilliancy prize for the best-played game of the tournament doesn't go on to win the tournament itself.

January 15, 2019

Eliot Engel, House Foreign Affairs chairman, blasts Mike Pompeo over Mideast speech

The new Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee has sharply criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wide-ranging speech on Middle East policy in Cairo this week, saying Mr. Pompeo was airing a partisan fight with the Obama administration in front of a foreign audience.

January 11, 2019

Chess players show skills shooting the rapids

Slower than fast and faster than slow, rapid chess has rapidly cemented its place in the competitive structure of the game. Once known as "active" chess, rapid chess -- with time controls ranging from 10 minutes to an hour per game -- has found the sweet spot between the sometimes plodding classical time controls and the often random quality of blitz.

January 8, 2019

Latin neighbors press Venezuela’s Maduro to stand down

A group of a dozen Latin American nations, with the support of the Trump administration, are calling on Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro to cancel next week's planned inauguration for a new term in office and to give up power until new, fairer elections can be organized.

January 4, 2019