David R. Sands

White House says Israel agrees to first pause in Gaza fighting

The White House said Thursday that Israel has agreed to daily four-hour pauses in its offensive against Hamas militants to allow trapped Palestinian residents in Gaza to escape the fighting and possibly also to accelerate talks to free hundreds of hostages still held by the group.

November 9, 2023

Vidit, Nakamura book berths in Candidates Tournament for a shot at world chess title

With a key win over his archrival, U.S. GM Hikaru Nakamura has booked a slot in next spring's eight-grandmaster Candidates Tournament in Toronto, for a chance to take on reigning Chinese world champ GM Ding Liren.

November 7, 2023

American chess stars in the hunt for coveted Candidates’ slots at FIDE Swiss fight

Some 164 top players are competing now in the FIDE Grand Swiss and the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss tournaments on the Isle of Man. The prize for the two top qualifying players in both 11-round events: a slot in the 2024 open and women's eight-player Candidates Tournaments that will identify the next challengers for the world chess titles.

October 31, 2023

U.S. faces balancing act as Israeli campaign builds against Hamas

The Biden administration escalated its tricky balancing act Sunday as Israel prepared for an expanded clash with Hamas militants in Gaza, again insisting Israel has the right to avenge the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist rampage but also cautioning that Israeli forces must take extra steps to avoid civilian casualties in the densely populated enclave.

October 29, 2023

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi presses U.S. for ‘sincerity’ in bumpy relationship

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up three days of talks in Washington saying the onus is on Washington to take active moves to bolster the troubled bilateral relationship.

October 29, 2023

Caruana claimed third U.S. chess title by holding off the young guns

GM Fabiano Caruana not only captured his third U.S. national title with a dominating performance earlier this month at the St. Louis Chess Club, the world's No. 2 player also had a message for a generation of rising American stars aiming for his crown.

October 24, 2023

Kremlin slams dismissive tone of Biden’s speech on Putin, Ukraine

The Kremlin did not appreciate the text -- or the tone -- of President Biden's Oval Office address Thursday night seeking a major new funding package that would include tens of billions of dollars to aid Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion force.

October 20, 2023

Biden declares Putin, Hamas threats to democracy in prime-time speech

President Biden laid out his case to the country and Congress that the U.S. must send $100 billion of taxpayer-funded aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing that two wars in other parts of the globe threaten to undermine democratic stability around the world and to damage U.S. national security.

October 19, 2023

Mayhem across regional tinderbox obscures direction for U.S., Israel

The string of incidents underscored the tinderbox nature of the region and sparked a retaliation campaign in Gaza that could soon lead to a ground war in the Palestinian enclave.

October 18, 2023

Caruana romps, Yip survives in U.S. chess title tournaments

GM Fabiano Caruana coasted to his third U.S. national chess championship this week, while IM Carissa Yip took a more arduous route to claim her second U.S. women's title Tuesday at the events' traditional home at the Chess Club of St. Louis.

October 18, 2023

Violent protest at U.S. Embassy in Lebanon prompts new do-not-travel warning

The State Department on Wednesday issued a hasty "do not travel" to Lebanon warning for American citizens hours after a pro-Palestinian protest ignited a fire in the U.S. Embassy complex in Beirut.

October 18, 2023

Blinken cautions Israel against strike on Gaza civilians; shaken by images of atrocities

Israel's military on Thursday ramped up its promised campaign of retaliation for last weekend's murderous rampage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, leveling entire neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, massing troops for a possible ground operation against the Hamas stronghold, and vowing that a punishing blockage of the densely populated Palestinian enclave would continue until the 100-plus Israeli and foreign hostages are freed.

October 12, 2023

U.S., Qatar put hold on Iranian $6 billion fund after Hamas attack

Facing bipartisan criticism at home, the Biden administration has reportedly put a new hold on some $6 billion in Iranian funds held in a Qatari bank account in the wake of the attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israel that has killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreigners.

October 12, 2023

Blinken assures Israel of support, says civilians must be protected

The U.S. will stand beside Israel as it battles Hamas terrorists whose "litany of brutality and inhumanity" calls to mind the savagery of ISIS, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

October 12, 2023

Signs point to ground war in Gaza as scale of Hamas atrocities emerges

A bloody and extended ground battle in the densely populated winding streets of Gaza appeared imminent Tuesday as Israel massed its forces along the border to the sealed Palestinian enclave and called up 360,000 reservists to avenge a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Saturday.

October 10, 2023

Strong fields, tight battles as U.S. national chess tourneys kick off

In a healthy sign for American chess, two of the strongest fields ever are battling it out as the 2023 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship kicked off at their now-traditional home at the Chess Club of St. Louis last week.

October 10, 2023

Death toll mounts on both sides as Israeli-Hamas clash intensifies

Over 1,000 Israelis are confirmed dead along with more than 700 Palestinians in the Gaza enclave in four days of fighting since Hamas launched a surprise attack Saturday, officials from the two sides said Tuesday.

October 10, 2023

Cardin freezes military aid to Egypt, questions support for Azerbaijan

Newly installed Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin is moving quickly to put his stamp on the panel, announcing a freeze on new military aid and arms sales to Egypt because of the Cairo government's poor human rights record and calling for a "reevaluation" of U.S. aid to Azerbaijan after its forcible takeover of a large Armenian-majority enclave in Nagorno-Karabakh.

October 4, 2023

Alliance maintenance: Putin to visit North Korea as Biden reassures Ukraine coalition

The Kremlin confirmed Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to North Korea in the coming weeks, reciprocating a high-profile visit by Kim Jong-un last month and setting off alarm bells in the U.S. and South Korea.

October 3, 2023

IM Jeremy Silman, top-selling chess author with engaging style, dies at 70

Sad news out of California to start off this week: IM Jeremy Silman, one of the best-selling chess authors this country has ever produced, died Sept. 21 from a form of progressive dementia at the age of 69.

October 3, 2023