David R. Sands

Russia finally confirms that Prigozhin, Wagner Group execs were on doomed plane

The Tass news service reported that the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed through forensic identification the death of 62-year-old Yevgeny Prigozhin, a one-time confidant of President Vladimir Putin who staged an abortive mutiny in June.

August 27, 2023

Three Marines killed, 20 wounded in Osprey crash during Australian exercises

Three U.S. Marines were killed and 20 others were injured when their MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor plane crashed off the coast of Australia while participating in multinational training exercises, the Marine Corps announced Sunday.

August 27, 2023

At the chessboard: Carlsen’s close call, Matanovic’s giant impact

Former world champ Magnus Carlsen was this close to going home early, but held on and is one of eight players still in the hunt as the FIDE World Cup reached the quarterfinal stage in Baku, Azerbaijan, this week.

August 15, 2023

Tang takes U.S. Open crown, books berth in U.S. championship chess tourney

Illinois GM Andrew Tang is the new U.S. Open champ, tying 2022 champ GM Alexey Sorokin at 8-1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday and defeating the Russian GM in an Armageddon playoff game to claim the title.

August 8, 2023

Bloc backs off on military action as Niger’s coup leaders remain defiant

A Sunday deadline by Niger's West African neighbors to intervene militarily if the recent army-led coup was not reversed appeared to pass without action even though the country's democratically elected president remains a prisoner of his generals in Niamey.

August 6, 2023

Philippines, U.S. slam China for blocking resupply of disputed South China Sea site

The State Department has joined the Philippines in condemning "dangerous actions" by China's coast guard in the latest flare-up of tensions over clashing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

August 6, 2023

When it’s hot and sticky, the chess should be short and sweet

Keep a column going for 30 years and you start to establish a few traditions along the way. Such as: When the temperature rises, the games should get shorter.

August 1, 2023

Ju retains women’s world chess title with some last-round derring-do

In a match in which the two players struggled to gain the tiniest of advantages, GM Ju Wenjun took a chance in the biggest-stakes game of them all.

July 25, 2023

Two very different games showcase the infinite variety of chess

Sometimes one small mistake can sink your game. And sometimes you can survive a host of oversights and blunders and still take the point.

July 18, 2023

Lei draws first blood in tightly contested women’s world chess title match

Women's world chess champion GM Ju Wenjun and GM Lei Tingje, her Chinese compatriot and challenger in the 12-game title match now underway in Shanghai, are well matched.

July 11, 2023

Turkey drops objection to Sweden’s NATO membership on eve of summit

Sweden is on track to become NATO's 32nd and newest member after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unexpectedly dropped his objections Monday on the eve of a summit of the Western military alliance's leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania.

July 10, 2023

U.S. says drone strike killed Islamic State leader in Syria

An American military airstrike has killed a senior Islamic State official in eastern Syria, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement released Sunday.

July 9, 2023

A tense France bans sale of Bastille Day fireworks

The French government on Sunday placed a ban on all non-official fireworks displays for the traditional Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, a reflection of the simmering tensions over the protests sparked by the killing of a teenager of North African descent by a police officer on June 27.

July 9, 2023