David R. Sands

Israel’s Netanyahu on verge of electoral comeback

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on the verge of a remarkable comeback as exit polls suggested he and his political allies had won enough seats to form a government.

November 1, 2022

Breathtaking battles: Taking a walk on the lighter side of chess

We "work at" our chess a little too much sometimes, and every so often it's useful (and instructional, I might add) to be reminded of the great struggles and amazing moves that got us hooked on the game in the first place.

November 1, 2022

Caruana, Yu shine at the chessboard; Niemann fight heads to the courts

They took very different paths to get there, but GM Fabiano Caruana and Northern Virginia's own WGM Jennifer Yu both claimed their second national titles at the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship tournaments that wrapped up last week at the St. Louis Chess Club.

October 25, 2022

Expensive gambit: U.S. chess master Hans Moke Niemann sues world champ over cheating charges

U.S. chess grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann, the target of cheating allegations at the highest level of the game, has made a counter-move against his accusers, filing a $100 million-plus lawsuit accusing world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, top U.S. grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and one of the biggest online chess-playing services of "colluding to blacklist" him from competing.

October 20, 2022

Foggy day in London as Truss quits, Conservatives ponder grim future

The shortest prime ministership in Britain's history is leaving the ruling Conservative Party and the country facing a long list of questions.

October 20, 2022

Niemann, rivals keep U.S. championship drama confined to the chessboard

There's been no shortage of gripping drama so far at the U.S. national and U.S. women's chess championships, now entering the final lap this week at the St. Louis Chess Club.

October 18, 2022

Pakistan fumes over Biden’s ‘most dangerous nation’ comment

Officials in Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador over the weekend to explain why President Biden considers their country "one of the most dangerous in the world."

October 16, 2022

Five more years: Xi sticks to his guns as party congress opens in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a weeklong Communist Party Congress strongly defending his economic and COVID policies, while vowing to stamp out democratic dissent in Hong Kong and pursue the "reunification" of Taiwan.

October 16, 2022

British PM Truss totters as Conservatives meet this week on possible ouster

British Prime Minister Liz Truss's time at 10 Downing Street may be over before she has time to plan a housewarming party.

October 16, 2022

Reeling Truss fires finance chief as new British government totters

New British Prime Minister Liz Truss has sacked her top finance minister just weeks into her new government, the latest policy U-turn for the Conservative leader after markets panned her program of deep, unfunded tax cuts and deregulation.

October 14, 2022

The plot thickens — and sickens — in Niemann chess cheating controversy

The U.S. open and women's annual national championship tournaments are now underway at the St. Louis Chess Club and the Hans Moke Niemann cheating controversy remains, unfortunately, the all-consuming storyline.

October 11, 2022

Chess in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as cheating controversy smolders

Well, our beloved game is generating front-page headlines, getting coverage on the big network broadcasts and serving as the focus for deep-think pieces from pundits the world over. Yay?

October 4, 2022

Defiant Putin hails annexation of Ukrainian regions, says West wants Russia as ‘colony’

In a ceremony meant to mark the carving up of parts of Ukraine, Russian President and judo master Vladimir Putin told a Kremlin audience that it was the U.S. and its Western allies who were trying to carve up Russia.

September 30, 2022

Compartmentalizing Carlsen wins at the chessboard while fanning cheating controversy

He may be at the center of a raging global scandal with his accusations of possible cheating by a fellow grandmaster, but world champion Magnus Carlsen is showing no signs of stress at the chessboard.

September 27, 2022

Putin gives leaker Snowden citizenship in defiance of U.S.

America's most famous fugitive leaker found a permanent refuge Monday as the government of President Vladimir Putin granted Russian citizenship to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

September 26, 2022

North Korea denies U.S. reports it is selling arms to Russia

A couple of weeks later, North Korea is angrily denying widely disseminated U.S. intelligence findings that it has agreed to sell large amounts of arms and munitions to Russia in support of President Vladimir Putin's troubled invasion of Ukraine.

September 22, 2022

A century later, a chess champ in his prime still inspires awe

This month we had the spectacle of a world champion walking out on a tournament, when Norway's Magnus Carlsen dropped out of the 9th Sinquefield Cup after three games under still controversial circumstances.

September 20, 2022

Carrying a grudge: Chess champ quits after one move against U.S. rival amid cheating controversy

The cheating controversy roiling the world of elite chess shows no signs of cooling down as Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen played one move and then quit in apparent protest in his game against young American rival Hans Moke Niemann Monday.

September 19, 2022

Iranian leader nixes any Biden meeting during U.N. gathering

The trip to New York by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was already controversial, with lawmakers in Congress pressuring the Biden administration not to allow him to travel to the U.N. gathering.

September 18, 2022

Bidens join world leaders in London to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden joined more than 100 global leaders and foreign dignitaries in London Sunday, as the world gathered for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral Monday after a record 70-plus years on the throne.

September 18, 2022