David R. Sands

Pipe dreams: The Washington Plumbers got the job done

They took their name from one of the city's most notorious scandals, but for one brief, shining moment, the Washington Plumbers made this city proud.

May 12, 2026

Dismantled dynasty: Webster University shutters chess program

One of the most dominant dynasties in college chess history won't be coming back for the fall semester.

May 5, 2026

Sindarov stumbles in first post-Candidates test

In chess, the downside of a sensational result is that it makes it harder for a player to sneak up on his next opponent.

April 28, 2026

Candidates’ winners defy ratings handicap

The modern chess ratings system has proven a highly useful way of judging the relative strength of players at all levels of the game.

April 20, 2026

Sindarov on the brink of historic win in Candidates tournament

One race is all but decided and one is set up for a thrilling stretch run as the FIDE Candidates and FIDE Women's Candidates tournaments approach the finish line in Pegeia, Cyprus, this week.

April 14, 2026

Sindarov, Muzychuk set the pace in FIDE Candidates’ battles

A young dark horse and a last-minute sub are setting the pace as the FIDE Candidates and FIDE Women's Candidates tournaments hit the halfway point this week in Cyprus.

April 7, 2026

Caruana bests Nakamura in epic Candidates’ kickoff

There was no easing in to the fight as the FIDE Candidates tournament kicked off Sunday to pick the next challenger to reigning Indian world chess champion GM Dommaraju Gukesh.

March 31, 2026

Lone Pine, California, has lots of fans in chess world

Little places can loom large in the mental geography of a chess fan. Relatively obscure cities such as Linares, Spain, and Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, have a secure claim to global renown because some great chess has been played there over the decades.

March 24, 2026

George MacDonnell and the skill of the Irish

Their poets, golfers and alemakers may be world-class, but Ireland doesn't really rank as a powerhouse on the global chess scene. The Emerald Isle boasts just one grandmaster, Russian-born Alexander Baburin, who earned his title nearly three decades ago, while the highest-rated Irish player, IM Sam Collins, sits at 852nd in FIDE's ranking of the active players around the globe.

March 17, 2026

George Washington, Manny Pacquiao and the art of chess branding

Along with its multitude of other virtues, chess can be a great opportunity for personal branding.

March 10, 2026

American rivals set for early Candidates’ clash

The battle to pick the challengers for the open and women's world championship title moves into high gear this month as top chess players gather in Paphos, Cyprus, at the end of the month for the FIDE Candidates and FIDE Women's Candidates Tournaments.

March 3, 2026

Dutch GM Jan Timman, legend in chess, dies at age 74

Dutch GM Jan Timman, who emerged as the West's best player challenging the Soviet chess dynasty in the decades after American Bobby Fischer abandoned the game, died Wednesday at the age of 74 after a short illness.

February 24, 2026

Talented Taimanov soared despite storied loss to Fischer

It's always a bummer when the first line of your obituary kicks off with the lowest moment of your professional life. For Soviet Grandmaster Mark Taimanov, born 100 years ago this month in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, it's also deeply unfair.

February 17, 2026

A milestone title and the mercurial genius of Emory Tate

For American chess, Black History Month comes this year as Black history is being made.

February 10, 2026

Woodward wins a promotion with nervy Tata triumph

The Uzbeks claimed the top prizes, but the American contingent made a very strong showing as the traditional Tata Steel Masters and Challengers tournaments of 2026 wrapped up Sunday.

February 3, 2026

Young Yanks shine as Tata chess tournaments heat up

America's biggest guns are sitting this one out, but three young Yanks are making a strong impression at the first elite chess tournament of the new year.

January 27, 2026

Guilty pleasure: Elementary mistakes from top players at Tata Steel Chess Masters

The study of chess has long been enriched by a mini-glossary of great German words, from zwischenzug (a surprise "in-between" move) and zeitnot (a lack of time on the clock to calculate) to sitzfleisch (the stamina to sit on one's, er, wallet and stay focused when one's queen-and-pawn endgame passes the seven-hour mark).

January 20, 2026

Campus champ: Webster University claims another college chess title

College football fans know that this has been a down year for dynasties. If you're a fan of college chess, by contrast, you know that Goliath is alive, well and still king of the hill.

January 13, 2026

A parade of chess winners marches into the new year

The rush of year-end tournaments near and far means a lot of chess players can welcome in 2026 with a very good feeling about how 2025 came to a close.

January 6, 2026

Remembering Spassky, Naroditsky as a busy chess year closes

For such a logical game, chess can be quite contrary when it wants to be. The Christmas-to-New Year's Day lull, for instance, when much of the world slows down to focus on presents and parties, is paradoxically one of the busiest weeks on the global chess calendar.

December 30, 2025